IKCA Volunteers Organise Sell-out Charity Dinner

On May 7th, three friends are hosting a charity event at London’s Mumtaz restaurant featuring live music from Abbas Ali and a killer auction.

We caught up with Sobia, Saima and Junaid who are organising the event in aid of cancer patients at Shaukat Khanum Hospital (SKMCH).

London based sisters, Sobia Ahmad and Saima Khan are passionate about cricket and all things related to Pakistan. But driving their efforts is a social consciousness, which has seen them through many a charity event.

“Sobia and I have worked on a number for fundraising initiatives for a range of charities,” says Saima, “We’ve raised money for the Pakistan floods, the Pakistan earthquake, Cancer Research UK –amongst others. In 2014 we had our biggest fundraiser, which raised approximately £45,000 towards Medical Aid for Palestinians. Mashallah!”

When asked why they chose IKCA for this event, Saima’s response is simple: “We’ve been meaning to do something for IKCA for a while. It’s a cause we believe deserves every support one can offer. Cancer has affected us in a personal capacity. Our father suffered from the illness.  IKCA was a cause he used to support.”

So whose idea was it to get Abbas Ali on board? Junaid Khan owns up to this. Working in Financial Services, London based Junaid hails from Karachi and is also passionate about cricket. Having organized a fundraiser iftar for Pakistan Earthquake victims in the past, Junaid isn’t new to the charity scene either. A long time supporter of our cause, IKCA is a charity close to his heart.

“Abbas is a great singer, who has performed at multiple venues in the US and UK.” Junaid says about the banker who moonlights as a musician in his free time. “He’s a friend of mine, and when I approached him with this idea for our fundraising dinner, he kindly agreed to support us.” Junaid is convinced that the great food of Mumtaz Restaurant, combined with great, Pakistani Music is the perfect combination of two things that attract Pakistanis. He has no doubts that they’ll have a large turnout.

“Sobia and I are big fans of Pakistani music,” Saima adds, “we’re looking forward to hearing some old tunes by Vital Signs and Junoon, amongst others.” Guests can also anticipate popular hits from Atif Aslam and Noori. So come with your humming voice in tow and please bring along some extra cash. Sobia, Saima and Junaid also have a surprise auction and lucky draw planned for the evening.

“We hope this event will raise a good sum to support the efforts of IKCA.” Says Saima, “It’s also important to raise awareness of the work being done, highlighting the medical care that all patients receive, regardless of social class or status.  Everybody at Shaukat Khanum Hospital is given treatment in the same way, and that is commendable.”

Finally, we ask the three friends if they have advice for unseasoned IKCA volunteers who want to organize a similar fundraising initiative.

“For anybody thinking of doing something similar for charity, we would say just do it,” says Sobia “It does involve a lot of work, but it’s extremely rewarding to watch your efforts reach fruition and to know you’ve done something positive to make the world a better place. You also become acquainted with different people, and so it’s a great way to meet new people, often those who also have the same interests as you with regards to charity work.”

Tickets for this event have now sold out. 

To organise your own fundraiser for IKCA, see our Fundraising Ideas or Contact Us today.