City thanked for giving £7,500 to drought victims
PEOPLE in Cardiff have raised thousands of pounds in the last 10 days for a special fund to help people in drought-ravaged Somaliland.
Thanking people for their generosity at a fundraising football league, community day and bucket collection in the city last week, Ali Abdi said the cash – which totalled more than £7,500 – would go directly to help those affected via the Somaliland government’s drought committee.
The funds come on top of the £1m raised in Wales for the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal to help famine-hit East Africa.
Earlier this week the deputy mayor of Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, Abdiaziz Mohamed Hashi, visited Cardiff to see for himself how the city was responding and to visit the Senedd.
While he was in Cardiff for a oneday visit on Monday the deputy mayor went to Cardiff University to see the work of Welsh Somali Dr Ahmed Ali, who is researching cures and treatments for arthritis with products from Somaliland including frankincense.
He also visited the Senedd at the invitation of Plaid Cymru South East Wales AM Steffan Lewis.
Before he left, Mr Mohamed personally thanked women and families from a children’s centre in Butetown who have donated a van full of clothes and other essentials, which is now being shipped to drought victims in the east African country.
He thanked Samia Ali and Sara Omar from Amanah Learning 4 Kidz, a club for children in Butetown, for their appeal for donations and those who donated.
Mr Abdi said the deputy mayor was overwhelmed by Cardiff’s response to the drought, which is ravaging Somaliland, a peaceful self-declared republic neighbouring Somalia.
Many Welsh Somalis in Cardiff and around Wales come from the country, which is not officially recognised and therefore does not receive any of the aid the UK Government and other countries send to Somalia to tackle the drought, Mr Abdi said.
Cardiff council has officially recognised Somaliland as a country but, as it has no official status, it loses out on international aid.
“We can’t thank the community in Cardiff enough and shops, friends and neighbours for the help they have given and what they have donated,” said Mr Abdi.
“The relationship between Somalis and the other communities here means they really feel the pain alongside us. We have just sent the first instalment of money collected at the football tournament at Leckwith Stadium and community day at Grange Pavilion and bucket collections taken over just 10 days.
“It has just been converted from pounds into $9,400 over in Somaliland by the drought committee.”
A family fun day fundraising event will also be held on April 22 at Grange Pavilion, Grange Gardens, from 1pm to 6pm.