Aisha Walker

More than a million people each year die from malaria.  It’s a persistant scourge in many parts of the world but never seems to be newsworthy unlike diseases such as influenza variants or the Ebola virus.  The real tragedy of malaria is that it is easily preventable with cheap tools such as mosquito nets.  The Against Malaria Foundation uses donations to buy and distribute insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets.  More than that, the foundation makes sure that the nets are used.  It’s a simple and cost-effective way to save lives.

Anyone who has been to see Hot Aire! Concert Band (or its junior section, Fresh Aire) may have been lucky enough to watch the amazing Andrew in action.  Andrew is a young man with Down Syndrome who conducts selected pieces with skill and energy.  Andrew’s passion for music shines from his conducting which means that it is a pleasure to play for him. Here is Andrew conducting Choral and Rockout by Ted Huggens.

Today I would like to support Down Syndrome Training & Support Service Ltd, a local charity which is run by and for parents and carers of children with Down Syndrome.  As well as offering support to parents/carers the charity also provides training for professionals and a youth club for young people with Down Syndrome.

Throughout my childhood my grandparents’ house had a Barnado’s collecting box on the hall table for spare change.  This was because my grandfather was a ‘Barnado’s Boy’.  Having been orphaned in early childhood he was cared for by the charity then called “Dr Barnado’s” who found a foster home in which he was very happy.  Grandpa maintained a lifelong relationship with his foster mother and brothers and she became ‘granny’ to my mother in due course.  Barnodo’s still finds foster and adoptive homes for children but the charity now does a lot more including advocacy; supporting young carers; protecting children from sexual exploitation and supporting survivors; campaigning and research.

Inn Churches is yet another charity from last year’s list.  It’s a local charity working with homeless adults in the Bradford area.  At Christmas time the charity uses churches to provide accomodation for homeless people but the work is not limited to the Christmas period.  Throughout the year, Inn Churches works with other organisations supporting homeless people in the area.

WaterAid is another of the charities on the list from last year.  Whilst we in Yorkshire take water for granted (and often complain about it falling from the sky), in too many parts of the world people are still dying from lack of a clean and reliable water supply. We have the technology to make sure that everyone has access to clean water; we just need the will and the money to make it happen.

The Cellar Trust is a small local charity which provides opportunities and support for people recovering from mental health problems to return to employment.  The trust runs training programmes and also operates several small businesses in which people can gain skills and work experience.  There is a woodwork shop which produces beautiful furniture for sale, a café with scrummy food, a conference centre and a media/web business. Even if you don’t want to make a donation, it’s worth visiting the cafe or looking at the wood products.

Jessie’s Fund was on my list last year and here it is again, for the same reasons.  It’s a small charity established in memory of Jessie, a musical nine-year old.  The charity provides music therapy and musical instruments for children with ‘life-limiting conditions’: work that is narrowly focussed but has a major impact on its beneficiaries. 2015 will be the 20th anniversary of the fund and in that 20 years the charity has funded music therapy posts in more than 30 children’s hospices.

Bradford Metropolitan Foodbank is a small, local, independent charity run entirely by volunteers. Bradford has always been a city with high levels of poverty, even in its heyday (Titus Salt built the village of Saltaire because he was shocked by the poor living conditions of millworkers).  However, as in many parts of the UK, the problem is more acute now than it has been for many years and foodbanks are one way of addressing this problem.  Bradford Metropolitan Foodbank recognises that many of the poorest areas of Bradford are outside the city centre and also works with the multi-ethnic, multi-faith nature of the city.  The group distributes food parcels to individuals and to organisations that provide meals for hungry people.

On the second day of Christmas…

Medicins Sans Frontieres work in many difficult situations providing doctors who, quietly and efficiently, get on with task of providing medical assistance.  At the moment, they are working in Syria and also in the areas of Africa affected by Ebola.  The doctors are often working in danger, whether from conflict or disease, but the help they provide is invaluable.

On the first day of Christmas I am donating to the Islamic Relief Gaza Appeal and I have chosen this charity for two reasons.  The first is that today we commemorate the event which happened over 2,000 years ago in the ‘Holy Land’ which today is riven by war and suffering.  It is a good day to support those who are caught in this conflict.  The second reason is to remember that the Christmas baby is not only Jesus the Christian Messiah but also Issa, one of the most important prophets in Islam.  The Islamic Christmas story is not quite the same as the Christian story but it is recognisably a different version of the same event; there is still Mary, an angel and a miraculous birth.  In every carol service at which I have played this season (at least 7) there have been prayers and readings about ‘peace amongst men’.  Let us start by recognising our common heritage and my contribution is a donation to an Islamic charity on this day which means so much to both religions. Christmas Mubarak!