Penny Appeal, a humanitarian charity based in Wakefield, announced it has been shortlisted for ‘Charity of the Year’ in the British Muslim Awards 2017, for a second year in a row.
Thousands of votes have been received from the public and they have nominated the organisation for two awards. Fundraising Manager, Haroon Mota is a finalist in the ‘Muslims in the community’ category. Aamer Naeem, CEO of Penny Appeal said,
‘It is always wonderful to be recognised for the work that we do, both in the UK and abroad. The team as a whole are thrilled to be nominated and Haroon in particular well deserves the attention this nomination puts on all his efforts for those less fortunate in the world.’
The charity’s work has grown considerably since it started in 2009, and it has launched many new campaigns and work in even more crisis-hit countries including Syria, The Gambia and Gaza. Penny Appeal’s projects comprise a mixture of emergency support and both short and long term relief aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty.
‘We make giving to charity affordable and easy’ explained Aamer, ‘we ask people to donate whatever they can, often a few pennies a day, and with this small change we can make a big difference.’
The charity has, in recent years, grown its aid work closer to home, establishing its efforts in the UK with disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. In the UK it feeds homeless people and runs a counselling service for victims of domestic abuse. Penny Appeal are planning to expand the work it does here to provide more assistance to those most in need.
Haroon Mota, who joined the charity last year, is responsible for fundraising activities in the Midlands region. He has raised over half a million pounds which has gone towards Penny Appeal’s thirty unique programmes, which include sponsoring orphans, building water wells and responding to the ongoing refugee crisis. Haroon has set himself his biggest & toughest challenge yet for 2017, to run four full marathons in the space of three weeks, in April 2017, in memory of his deceased father; a campaign he has called #Running4Dad.
The fifth annual awards aim to recognise a wide range of achievements, covering various aspects of society, including business, charity, sport, arts, culture and much more. The black tie ceremony, will take place at the Athena Hotel in Leicester on Wednesday January 25. The evening will be a celebration of success as well as reflecting upon the significant role of Britain’s Muslims in society.
