Press Release > OUR VILLAGE helps raise $47,000 money for Pakistan

On December 31st, 2005 a representative from OUR VILLAGE visited the Dubai Sports Festival for a fundraising mission for Pakistan Earthquake victims.  Ali Asgar Manek delivered a short
but effective speech during the closing ceremony at the event which raised a reported $47,000 USD in just over an hour.

Ali Asgar Manek delivering his short speech during the closing ceremonies at the Unity Games held in Dubai 2005

"I wanted to introduce everyone to the people I met in the affected areas, to show them what has happened to their lives, what they have lost, and what they need now."

The Dubai Sports Festival, dubbed “Unity Games 2005” was co-hosted by Jaffery Sports Dubai and Union Sports of Orlando. The bi-annual event brought together 362 participants and 11 countries for a week of sporting events in Dubai. In the past, these events which are hosted all over the world, were not used for fundraising purposes. However, the response was excellent and all the money collected will be used directly towards the aid of those affected in Pakistan.

“It was a wonderful event to bring together the communities from around the world and to end it with a contribution towards humanity. This shows that these events are beneficial on many different levels,” Ali Manek stated. In the short speech, Manek showed photos of the affected areas he visited when volunteering in October 2005. The photos were accompanied by a heartfelt testimony and stories from Pakistan occupied Kashmir. “I wanted to introduce everyone to the people I met in the affected areas, to show them what has happened to their lives, what they have lost, and what they need now. I feel that too often we see photos, but don’t know the stories behind them. This was my opportunity to put meaning to the photos that I took, in hopes of encouraging our community to contribute.”

The response was tremendous but most importantly, many of the youth in the community were motivated to make a difference in their hometowns. “You don’t need anything other then the will to make a difference,” Manek said, “If you can imagine it – you can do it!”

To read more please visit www.alimanek.com