British Pakistani Doctors Forum (BPDF) PAKISTAN APPEAL
Dear friends Assalam-o-Alaikum and Ramadan Mubarak

This is to inform you that we have arranged through the Pakistan High Commission and PIA to send cargo, free of charge,  for the floods victims in Pakistan. This is great news and we are keen to make the best use of it and as soon as possible.  We are looking at sending clothes,shoes and medicines in the first instance. These will go to registered charities like Edhi, Pakistan Medical Association and Armed forces welfare foundation who are on the ground and have logistical support to distribute the aid efficiently.  British Pakistani Doctors Forum (BPDF) is setting up collection centers and contacts across the UK to co-ordinate the project:

• Manchester - Dr Haroon Khan ( 07778874865)
• Midlands - Dr Afzal Sawal (07921 252016) and Dr Shahid Latif (07762116121)
• London - Dr Sohail Qureshi (07904 588134)
• Southend - Dr Rahman Khan ( 07073 347983)
• Colchester - Dr Mateen Durrani (07831 888 565)
• Chelmsford - Mrs Erum Wasim (07772322032)
• Suffolk - Dr Akmal Makhdum (07076 850909)

We are also looking for more volunteers to help us in other areas and make this project a success.

If you are interested in helping your brothers and sisters in Pakistan, please follow the following instructions, as advised by the PIA Cargo handling agent:

1. Buy boxes from Space makers, Yellow box or similar storage companies in your area. The box size should be 30x18x18 or nearest size available(See attached picture-they cost around £3.99 each but Space makers gave me 40% discount when I told them that these were for flood victims in Pakistan). You can either gives these boxes to your friends and families to fill with clothes, shoes, bedding like bed sheets and pillows etc (after having them washed)or get the stuff from them and pack it yourself. Please make sure that all cloths are clean and in good condition.
2. Please ask every one that they should not give away their junk as it is more fitting for the Muslim to give the charity from his best possessions that which he loves most. This actually is the opposite of what many people nowadays do, as they only give their old rusty possessions as if they are trying to get rid of them! Allah SWT says in the Quran 'By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely as a charity) from that which you love; and whatever you spend Allah knows it well.' (3: 92). Our  prophet (SAW) said, 'All deeds are based on the intention and everyone will be rewarded according to what he intended (from his action)'.
3. Clothes should be packed in pairs, shalwar with kameez, shirt with trouser , etc., and each pair placed in a clear plastic bag. See attached picture. For clear bags you can use transparent bin bags available from Tesco or Asda in rolls of 20-50 bags from around £1.50.
4. Place the bags in the boxes and seal these boxes with mask tape ( available at the shops above or at Staples) and we will label them.
5. Contact your Local BPDF executive and arrange for delivery/collection. Please note that there is a handling charge of 25p per KG which the agent, recommended by the Cargo handling company, is charging for collection, custom clearance and delivering it to PIA cargo. We will try and get this figure down. Kindly pay this amount, according to the weight of your boxes, to the BPDF co-ordinator in your area.
6. If you have unused medicines or other medical equipments that you would like to send to Pakistan, please contact me for further information.
7. Let us aim to get the boxes ready by next weekend and send it off. 
8. It is important that these guidelines are followed as there in no man power on the ground to go through all the aid and any junk will be discarded.                                                                         BPDF is also organising:
o A charity dinner immediately after Ramadan and we will let you know the details shortly.
o Four water filter plants, one in each province,  to cater for the needs of 10,000 people daily ( cost approx. £1750 each + £800/year running cost) We are negotiating with local NGOs to manage and maintain the plant.
o 100 Tents to accommodate up to 8 people in each tent (cost approx. £35 each)
o 250 Wheel chairs, received through donation, to be distributed across the effected areas once the issue of Custom duty is resolved with the Pakistan govt. as there is a hefty duty on this item.
o Funds for rebuilding houses once the water recedes.

If you are interested in joining hands with us and fund any of the above projects, please contact BPDF.

Let us pull together all our resources and get the much needed help for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, as soon as possible. Your help and generosity in making this a success will be greatly appreciated. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me on 07831 888 565 or 01206 827070.

BBC Journalist Arshia Riaz is conducting some research this week in an effort to get YOUR voices heard about the War in Afghanistan. See her message below:

“Are you Muslim, Pakistani and living in Birmingham? If so maybe you could help with my community project.

All this week I will be finding out what the Pakistani community think and feel about the War in Afghanistan. Do you think this war is having an effect on Pakistan? Or maybe you have completely different opinion on it altogether.

Email me your name, contact and comment to arshia.riaz@bbc.co.uk.

The idea is that I build up a real picture – as to what Brummie Pakistanis truly feel. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks in advance!”

G(irls)20 SUMMIT The viral global campaign to solicit grassroots ideas on how to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that most impact women and girls will culminate in the inaugural, ground-breaking G(irls)20 Summit.  The Summit will bring together one girl from each of the G20 countries to Toronto ten days before the official G20 Summit. This inaugural G(irls)20 Summit will reconvene prior to next year’s G20 Summit in France. This is the start of a global conversation about the economic prowess of girls and women and our commitment to creating a space where girls voices can be heard globally.

The G(irls)20 Summit is modeled after the G20 Summit and will convene one girl from each G20 country: • Argentina • Australia • Brazil • Canada • China • France • Germany • India • Indonesia • Italy • Japan • Mexico • Russia • Saudi Arabia • South Africa • South Korea • Turkey • UK • USA and a representative of the European Union.

Are you a passionate, forward-thinking, solution-oriented girl between the ages of 18-20 from a G20 country*? 

Would you like an all expenses paid trip to Toronto this June and to be a voice representing the 3.3 billion girls and women around the world? 

20 girls will come together to present, discuss and promote innovative and scalable solutions which will then provide G20 leaders with tangible recommendations about the direction they need to take to realise the Millennium Development Goals.
 
Here is your chance to change opinions, change the status quo and change lives. 

London 2012 will depend on up to 70,000 volunteers to make sure the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games run smoothly and successfully.  You do not have to wait until 2012 to get involved.

To find out more about the different ways individuals and organisations can get involved, visit the following website:

http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/

The funding is provided through Action 3.2 of the EU’s Youth in Action programme.

Preference will be given to those projects which best reflect the priorities of the Youth in Action programme, namely:

      Participation of young people

      Cultural diversity

      European citizenship

      Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities

and to those projects which reflect the annual priorities of the call,

namely:

      Global issues affecting young people, such as climate change,

      sustainable development, migrations, and the Millennium Development

      Goals (End Poverty and Hunger; Universal Education; Gender Equality;

      Child Health; Maternal Health; Combat HIV/AIDS; Environmental

      Sustainability; Global Partnership)

      Combating poverty and social exclusion

      Strengthening the Euro-African dialogue, exchange and cooperation in

      the field of youth.

The programme’s objectives, in particular, are:

      to improve the mobility of young people and youth workers

      to promote youth empowerment and active participation

      to foster capacity-building for youth organisations and structures in

      order to contribute to civil society development

      to promote cooperation and the exchange of experience and good

      practice in the field of youth and non-formal education

      to contribute to the development of youth policies, youth work and

      the voluntary sector

      to develop sustainable partnerships and networks between youth

      organisations.

An indicative list of activities supported under this call may include:

      large-scale youth events

      seminars and conferences

      activities encouraging the policy dialogue in the field of youth

      activities encouraging the development of partnerships and networks

      information and awareness campaigns in favour of and by young people

      training and capacity-building of youth workers, youth organisations

      and multipliers

      job-shadowing and long-term mobility for youth workers

Proposals must be submitted by non-profit organisations (non-governmental organisations (NGOs); public bodies at regional or local level; national Youth Councils).

Europe – China Year of Youth 2011

Particular attention will be devoted to projects aiming at promoting dialogue and cooperation in the field of youth between the EU and China with a view to contributing to the Europe-China Year of Youth in 2011.

Projects must involve partners from at least four different countries (including the applicant organisation), including at least two Programme Countries, of which at least one is a Member State of the European Union, and two partner countries.

The Commission will pay up to 80% of eligible costs. The maximum grant shall not exceed €100,000.

Deadline for submission of applications: 17 May 2010

Projects must start between 1 November 2010 and 31 December 2010. The minimum duration is 6 month, the maximum 12 months.

For further information on eligible countries, selection criteria, eligible

costs:

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/funding/2010/call_action_3_2_en.php

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/funding/2010/documents/call_3_2_11_10/applicants_guidelines_en.pdf

• Communicate assertively and give presentations?
• Work with others?
• Take on leadership roles and be effective in meetings?
• Influence decision making processes?

• Citizenship
• Equalities and diversity, difference and citizenship
• Parliamentary process and how laws are made
• Leadership
• Power and powerlessness
• Presentation skills
• Consultation and engagement
• Meetings
• Campaigning and Lobbying
• Assertive Communication
• Democratic decision making
• Human rights

You may also know that two women recently couldn’t take their flight to Pakistan after they refused to go through a body scanner at Manchester Airport. While the reasons for their refusal are unclear, many people are concerned about the scanners. This factsheet updates you on many of the actions we have taken and are taking to address these concerns.

Public Consultation

Body scanners are a new security measure in the UK. Their operation is currently governed by an interim code of practice.  This can be seen on the Department of Transport’s website.

The Government would have liked to have consulted fully before producing this interim code and before introducing machines. However, given the urgency of the situation in the days following the Detroit attack, it was imperative to act quickly to strengthen our airport security measures for the protection of all passengers boarding flights.

The Government wants to minimise the risks of people refusing to be scanned and being unable to fly as a result. The Department for Transport intends to go out to a full public consultation to give you an opportunity to express your concerns and to offer suggestions for improving the code.

The details around a public consultation are being finalised, but the consultation will begin as soon as possible. The document will be available on the DfT website.  The responses to the consultation will help inform the final code of practice, which will be published later this year.

The Government will also be setting up meetings with community groups to discuss body scanners. This will be an opportunity for everyone who has concerns to be heard and for their comments to inform the final code of practice.

Privacy Safeguards

The interim code of practice aims to address matters of data protection, privacy and the grounds for selection. The first  body scanners are in operation at  London Heathrow and Manchester Airports  and in the following ways:

• a person selected to be scanned may request that the screen reader is of the same sex as them;

• the images will not show any distinguishing features that will enable identification of passengers being scanned; they simply allow the detection of concealed threat items;

• the passenger being scanned will not be seen by the person that is viewing the scanned image;

• only security vetted and trained staff employed by the airport will be able to view scanned images and these will be viewed in an area not accessed by the general public;

• images will be deleted immediately after analysis and can’t be recovered later.

How does body scanning work?

Our current practice is as follows:

• Passengers will be randomly selected for body scanning in the same way that they are currently selected for other aviation security measures, such as the removal of footwear and conventional hand searches. 

• This selection will not be linked to race, ethnic origin, gender, or age.

• Profiling is not used by airport security staff to select people for scanning.  There is no such thing as a “typical” terrorist and selection on any profile basis is likely to be unhelpful.

• We are looking at other ways of detecting would-be terrorists. A trial of behavioural analysis is currently under way at Heathrow.  It uses fully trained staff to focus on observing passengers’ behaviour which, if unusual, could lead to an additional search. The method is used by police in detection of other criminal activities.

• Children will be scanned in the same way that adults will be. Parents/Guardians will be able to remain with a child throughout the process as long as they follow the instructions of security staff and their presence does not obscure the scanned image.  

• Anyone refusing to go through a scanner will not be allowed to fly.

Background

The Government has already trialled advanced imaging technology (body scanning) with, for example, passengers using the Heathrow Express Service via Paddington and with passengers flying via London Heathrow airport. The interim code of practice takes on board the comments and learning from these trials.

Body scanners are currently used in some EU airports and in Canada. The US has ordered a large number of machines for imminent use.

The Government is working with international partners to develop these technologies and to encourage their wider use as they offer a more effective and far less intrusive way of screening compared with conventional hand searches.

Further details on airport security measures are available on the DirectGov website.

Associated Articles:                     

The Telegraph – Muslim woman barred from flight after refusing body scanner
BBC News – Women refuse to go through airport body scanners
The Times – Muslim woman refuses body scan at airport