A GROUP of men have launched a charity at the heart of one of Bradford’s ‘roughest’ areas to help guide young people.
A Grain of Hope foundation was started earlier this year by South Asian men in and around Feather Road, in the Bowling and Barkerend ward in Bradford.
The charity has recently raised a huge sum of £13,000 for victims of the Turkey and Syria earthquake and has helped other charities over the years.
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One of the charity members, Mohammad Salitur Rahman, said: “This area has a really bad reputation in Bradford.
“A lot of people are involved in drugs and gangs, they don’t study past GSCE, they end up working for drug dealers.
“But it’s at the heart of this very same community, that this foundation has been carrying out charity work.
“We try and bring young people away from these bad habits and guide them in a sense.
“We want to change the area.”
The charity is made up of people who are ‘born and bred’ in the BD3 area of Bradford and who are looking to change it for the better.
As the group is made up of third-generation, South Asian, Muslim immigrants, the charity raises money for causes that give back to their native countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan.
He added: “We’ve fundraised for many places over the years, like Yemen, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
“We’ve held car washes and we’ve pushed younger men in the area to get involved.
“We want to show them, that there’s so much they can do through charity work, they can travel and see the world, whilst doing something good.”
When fundraising for Turkey and Syria, the charity was also helped by females from the area, helping them bake and cook.
“Even though women aren’t at the forefront of it, going out and selling the food, they are a huge part of the charity work we do.
“We wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
People involved in the charity range between the ages of 20- 45.
“Getting young people involved is really important for us because we want to use charity work as a way to help them.
“But it’s also important for us because they know social media better and they can help us with that- it’s a better way to get recognised and reach people.
“And it also gives them the chance to be part of something positive.”
A Grain of Hope is looking to work with organisations in the area such as the BRI Children’s Unit, to give back to their local community.
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