Sajjad Miah to help Uganda’s homeless children

Sajjad Miah with Retrak poster

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Sajjad Miah is to take part in a charity project helping homeless children in Africa.

Mr Miah, from Rochdale Borough Council’s community safety team, will take part in Retrak’s Building Futures Programme in Uganda later this year where he will work with homeless children to help move them away from vulnerability, exclusion and poverty and into a life where they can be children again.

The programme which is run by Retrak, a UK registered charity, aims to return children back home or into another family setting. It works with the young people and their families to make sure everyone is healthy, emotionally well, safe, educated and as economically independent as possible.

Mr Miah will join a team of volunteers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at one of Retrak’s centres in Uganda’s capital city Kampala this October. They will run activities, games and crafts to build the confidence of Retrak’s young people as well as renovating and improving the centre.

He said: “I am really interested in helping those who are less fortunate and already do a lot of charity work in the UK and abroad.

"This is an exciting opportunity for me to give back my time, knowledge and expertise and help these young people improve their quality of life and raise their aspiration towards a better future.”

Sir Peter Fahy, Retrak’s CEO and former GMP Chief Constable, said: “The Building Futures Programme is something which is very close to my heart. I have been very fortunate to be a part of these trips for the last five years and I’ve always been so proud of how so many volunteers, like Sajjad, give their all to make a positive impact on the lives of homeless children.

"Today, as CEO of Retrak, I know more than ever just how important the volunteers from GMP, GMFRS and this year Rochdale Council, are to Retrak and the difference their support makes.

"The visits have a huge impact on our staff and young people in the field and continue to raise the profile of Retrak in Greater Manchester and to date have raised tens of thousands of pounds.”

To take part in the programme Mr Miah must raise a minimum £1,750 contribution towards the centres. He aims to do this by spreading the word about the programme and the importance of its work with council staff, schools, community groups and religious centres in a bid to encourage them to fund raise for the cause with non-uniform days, bake sales or whatever they can.

Mr Miah added: “I want to tell as many people as possible about the good work Retrak does and inspire our communities to do what they can to help the young people of Uganda to live positive and fulfilling lives.”

To donate visit:

www.justgiving.com/sajjad-miah

Or text:

USAJ99 followed by the £amount to 70070.