When Nadeem Malik from global charity Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) thought it was time to bring back their initiative Cakes4Orphans after the pandemic, he could not have known how far a fourteen-slice chocolate fudge cake could go.
For the past few years, KORT has supported orphans and underprivileged children in the AJK and Pakistan by providing them with food and education. This Ramadan, they decided to relaunch their campaign: Cakes4Orphans.
KORT is no stranger to charity work and auctions, but after the pandemic, they wanted to do something special to make an impact. They decided to auction a giant chocolate fudge cake with the idea that families could enjoy it together for Iftar.
The response was overwhelming; soon, KORT found itself with hundreds of bidders from across the United Kingdom. From London, Birmingham, Manchester and beyond – people from all walks of life came together to support the KORT mission – the response was unexpected.
The cake auction resulted in an amazing outcome – it was sold for a whopping £1000, with the cake being auctioned three times. After each winning bid, the bidder donated the cake and the money back to the charity, allowing another auction to take place. Together, the three auctions raised an impressive grand total of £1000 for KORT.
A surprised Nadeem said: “People are still donating to KORT; Seafresh and Adams Food suppliers have revealed that over 21,000 cakes have been sold to date through 14 cities, and each cake sold for £10.00 offers a child in Kashmir a lifeline.”
KORT is using the donations to support their orphans and underprivileged children – helping provide food, clothes, education and a bright future. All this is possible due to the generous hearts of people around the UK donating during Ramadan.
For those who don’t know, the Kashmir Orphans Relief Trust is a registered charity that has provided food, water and medical support to orphans in Pakistan since 2005, immediately after the earthquake devastated Pakistan.
The charity supports over 500 orphans in a state-of-the-art facility in Kashmir known as KORT Educational Complex. It provides the highest quality education and three fresh organic meals a day. The complex is the largest home for orphans in South Asia.
Other projects include 1000 houses being built in the Sindh region of Pakistan due to last year’s floods. KORT’s immediate response was to provide 100,000 essential food packs, tents and clothing for those affected by the floods and other natural disasters.
The development of KORT village, a home and refuge for widows and older people who were made homeless by the earthquake in 2019. Other projects include a free hospital and a burns unit offering survivors free medical help and hundreds of water filtration plants serving Kashmir and South Asian communities.
While KORT is a charity set up to support orphans in Kashmir, they also supported the broader community in the UK during the COVID pandemic providing PPE and hot food to hospitals and NHS workers.
These efforts are all the work of dedicated volunteers like Nadeem Malik and are just the beginning of KORT’s mission to make a difference in AJK and Pakistan. Fundraising activities are happening throughout the year.
Next month, in May, KORT’s volunteers will climb Scafell Pike, and later in the year, Ben Nevis. A skydive is planned to raise funds to continue the monthly distribution of wheelchairs along with many other causes.
We hope KORT’s achievements inspire others to support those less fortunate. Nadeem Malik is the King of Cakes, but KORT and all the kind people that regularly donate their time are the King of Hearts.
