CURRY houses in Barnsley have helped toward raising more than £30,000 to support persecuted Rohingya people in Myanmar.
Curry Mahal and Dilraj at Dodworth were among the 70 or so Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants across South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire that agreed to hold a charity dinner this month to raise funds to support the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, pulled together by the South Yorkshire Catering Association.
Two takeaways, Dilshad, on Sheffield Road, and Little India at Barugh Green, also got involved, raising £2,000 of the overall £37,070 total.
One of the event organisers, Mohammed Ali, said many people are aware of the horrors being carried out by the Myanmar regime against the Rohingya, which has been reported by the UN as the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis.
“These destitute people have fled to Bangladesh to escape the persecution and ethnic cleansing that forced them out of their homes in Myanmar.
“Their plight in Bangladesh, which itself is a poor country, is very desperate and they need as much assistance as possible,” said Mr Ali.
He said most of those who fled to Bangladesh are elderly, women and children who urgently need food, shelter, medication and sanitation help.
Mr Ali thanked all the businesses involved in raising these funds as well as the customers who attended the charity dinners and also the businesses and public who donated generously to help make it a success.
A delegation of six volunteers from the group flew to Bangladesh on November 19, travelling at their own expense to ensure all of the money raised goes directly to providing aid for the Rohingya people.
Mr Ali said: “They are at refugee camps in Coxs Bazaar where they have been distributing blankets, clothing, medicine and milk for the Rohingya who are in desperate need of aid.”
He added: “Everyone has shown a great spirit of co-operation and understanding that we can all be proud of.
“We can go forward knowing that we can come together and work collectively to help in a crisis in any future event.”
