Five Cardiff Uni societies to hold a fundraising bake sale to help victims in Turkey and Syria

Five societies at Cardiff University will be holding a joint fundraising bake sale to help the victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The Middle Eastern and North African Society (MENA), The Turkish Society, The Spanish, Italian & LatAm Society, The Cardiff AhlulBayt Islamic Society, and The Pakistani Society are holding the event on the 22nd February from 10am until 5pm on the second floor of the Students’ Union.

One member of MENA told The Cardiff Tab: “After seeing the horrific earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, we knew we had to do something to help the hundreds of thousands of families and people impacted.”

MENA’s social media manager, Rida, came up with the idea of a joint fundraising bake sale as she saw other MENA societies from different universities do the same.

Rida explained that as: “Being from the Middle East ourselves, we feel for the people in Turkey and Syria and so helping out as much as possible is our duty.”

The food at the bake sale will be very diverse, with dishes from all over the world such as baklava, kebabs, falafel, vine leaves, pakora, as well as cupcakes, brownies, and doughnuts. MENA members have also volunteered to bake some of the food themselves.

Yasmeen, President of MENA, said: “We all have responsibility to make the world a better place. The people of Syria and Turkey need us and are counting on us to care. But caring is not enough, we need to take action and so every person who donates, no matter how little, makes a difference.”

The funds raised will go to two charities. The first is Ahbap which was suggested by the Turkish society. The charity aims to provide shelter, food, medical supplies, and money to people in need in Turkey. MENA has used this same charity during its girls’ cultural night event where they raised over £500.

The second charity, The Zahra Trust, suggested by the AhlulBayt Islamic society provides food, blankets, nappies, baby formulas, and sanitary products.

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