52 Lives

#453 Malek

Request: Donations / Gifts / Kind Messages

This week, we’d like to help three boys who are living together in a one bedroom flat in London with no beds, no furniture and no washing machine.

The eldest , Malek, is 20 and he is responsible for the care of his 15 year old cousin and 15 year old brother. They are refugees from Afghanistan, who have lost family members and witnessed horrific violence.

They were nominated by a social worker from children’s services, who said “It is truly heartbreaking. The distress they’ve been through is visibly apparent. The eldest has taken on a huge responsibility by acting as a parental figure. He’s doing his best to provide a loving and supportive environment , despite his limitations. They have endured so much trauma, yet they remain resilient and kind. Every time I visit their home, they always welcome me warmly, even offering me their traditional food.”

Malek has managed to get a part time job in a supermarket and is hoping to work as a delivery driver as well but doesn’t have a bike.

The 15 year old boys are both in their GSCE year, and attend the local school.

The safeguarding lead at their school said that after a slightly shaky start, Malek is doing a great job at caring for the boys. “He is making sure both boys attend on time and they have completed their homework. They are making such a great effort and progress with their education.”

The boys are so grateful for the help they’re getting from social services, and said they are happy just to have somewhere to sleep - but they are struggling. They are behind on their utility bills, their washing machine is broken, and they have no money leftover at the end of the month to buy clothes, furniture or anything else for the flat. We’d like to make sure they have everything they need.

What We Need

1. Donations: We'll use 100% of your donations to help the boys. You can donate online or by text message using the details below (please note the text message number sometimes changes, so please double check it below before making a donation).

2. Gifts from a wishlist: We've set up a wishlist with some things they need. To buy something from the list, please click the link below and choose the gift you'd like to buy - just tick 'this is a gift' and choose the 'gift registry address' when you check out and it will be sent directly to Malek.

3. Kind messages: To send a kind message for the boys, you can post it to: 52 Lives (453), PO Box 3154, Reading, RG1 9AT or you can email a message by writing it in the form below.

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(if you are sending a message of support for the person we’re helping, there is no need to fill in your email address or telephone number)

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