To the Power of Ten: Charity Week is back!

Charity Week officially starts this Saturday 26th, it’s a week that will leave you with some of your fondest memories of your time at Imperial, as well as many lifelong friendships.

It really says it all in the name. Charity Week (CW) is a week of student led non-stop action to help raise money for orphans and needy children worldwide. This campaign is organised by the Islamic Society (ISoc) and is conducted in partnership with the UK based charity Islamic relief, a global disaster relief charity that is part of the national DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee).

In 2012, we the students at Imperial managed to raise a humongous £47,478, all with your help! This was more than 10% of the national total (over 100 institutions!), who raised a collective £448,401! So where exactly did the money go last year? Firstly, the decision was made collectively by us – the students. In 2012, it was estimated that 62,576 children in the Gaza Strip had their futures reduced to literal rubble with damage to schools there. £154,500 was therefore allocated to rebuilding six schools in that region, which enabled the educating of over 4,500 children, who can now look forward to brighter futures. Furthermore, with the Syrian civil war taking its toll on tens of thousands of children (leading the UN to declare it as the ‘worst humanitarian crisis of the century’), psychological and educational support worth £74,400 was duly allocated here. And these are just two examples. Orphan sponsorship and healthcare initiatives were also established in many other countries, including Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan. But that was 2012. This is 2013.

So what’s on? Street/ tube collections, a ‘Battle of the Societies’ Quiz Night (get your teams in before Sunday!), ‘Mid-week Madness’ sponsorship night, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, cycle riding, assault courses and sky diving. The annual ‘Smoky not Smudgy’ women’s pampering day is also back, promising to be bigger and better this year. All of this, plus much more! The highlight of the week will be the Charity Dinner on Thursday 31st October, held in the prestigious Porchester Hall this year, which will have many inspiring speakers attending, as well as our legendary charity auction (which can see cakes go for over £1,000!).

So come and join us, sponsor an event, volunteer at a stall, run 5k for charity or test your wits in a sky dive! Check out the official Imperial Charity Week Facebook page for events and dates, find us on Twitter for regular updates, and don’t forget to buy your tickets for the Dinner at the union website! Contact Sarim to see how you can get involved (ss9111@ic.ac.uk).