A Bradford man, fondly known as the ‘Ramadan Runner’ for his fundraising challenges whilst fasting some 16-hours, has smashed the £700,000 mark this month.
School’s careers’ advisor Nazim Ali, has been raising money for around 25-years for numerous community and humanitarian charities at local, national and international levels.
Along with his charity runs, Nazim regularly volunteers at food circles distributing food to the homeless, and raises money numerous times a year to buy and hand out toys to poorly children at local hospitals during holidays such as Easter, Eid and Christmas.
This year, he’d set yet another challenge of taking on a 10K run whilst fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan where Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.
His mission this Ramadan has been to raise funds for building houses for destitute families in Uganda, Africa.
The ‘Uganda New Homes Project’ project is currently on the ground assisting poor families, widows, orphans, the disabled and elderly, living in squalid conditions in the form of makeshift homes of mud and straw.
The homes, being built by ‘Hope for Mankind’ charity, will provide a safer, cleaner, two-room dwelling, protecting people from the harsh elements of summer and winter.
Covering the race fee and hotel costs, so that every penny goes towards the given cause, Nazim completed the Lincoln 10K Run on Sunday 16th April 2023, finishing in just under an hour.
Talking about his epic effort, Nazim says: “I’ve been looking forward to this years Ramadan challenge, as I was keen on crossing the £700,000 fundraising milestone.
“On the day of the run, it was clear blue skies and sunshine. The run began at Riseholme Road and finished at the historic Lincoln Cathedral, which provided a spectacular backdrop!
“I’m delighted that I did it under an hour, 59 minutes and 41 seconds, which was my best time for some years, and which I finished off with my trademark sprint finish!
“Thank you to my good friend Mohammed Azeem, who was there rooting for me on the day.”
Each home costs just £1,700 to build
Nazim adds: “Uganda is poverty-stricken with abject living conditions for hundreds of thousands of people. These homes will help provide protection to people who desperately need shelter, as well as improving their lives with a clean place to live, and help them to fight off death from diseases.
“Each home costs just £1,700 to build. With the support of donors, I’m thrilled to say that I’ve now smashed my £42,500 target for this run, with the total standing at just over of £52,000 [at time of print]. This means, as the total stands, we can build 30 new homes for vulnerable and poor families.”
Nazim will self-fund his trip to Uganda in October 2023, so he can personally see the new homes and meet the families.
In 2021, Nazim raised £78,751 for his Ramadan 10K Run, which went towards building 63 new homes for Syrian Refugees in Northern Syria. Last year during his Ramadan run, he raised £66,559 to build 35 new homes for the poor in Sindh province, Pakistan.
Over the last decade years, he’s distributed aid in person to the Turkey/Syria border (on seven occasions), the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Iraqi refugees in war torn Mosul (Iraq), poverty stricken Malawi (Africa), Pakistan pre-Ramadan deployment (March 2022), and to refugees in France and Belgium.
Nazim adds: “I work as a Careers Adviser in three inner city schools, and take annual leave for my charity trips, always self-funded.
“Here in the UK, I have volunteered at the Curry Circle Project providing warm two-course meals to the homeless and destitute; and over the last 11-years as part of the ‘Creating Smiles Gifts Initiative’, I’ve made 35 visits to hospitals children’s wards distributing thousands of pounds worth of gifts to poorly children.
“I’m currently arranging the next hospital toy drop to children of all backgrounds to celebrate the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
“As aways, I am eternally thankful to the donors for their kind donations and on-going support, which is incredibly humbling. It is because of them that I am able to do what I do and would not be possible without them. God bless you all.”
‘Ramadan Runner’ Nazim Ali’s fasting challenges
- 2014 Leeds 10K Run – £4,537 for Syria & Palestine
- 2015 Leeds 10K – £10,689 Syria Orphans
- 2016 Great North 10k Run – £12,020 Syria Orphans
- 2017 Hull 10K Run – £15,213 Syria Orphans
- 2018 Morecambe 10K Run – £24,780 Reyhanli Syria Aid Trip
- 2019 – Ripon 10K Run – £18,552 Reyhanli Syria Aid Trip
- 2020 Bradford Local (Covid) 10K Run – £53,322 for Malawi Homes
- 2021 Bradford Local (Covid) 10K Run – £78,751 for Syria Homes
- 2022 – Blackpool 10K Run – £66,559 for Pakistan Homes
- 2023 – Lincoln 10K Run for Uganda Homes £52,581 & counting
