An ‘Eat Out to Help Out Pakistan’ event will take place in Tooting today to raise money for those impacted by the floods affecting the country.
Six restaurants have agreed to donate 50-100% of their earnings towards the Pakistan Flood Appeal with non-profit organisation Human Appeal who are responding to the situation.
It comes as one third of Pakistan is currently submerged under water after facing a series of historic floods that have affected 33 million people.
Halal Food Diary, an anonymous Halal restaurant blog and the event’s coordinator, said: “I’ve seen videos circulating online of homes being wiped away by the floods, as well as people being swept away to their death while waiting to be rescued.
“It was incredibly difficult seeing this and not being able to do anything to help them, so I wanted to utilise the platform I have to be able to raise money for those affected.”
In February, the writer of Halal Food Diary visited Swat, Pakistan and described how accommodating the people were, offering tea, food and accommodation.
They said: “I’ve had the privilege to travel to many countries around the world, but very few compare to Pakistan in terms of the hospitality they offer their visitors.
“My connection to Pakistan means I’m extremely passionate about helping in any way I can.”
The restaurants taking part are Royal Mahal, Steakout, Kaspa’s Desserts, Lahore Karahi, Spice Village and Smack’s Hamburger.
Human Appeal’s emergency response includes providing meals, water, hundreds of hygiene kits, tents, and additional household items like tarps, jerry cans, and buckets.
Flood-affected areas, include Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, with $10bn of damage estimated.
The number of deaths since the start of the monsoon season began in June crossed the 1,300 mark on 5th September, with nearly a third of deaths being children.
The southern Sindh province is the worst affected, with a total of 522 deaths being reported.
The Pakistan government has blamed the heavy rain on climate change, creating a sense of injustice as Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global greenhouse gases.
Health officials are now concerned about the spread of waterborne diseases as they face a lack of access to clean water.
The ‘Eat Out to Help Out Pakistan’ will take place on Wednesday 7th September only.
For more details on individual restaurants terms and conditions, visit their websites.
