Congratulations to our Founder Abu Mumin who was amongst 27 extraordinary people selected for the British Citizen Award BCA; a nationally recognised award in the United Kingdom for individuals demonstrating extraordinary leadership and social activism work in their communities and beyond.
‘This award is not for me alone, it’s for everyone who have come together to help those in need. May Allah SWT reward them all. I would like to thank Sayd Ahmed BCAh for nominating me, although I told him many times that I wasn’t deserving. ‘
Abu Mumin
Press Release
Abu Mumin came to England at the age of 6 years old from Bangladesh. He is a British Citizen having lived in Tower Hamlets and Newham. Abu is committed to improving the lives of people from a truly diverse part of the community in the UK and Bangladesh.
Abu volunteered and later worked for one of the largest BAME led organisation in East London, Osmani Trust. He helped to establish a wide range of community, health and sporting initiatives focusing primarily on young people living in disadvantaged urban communities. This includes the Aasha Gang Mediation Project and Shaathi Mentoring project which supported young people who are hard to reach and are in local authority care.
Abu was also instrumental in the development of the new Osmani Youth Centre in 2011. The old building was run down and not fit for purpose. Under the leadership of Abu, a funding package of £5 million was raised to build a world-class facility in a deprived area of East London.
13 Rivers Trust
In 2013 Abu Mumin left Osmani Trust and founded a new charity called 13 Rivers Trust. 13 Rivers Trust has been at the frontline of supporting our community in the UK to some of our most vulnerable members. Some of the new programmes he helped create included Eden Care UK, Muslim Burial Fund, Rescue Orphans and Sylhet Aid were highly innovative and used a person centre approach.
Eden Care UK focused on End of Life Care for people who are terminally ill in the UK. Muslim Burial Fund was developed a year later to support needy Muslims with burial support. Rescue Orphans was initiated in 2019 to support orphaned young people and widows. Orphan Homes provide safe and lasting homes for orphans and widows. Sylhet Aid organised annual Aid work in Bangladesh.
Grenfell Fire Victims
The awful fire that engulfed residents of the Grenfell Tower in the early hours of 14 June 2017 was a national tragedy. Described as the worst fire in London since World War 2, it claimed the lives of 72 people. Abu and his team were one of the first responders to come to the aid of the families who had lost their loved ones in this national tragedy. They provided burial support to 42 people and undertook responsibilities ranging from arranging the burial ground, to performing funeral and burial rites, including washing the bodies, laying them in caskets, organising funeral prayers and carrying out the actual burial.
Emergency Covid-19 Response
Through the Muslim Burial Fund, Abu and his team assisted in the burial of 152 people during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic since April 2020. Through Eden Care UK, Abu and his team offered
telephone befriending to support people who were socially isolated due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He and his team also delivered 7,665 hot meals between November 2020 and June 2021 to vulnerable people and their families.
Sylhet Aid and Rescue Orphans
Our work in Bangladesh continued through our Sylhet Aid and Rescue Orphans programme. This includes winter blankets, emergency aid, sewing machines and wheelchairs. During the month of Ramadan, we provided 1,200 Ramadan Food Packs. We also regularly support 130 Orphans and have made the commitment to build 20 Orphan Homes. We currently have 12 Orphan Homes in construction phase.
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