A CALLIGRAPHER has managed to raise a staggering £200,000 for a relief charity over five months.
Foysol Al Kaatib, 31, has designed canvasses for major sports stars including Liverpool footballers Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Naby Keïta, former Arsenal star Kolo Toure and boxer Amir Khan. Foysol studied Arabic calligraphy while at college and approaches many of the stars with his stunning designs.
Foysol, from Burnley, is the founding director of Al Kaatib (the writer), established 14 years ago. He now has a large worldwide client base and fans from Australia, the US and Barbados.
He now wants to open Al Kaatib stores in the UK and internationally and teach calligraphy himself.
Foysol said: “I have 300,000 followers combined on different social media platforms and followers from 35 countries. I became a charity campaigner after my father passed away and we raised funds to build a mosque in his name in Africa.
“We were so successful and managed to raise £15,000 in a matter of days. I came across GRT (Global Relief Trust) and have seen first-hand their integrity and honesty and joined them when they deployed to various war and disaster zones.
“I went to Lebanon with them and was blown away by their work ethic and their genuine concern for the poor and needy and their highly effective charity work
“As part of the campaign, I ran 5km a day for four months and raised £100,000 in 100 days. I also raised funds for the persecuted Rohingya people living in squalid camps in Bangladesh.”
@alkaatib Instagram
A passionate Liverpool fan, his work is even displayed at the Anfield stadium.
He said: “A single food pack will feed a starving family for an entire month and costs only £50. So far we raised 800 food parcels in just a week. My target is to fund 1,000 of these food packs.”
GRT, a British-Muslim charity, carries out humanitarian work in eight countries including Gaza, Yemen and Pakistan.
Atiqur Rahman, head of development at GRT said: “It is truly amazing to see an artist who has a unique talent using his followers on social media to raise £200,000 in five months.”
To donate to the cause you can head click here
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