Silence for Those Who Can't Speak Out

Added: (Mon Mar 27 2006)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Press Release
London - 27th March 2006
For immediate release

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Ever tried not speaking for an hour?

Tayeba Abdur-Rahman, 25, has never been one to be lost for words, but from 12 pm on 1st April until 12 pm on 8th April 2006 she will be giving up the chatter and carrying out a week-long sponsored silence to raise money for M�decins Sans Fronti�res.

"I live to communicate with others and the thought of not being able to speak up when I want to fills me with fear - it seems like such an impossible and unnatural thing to do."

Where most sponsored silences last for a few hours at most, Tayeba is attempting to keep schtum for a whopping 168 consecutive hours! This will all be worthwhile whether she raises �100 or her goal of �2,000 for international medical care charity, M�decins Sans Fronti�res. M�decins Sans Fronti�res is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 70 countries.

"I've always been linked to the medical world through my studies in Medical Anthropology and work in the pharmaceutical industry and so you get an inside look at the real medical world. It's not all doctors and nurses in clean safe hospitals. People are going to get ill or hurt regardless of whether there are facilities to provide adequate care.�

�The work M�decins Sans Fronti�res carries out really does make a difference on the front lines, and they are in a position to speak out for those who cannot as well as provide essential healthcare."

Aside from the obvious benefits of supporting international medical care, another reason Tayeba decided on this form of fundraising, was through her work with The Safety Box, a physical and mental personal protection service.

�I recently held a women-only self-defence workshop in collaboration with Haringey Council for International Women�s Day on 11th March 2006 and it just highlighted how important it is for everyone, not just women, to speak up and be heard. Too many people are denied this right and so I aim to raise awareness for this. There's a real need for those of us lucky enough to have the relative freedom to express ourselves and the means to provide for our loved ones and ourselves, to speak out for those who cannot.�

�If just one more person is aware of M�decins Sans Fronti�res and the valuable work they do, then I would consider this endeavour a success. It�s not a secret�pass it on!�

You can sponsor Tayeba by visiting her online fundraising page on www.justgiving.com/bequiet. You can pay by credit or debit card, and the money will go directly to M�decins Sans Fronti�res. Where supporters are UK taxpayers, the charity will automatically receive 28% extra in Gift Aid, which makes Justgiving the most efficient way of sponsoring Tayeba.

You can follow Tayeba�s progress weblog on www.tayeba-bequiet.blogspot.com and read the comments from her family and friends.
�To spice things up, I�ve decided to set an extra challenge to my sponsors to come up with tasks for me to do during this week, bearing in mind that I can�t speak�but they can only suggest if they donate. So far I�ve been lucky - no suggestions, so I thought I�d tempt fate!�

�It�s no April Fools joke; I really will be quiet for a week. Do a good thing today�Shut me up!�

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Notes to Editors
For further information or to arrange a photo call please contact Tayeba Abdur-Rahman on 07939 236 248 (tayeba@blackpearlteas.com)

For further information and photos on Medicenes Sans Frontiers please contact Susan Wilson on 020 7067 4241 (susan.wilson@london.msf.org)

For further information on The Safety Box please contact Nathaniel Peat on 07958 630 607 (nathaniel.peat@thesafetybox.org)

For further information on Justgiving.com please contact Anne-Marie Huby on 020 7549 2213

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