A Dalston human rights lawyer is backing a cold-weather appeal to help communities in one of the most remote areas of the world.

A Dalston human rights lawyer is backing a cold-weather appeal to help communities in one of the most remote areas of the world.

Kat Hacker, 28 of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, in Kingsland High Street, hopes to raise awareness about Afghanaid’s Build Back Better campaign.

The charity works with communities in some of Afghanistan’s most isolated regions, helping them rebuild their lives and homes after catastrophic flooding washed away many villages earlier this year.

Miss Hacker, who works with Afghan communities in the UK said she feels close to the cause.

She said: ““In my line of work, many of my clients have come from Afghanistan, and it’s encouraging to know that, even if I am unable to successfully help them with their asylum claim, if they are returned they are not going back to a totally broken country.”

“I’m looking to raise funds by increasing awareness of the charity and diversifying the profile of an Afghanaid supporter.”

She added: “It is such a niche charity, with 95 per cent of staff based in Afghanistan. People want to donate to a charity with an immediate impact and I think that the fact that they have such a strong ethos of employing Afghans and having a headquarters there means people can feel they can make more of a difference.”

More than 1000 homes were swept away by the flooding last spring and the Build Back Better campaign works with communities to move them out of makeshift accommodation into permanent secure housing.

Afghanaid is also using the campaign to empower women, getting them an education and encouraging them with employment opportunities like making carpets as a source of personal income.

As regions of Afghanistan are prone to burning summers and freezing temperatures in winter, Miss Hacker said that providing this type of long term help was vital.

She said: “If people donate they can make such a difference in helping people be autonomous for their future, they can learn to fix houses that are properly built to withstand the flooding and they can learn to rebuild their communities themselves.”

Miss Hacker added: “It’s amazing that £3 will get you 500 bricks and £1500 will get you a whole house that is built to UN specifications to withstand natural disasters. When you think about property prices in London, you could house an entire region.”

For more, visit: afghanaid.org.uk