London: For his mates at the local cycling club, Kamal Matin (45) is the friendliest face you can ever come across. His love for bhuna prawn is legendary, so is his passion for cycling. As a structural engineer, everything in his day job is about perfect measurements, but beyond the professional duties, his mannerism is relaxed and he loves spending time with his family and friends.
"Initially, cycling was all about weight loss, general fitness and change in lifestyle. But, now it is more about brotherhood, banter and a bit of fun," says Matin.
This laid-back approach no way means that Matin is not serious about his cycling or the causes he chooses to support.
This August, he will be riding with 25 other riders from the Hope and Knowledge Bike Club to raise funds for children who are suffering from various hearts defects in Bangladesh. His journey starting 25th of August will take him through Prague, Ceske Budejovice and Vienna. During this circuit, he will be covering over 250 miles in distance.
"As a father of three young children, Little Hearts is something that interests me purely because it helps children in need - it is only a good thing to do.
We totally agree!
Little Hearts is Muntada Aid’s flagship programme, which provides free life-saving heart surgeries to children with congenital heart defects from underprivileged backgrounds irrespective of gender, race or religion.
Kamal is raising donations for Milon (10) who is suffering from Ventricular Septal Defect or VSD. With your support and his peddling efforts, Milion won't be one of 15 million children who die or are crippled annually by treatable or preventable heart disease in low- and middle-income countries.
If you’d like to support Kamal and donate to our Little Hearts Bangladesh project, please visit https://www.muntadaaid.org/fundraising/3ccc/.
