Inspirational heart-surgeon, Sir Professor Magdi Yacoub, will make a public appearance today to help launch a new health and education project for Western Saharan child refugees. Professor Yacoub will join MP's such as Jeremy Corbyn and Steve Pound, professors and celebrities including Olympic gold medalist, Hassiba Boulmerka, at an event organised by Imperial College's International Education Fund. The event aims to raise funds for blind equipment and school computers for the desert refugee camps situated in Algeria, where 165,000 Saharawi's have lived in exile for over 30 years.

Professor Yacoub, who has performed more transplants than anybody else in the world, and set up his own charity called 'Chain of Hope', has agreed to lend his support to the project. The project is run by medical students and Professors at Imperial College who will be travelling to the camps in February alongside the charity 'Sandblast'. He will be giving a talk at their launch event today.

Suha Bachir, President of the IEF said today
“We are privileged to have Professor Yacoub supporting this important project. He has performed countless miracles as a cardiothoracic surgeon and has inspired us greatly. We hope that through our project we will also be able to achieve something miraculous for the Saharawi children living in desperate conditions in the refugee camps in the Algerian desert.”




EVENT -
Imperial College London Business School
South Kensington
SW7 2AZ
Wednesday 11th November 2009. 6:30pm - 9pm.

Guests include the Rector of Imperial College London, Sir Roy Anderson, Sir Magdi Yacoub, the MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Steve Pound, Olympic gold medallist and former world record holder, Hassiba Boulmerka, renowned author Dr Yahia Zoubir and head of the Sandblast charity, Danielle Smith. The event will be chaired by Professor Alan Fenwick, and proceedings opened by Professor Azeem Majeed.

More information can be found on our events page on www.iefund.org.uk/event.html
Contact press office on 07816277756

Notes:
1.Know as Africa's last colony, Western Sahara was sold to Morocco and Mauritania by the Spanish when they withdrew in 1976. The Mauritanians pulled out soon after and the Moroccans annexed much of the remaining territory in defiance of a ruling from the International Court of Justice. A sixteen-year war ensued between the Moroccans and the Saharawi independence movement, the POLISARIO Front. Under the terms of a 1991 UN ceasefire agreement, a referendum for self determination was promised, but has been blocked by Morocco.
(for more info visit www.freesahara.ning.com )

2.The IEF was set up in 2008. The IEF is a young charitable organisation comprising of academics that have excelled in the UK, specifically from Imperial College London. The students are committed to the statement, “A world without illiteracy where every child has the right to a quality education”. All the people who volunteer their time to the IEF work without thought for payment, recognition or platitudes.