BMCF New Year Grant 2026 – Urgent Fundraising Appeal

As we enter a new year filled with hope and promise, many within our British Malayali community are facing a harsh and heartbreaking reality marked by serious illness, fear, and overwhelming financial hardship. The British Malayali Charity Foundation humbly appeals to your compassion and generosity to support the New Year Grant 2026. This year alone, more than thirty five families have reached out to us, their lives turned upside down by circumstances entirely beyond their control. Below, we share the stories of two such families. While every case we support carries deep pain, these stories reflect the silent suffering that so many endure behind closed doors. In December 2022, Biju Kurian arrived in Coventry with his wife and three children, full of hope and determination to build a stable future. Like many migrant families, they paid a heavy price for that dream, nearly eleven lakh rupees to an agent for visa processing, leaving them burdened with debt from the very beginning. His wife secured work as a carer in a nursing home, and the family began rebuilding their lives with courage and resilience. Six months ago, their world collapsed. Persistent swelling in Biju’s lips and neck led to extensive medical tests, which revealed the devastating diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Despite ongoing treatment, including chemotherapy, the disease progressed aggressively and has now spread to his bones. Biju has partially lost his ability to speak and has been completely unable to work for the past six months. Doctors have confirmed that he is medically unfit for any form of employment. With three children aged fifteen, twelve, and ten, all at crucial stages of their education, the pressure on the family is immense. His wife’s modest income is nowhere near enough to cover rent, bills, daily living costs, and the heavy visa related debts that still loom over them. Once a provider and protector, Biju now battles for his life while his family struggles simply to survive. Their situation is urgent and heartbreaking. In Keighley, West Yorkshire, forty five year old Jibin Kurian is fighting one of the most devastating neurological conditions known today, Motor Neurone Disease. Jibin arrived in the UK in July 2022, after the family spent over ten lakh rupees on agency and visa expenses. Originally from Ettumanoor, Kerala, Jibin worked as an autorickshaw driver with no property or financial safety net. In Britain, he found work as a kitchen assistant in a nursing home, determined to support his family and start anew. Soon after, he developed weakness in his hands. Medical investigations confirmed Motor Neurone Disease. The illness has now spread, steadily stealing his strength and independence. Today, he is unable to work. These two families represent just a fraction of those seeking help through the BMCF New Year Grant. Among others are: • A frontline NHS nurse, once caring for others, now battles kidney failure, repeated surgeries, partial loss of vision, visa uncertainty, and mounting debts, unable to work and running out of sick pay. • A young family shattered by stroke, long-term disability, accidents, and overwhelming visa debts, struggling to meet even basic monthly rent. • Families torn apart by severe chronic illness, mental health crises, legal challenges, and the sudden loss of income, leaving children at risk and spouses overwhelmed. For many, the BMCF New Year Grant is the last lifeline — to keep a roof over their heads, pay essential bills, support children’s basic needs, and help families breathe again, even if only for a short while. This is not just financial assistance. It is hope. It is dignity. It is the reassurance that they are not alone. As a community that has always stood together in times of crisis, we earnestly appeal to your compassion. If you are a UK taxpayer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box, allowing your generosity to go even further.