About KADECT
KADECT was set-up by Mohammed Akhtar based in St Albans, UK, whose daughter Shabana is deaf. He realised that she was able to access an education and receive the support needed to thrive in her future, however in his home region of Kashmir the situation for the many deaf children there, was very different. This led him to start KADECT. From the beginning KADECT has been a small grass-roots NGO which relies on the support of many people to keep us doing our work.
In the areas that we work there is almost no education infrastructure for deaf children - if you are a deaf child you are often left at home with very little prospects for the future. The impact having an education and mainstreaming into society is very profound for the students at the KADECT schools.
Trustees and Key People
Mohammed Akhtar – Founded Kadect in
2001. He is originally from Kashmir, now lives in St Albans, and has a deaf
daughter.
John Arthur OBE – A retired Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor who served as Executive Director
of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). He helped Mohammed
Akhtar to set up the charity and has been a trustee since 2001.
Afsana Akhtar – A solicitor at a
local law firm. She has been involved in the charity since 2002 and works as a
volunteer in the Kadect charity shop.
Gerdi Quist – A lecturer at
University College London (UCL). She has been a trustee since 2004 and visited
Kashmir and the school in 2009 to produce the website video.
Chris Bumstead – Works at a London
NHS Mental Health Trust. He has been involved as a volunteer with the charity
since 2004 and a trustee since 2009.
Judge Gareth Davies – A retired circuit judge. He has been a trustee since 2001.
Mohammed Afzal – A local
entrepreneur. He has been a trustee since 2001 and has visited Kashmir and the
school on a number of occasions.
Dr PE Selvadvrai – An audiologist
practicing in St Albans. She has been a trustee since 2001.
Mohammed Shabir – Headmaster at the
school in Charhoi.
Nooshin Kaviani – Manageress at the
Kadect Charity shop in St Albans since 2010.
