“I can’t get the container released from Karachi Airport,” she said over the phone.
Her voice sounded frantic, exasperated, but certainly not defeated. Defeat is not a word she was familiar with; I came to know that soon enough.
“Our mission is to advance women and children through healthcare, education and vocation in resource-limited settings.”
— Ayesha Sattar, Founder, MaBasel Trust
It was 2022. The floods in Pakistan had overwhelmed even the most resourceful among us. As Pakistanis all over the world scrambled to help — through donations, relief goods, social media posts and connecting with loved ones back home — many were trying to figure out where their help was needed most. Who was doing what? How could one make a difference? Which organisation was getting the right relief to the right people at the right time?
Amidst all of this, there was one voice in Basel, Switzerland, bringing people together — and not just Pakistanis — to raise funds and collect relief goods for flood victims in Pakistan.
That container, laden with relief supplies meant to provide support, hope and a lifeline to families affected by the floods, eventually made it out of Karachi Airport. But it took until 2024, after Ayesha pulled strings she never knew she had, encountered helpful strangers and refused to take no for an answer.
What began as a desperate attempt to help people facing unimaginable devastation would eventually become something much bigger.
Ayesha Sattar, a mother living in Basel, Switzerland, came to recognise that the people most affected by climate change, natural disasters and limited access to healthcare needed more than a one-time response. They needed sustained support. And she wanted that support to have a name.
That name became MaBasel Trust.
A Name Rooted in Motherhood
The name is an ode to both the mothers who run the organisation and the mothers and children who have benefited from its work.
“Ma” is the Urdu word for mother, while “Basel” represents the city where the initiative was born. Together, the name reflects a group of mothers who decided to adopt a cause that transcended geography, nationality and background.
For Ayesha, motherhood became a universal language of compassion — the instinct to help when someone is in distress, to protect, to provide and to keep going when circumstances seem impossible.
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that the woman who eventually managed to get that stranded container released from Karachi Airport would go on to build an organisation centred around that same determination and grit.
MaBasel came into being in May 2023, with its launch intentionally marked on Mother’s Day.
From Flood Relief to Long-Term Impact
Today, Ayesha Sattar, a Pakistani expat mother and founder of MaBasel Trust, together with the women and community members who have supported her efforts, has helped raise nearly CHF 90,000 for social causes across South Asia and beyond.
The Trust’s work has included providing an ultrasound machine to a prenatal clinic in Baba Island, along with solar panels to power it; supporting schools in underprivileged communities; funding ambulance services for new mothers; raising awareness for flood victims in Nepal; and supporting healthcare, education and community initiatives in resource-limited settings.
The focus remains on mothers, children and communities that are often overlooked, with the understanding that investing in their wellbeing also means investing in the next generation.
In 2026, MaBasel continues to seek out projects that help mothers raise healthy, happy children in communities that may be far removed from the places its donors call home.
Three Years of Making a Difference
Over the three years since its launch, MaBasel has helped raise funds for patients, students, newborn babies, mothers and indigenous communities.
Ayesha’s professional training in emergency response perhaps equipped her with the mindset required to look beyond simply raising money and ask a more important question: How can every franc raised make the greatest possible difference?
That approach has taken MaBasel to the grassroots, supporting practical solutions ranging from boat and road ambulances to ultrasound machines in remote areas — and then ensuring those machines have the solar power needed to operate.
The Trust has supported organisations and initiatives including Divine Hope Foundation, Mama Baby Fund, Taqseem Foundation, Instituto Guardiões da Floresta in Brazil, Ali Ahmed Hospital, Indus Hospital, Hum Mashal Rah and Fajr Scientific.
As Ayesha puts it:
“We have helped Pakistanis, Palestinians in the US and Brazil.”
The work has grown beyond one country, but the underlying mission remains the same: finding organisations doing meaningful work on the ground and helping them access resources they might otherwise struggle to secure.
From Basel to Karachi — and Beyond
Within the local Basel community, Ayesha is quick to acknowledge the people who stepped up to support the cause.
Basel-based company Wickelfisch donated hundreds of dry bags following the Pakistan floods — a practical contribution intended to help families protect their belongings from the water.
Ayesha also credits the MaBasel co-founders and board members Claire Arnstein and Luciana Yamaya, along with the many people who supported the organisation from its earliest days.
“Claire and Luciana helped first with the boxes right after the floods and when I floated the idea of a trust, they came onboard right away,” she says. “They have been critical to MaBasel’s accomplishments for nearly everything behind the scenes. I especially give them huge credit because they don’t have that connection to Pakistan but epitomise your definition of a mother — answering the call to help without hesitation.”
Ayesha also gives a special mention to Carina Wyss in Basel, who managed the local collection of relief boxes, as well as Sharifa Hyderally from HabibMetro and Danish Shaikh and Arsalan Ashraf from HANDS Pakistan for their endless coordination efforts.
She also credits Salma Lari from Empathy Pakistan, who reached out and helped give momentum to the efforts to release the flood relief boxes at Karachi Airport.
The boxes were finally released in April 2024 — almost two years after the floods and by then, after MaBasel itself had already been launched.
A Community That Keeps Showing Up
MaBasel’s fundraising efforts have become an important part of the organisation’s work in Basel.
One of its biggest annual fundraisers is the Basler Frauenlauf, held in spring. MaBasel has had the largest team at the event for the past two years, with runners raising funds for its various causes.
With the support of sponsor Gyym, the organisation raised CHF 10,000 through the most recent event.
In autumn, MaBasel hosts its annual fundraiser. Previous events have included paint nights at art studios and jewellery café evenings, each raising approximately CHF 3,500.
The Basel Women’s Lions Club also hosted a bingo night in support of MaBasel, raising CHF 12,000, while the organisation participates in a school BBQ every year, raising between CHF 500 and CHF 1,000 annually.
The organisation’s target is to raise CHF 25,000 each year, providing a financial cushion that allows it to support a new project without necessarily having to start fundraising from scratch.
For Ayesha, however, the numbers only tell part of the story.
“There are so many people to acknowledge,” she says. “From the early donors who trusted us before we had anything to show for it and everyone who keeps showing up since — whether it’s to run with us, enthusiastically come to our events or answer our calls for help, including friends and family that live abroad. But also a huge acknowledgement to the founders who are on the ground like Neha Mankani, Iman Jahangir and Faizan Faisal in Pakistan who are doing the real work.”
Supporting the Organisations Often Overlooked
So, what kind of projects does MaBasel support?
The Trust focuses on small, local NGOs that align with its mission but may not otherwise have access to the resources needed to expand their work.
“We support projects that meet our mission through small local NGOs that otherwise don’t have access to the resources that we can campaign for,” Ayesha explains. “We don’t do individual support, and we decide as a board together.”
That approach is central to MaBasel’s broader vision.
“Our vision is for MaBasel to serve as a bridge between donors and lesser-known NGOs that are doing outstanding work on the ground. Ultimately, we would love to see our projects expand into more regions, but what really matters is that we keep connected to projects that continue to make meaningful impact in their communities when and where it’s needed.”
This Year’s Fundraiser
On September 4, 2026, MaBasel hosted its annual fundraiser in Basel, this time supporting Pakistan-based Taqseem Foundation.
The funds raised will support 2,000 students with workbooks and help run a micro-school facility in Karachi that was established earlier this year.
It is another example of MaBasel’s approach: identifying practical, locally driven projects and finding ways for an international community to help make them possible.
“Start Where You Are”
For expatriates who want to support a cause close to their hearts but don’t know where to begin, Ayesha’s own experience offers a simple starting point.
“If you are thinking of starting a trust literally ‘start where you are.’ I was overwhelmed with all the initial paperwork but would only spend 10–15 minutes daily and it was worth it because weeks later we had a mission and charter that really solidified the how and why.”
But passion, she cautions, needs to be accompanied by practical planning.
“Once you have your beneficiaries identified, make sure you have a clear path and access on how you will get funds across to where they are needed. There are invisible barriers to getting funds to impoverished countries, especially — either by the country itself or Switzerland. One major bank wouldn’t even let us open a bank account! So, make sure you have channels. Having funds that can’t be disbursed doesn’t help anyone.”
It is advice that reflects the journey of MaBasel itself.
What started with a container stuck at Karachi Airport became a trust built around the belief that help does not have to begin with a huge organisation, a large budget or a perfect plan.
Sometimes, it begins with one person deciding to act.
And then another person showing up.
And another.
Until a group of mothers in Basel are helping mothers, children and communities thousands of kilometres away.
That is the bridge MaBasel is building — one project, one fundraiser and one community at a time.
Ayesha Sattar is a Pakistani American settled in Basel, Switzerland. She is a mom of two teens and a tween (send help!) and also a board certified emergency physician. In between school drops offs and attending, managing planning the next fundraiser at MaBasel, she also loves to read, run, watch crime dramas, sing in the car and pretend she is fluent in German.
If you have a cause that you feel MaBasel can support, or would like to contribute towards its work, you can find out more and donate through the link below.
MaBasel Trust’s annual fundraiser was held at Phinie’s Jewelry Café Basel, with catering by Candid Desires. The evening brought together guests for a warm and engaging gathering, while raising support for the Trust’s ongoing work and initiatives. It was an evening centred around community, generosity and a shared commitment to making a difference. Here’s the evening in pictures.
