A high-flying lawyer has given up his career in international corporate banking to help fight poverty while observing Ramadan in Pakistan.
Phil Bland, 35, originally from the south side of Glasgow, studied law before embarking on a career with Ernst and Young as a management consultant.
But after eight years living between London and New York, he decided to quit his job in December 2021 to travel the world making YouTube videos.
For the last month he has been living in Lahore, where he spent Eid – the end of the fasting period of Ramadan – giving £800 tips to biryani delivery drivers.
He said: “I wanted to do something special for the people who deliver biryanis at this special time of year, Eid, so I decided to tip 10 drivers and then give out the food that they delivered.”
Phil travelled through Uganda and Kenya, then drove a motorbike from Tanzania to Cape Town through Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, filming his experiences before moving to Pakistan.
He has spent the last month immersing himself in Ramadan.
Phil, a non-muslim, has been abstaining from food and water during daylight hours in a bid to better understand the experience of the 1.9billion Muslims across the globe. In his videos he has highlighted the country’s beautiful beaches, mountains, architecture and religious heritage.
He added: “The best way to fully understand our fellow brothers and sisters in the human race is to embrace their culture and practices.
“You soon learn we have a lot more in common than we think”.
His videos have amassed two million views in the past 28 days.
He added: “My experience has been completely different from the picture often portrayed by the media. The Pakistani people are so warm, welcoming and kind.”
Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who has met Phil a few times in Glasgow, said: “What an amazing, compassionate man Phil is. The fact he chose to visit Pakistan during Ramadan and his refreshing attitude has won him hearts and minds of thousands of Pakistanis.”
Phil also volunteered with a charity feeding the poor in Lahore.
Follow Phil's adventures at: https://www.youtube.com/@philbland.
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