Reaching the unreached

Al-Haqq Islamic Trust, a faith-based organisation (FBO) recently went to Zomba to donate sports kit, school uniforms and educational materials to less privileged pupils as one way of helping in the promotion of educational standards in the country. JAMES CHIMPWEYA talked to the trust’s executive director Sheikh Maulana Silaji as to what his trust is doing in uplifting lives of less privileged pupils.

The trust recently went to Zomba, can you explain to us what took you there?

Yes, we went to Zomba to make some donations of school and sports equipment ranging from balls, exercise books, textbooks to pupils so that we help in the improvement of education as well as promoting sporting activities in primary schools. During such trips we target any needy person regardless of tribe, religion or social affiliation. Apart from improving education standards by assisting orphans and other vulnerable groups, we also help in the promotion of Islamic religion by circulation of religious literature, building mosques, drilling boreholes in remote areas where people have difficulties in accessing such services.

You have mentioned many activities, but what is your area of interest?

Our main area of interest is on the education of children who are orphans, physically impaired and supporting those who are looked after by elderly after the demise of their biological parents. We want them to pursue quality education like any other child whose parents are alive. We have seen that many less privileged children fail to continue with their education due to lack of proper care and support.

Apart from Zomba, where else have you gone to assist the less-privileged?

So far, we have managed to establish orphan care centres in Makheta, Blantyre, Ndechele Village in Namadzi and in T/A Namavi’s Area, Makanjira in Mangochi. In all these areas, we have also built mosques, drilled boreholes and provideed other social services when needed. We are also working in areas outside our base in Blantyre like Zomba, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Balaka, Dedza and we are thinking of expanding even further. In these care centres, pupils are being fed porridge. And so far, we have already reached out to more than 500 families whose members have benefited either directly or indirectly from the organisation.

What are the challenges that you are facing and if you can cite them, what are the achievements made so far?

So far our main challenge is to raise enough funds with which to support our beneficiaries due to the economic hiccups our businesses are facing since Malawi in an agro-based economy. Our business income has been affected by the floods which the country experienced last agricultural season.

Where do you get your financial assistance?

Apart from the finances from our trustees businesses, we appreciate to our colleagues of the Asian community in Blantyre and Lilongwe who have rendered their help towards the achievements of the organisation’s activities in times of need. The trustees of the organisation contribute the little they realise from their businesses with which they help the less privileged society. It is the wish of the organisation to continue offering its services and we extend our open hands to welcome those who can offer their assistance both in cash and kind so that the organisation’s goals should be achieved. We pay their school fees, provide uniforms, food and shelter where necessary with Zakaat contributions from well wishers.

We have just started discussing your trust, but what is it all about?

Al-Haqq Islamic Trust is a faith-based organisation (FBO) which was formed in 2010 by a group of business persons who saw the need to support the needy as it was taught by our prophet Muhammad with the aim of helping the needy such as orphans, widows, the elderly, the physically impaired; hence, our Motto: Bringing back lost smiles to the needy. What we are doing is to bring back the smile to the orphan and the less privileged and we provide uniform and other school necessities regardless of gender. n