Assalam Ramadan 1400 (1)

“The best of houses is the house where an orphan gets love and kindness.” -Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) As usual with this Column every Ramadan, we turn spiritual and discuss all the good things possible during this blessed month. We announced a couple of times previously that our Ramadan focus this year shall […]

“The best of houses is the house where an orphan gets love and kindness.” -Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

As usual with this Column every Ramadan, we turn spiritual and discuss all the good things possible during this blessed month. We announced a couple of times previously that our Ramadan focus this year shall be a series (spanning the four Fridays of the month) on NGOs and other philanthropic organisations making a difference in the lives of the poor (the orphan, the widow, the destitute, the vulnerable, etc.). Iftar Sa’im, i.e. Feeding the Fasting Person, is of course the first qualification of the participating NGOs, but the emphasis is on sustainability, as a hungry fasting person will continue to be a hungry non-fasting person AFTER Ramadan. The intent of this series is therefore to link philanthropists with causes they may want to support fisabililLah, as the NGOs to be featured here will in sha Allah vetted to ensure they are above board. The first entries of the month are below:

IMPACT SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA FOUNDATION (ISCAF) Plot 34 Festrut Estate, Katampe, by Aso Radio, Abuja: ISCAF is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting less privileged persons living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and ultimately reducing the menace and mortality rate linked to the disease. Nigeria has the highest prevalence of SCD with 40 million carriers of the trait and 150,000 every year (according to the WHO). In view of the threat caused by this difficult disease, ISCAF saw the need for increased advocacy on its prevention, treatment and management. ISCAF currently supplies free routine medication (folic acid, paludrine and astymin) every quarter to 135 sickle cell anaemia patients. The foundation also initiates blood donation drives when the need arises. In addition, ISCAF has intervened in the treatment of sickle cell patients with complications. Dehydration is one of the major triggers of painful sickle cell crisis that might lead to organ damage. In view of that, ISCAF is embarking on an advocacy to sensitize sickle cell patients on the implication of fasting in Ramadan especially in hot weather condition. Allah (Exalted be His Name) is All-Knowing and Most Merciful and has provided options for those allowed to abstain from fasting. ISCAF is embarking on a Ramadan feeding drive on behalf of sickle cell patients that have attained puberty but do not have the means to feed a needy in replacement of the their fasting. ISCAF will provide iftar at an estimated cost of N350 per person per day. The meal will contain rice/spaghetti, meat/egg, dates and two sachets of pure water. For more information on how to participate and donate, CONTACT PERSON: HALIMA USMAN NAGADO [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> and 08037865237.

 “There is reward for kindness to every living thing.” -Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

“GIRL CHILD CONCERNS (GCC)” <www.girlchildconcerns.org> 3B SAMBO ROAD NEAR LUGARD HALL, GRA, KADUNA: GCC is a non-profit non-governmental organisation working to improve the status, health and wellbeing of women and girls in Nigeria. GCC was set up over 20 years by [this Columnist’s late senior colleague] Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf of blessed memory and her associate Dr. Mairo Mandara. GCC provides holistic education interventions that meet the needs of vulnerable adolescent girls, disadvantaged and underserved groups like girls in IDP camps. It operates in Kaduna, Borno and Abuja and it is active throughout the year, including the holy month of Ramadan. Our scholarship scheme is unique because we provide straight six-year secondary school sponsorship to girls from insurgency-affected areas through boarding schools outside the North East. GCC possesses expertise in pioneering programming in girls’ education and empowerment and community programming in reproductive, maternal and child health in Northern Nigeria. The organisation has a unique expertise in the region in the design and implementation of interventions that improve girls’ educational attainment, building girls’ agency, voice, and future vocational aspirations, and maximises their economic and health outcomes. GCC has deep expertise in understanding the cultural and social linkages that affect women and girls in Northern Nigeria. In Borno particularly, GCC excels in supporting the education of girls and empowering women in IDP Camps as well as an empowerment programme for young women who are trained as Village Health Workers. For more information, CONTACT PERSON: UMMA ILIYASU-MOHAMMED [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> and 08039430001.

“He is not a true believer who eats his fill while his neighbour is hungry.” -Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

“KUNGIYAR TALLAFAWA MARAYU DA GAJIYAYYU TA WUDIL” (Association for the Assistance of the Orphans and the Vulnerable), Utai House, Opposite Magistrate Court, Wudil Town, Kano State: This philanthropic association supports orphans and vulnerable members of the community in Wudil Local Government Area of Kano State (about 42 kilometres on Kano-Maiduguri Road). For this Ramadan of 1440, we plan to distribute clothes and foodstuff to 350 male and 500 female orphans and 400 vulnerable households in our catchment area. Similarly, we work in tandem with the Muslim Forum of Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil which is already executing a daily feeding ‘Iftar’ programme for 1,000 fasting persons throughout the month of Ramadan. What is unique about these two NGOs is that while one (the Kungiya) is what is referred as “Town”, i.e. based in the community of Wudil, the other (the Forum) is what is referred to as “Gown”, i.e. based in the university. The two associations complement each other in that while the Forum concentrates on the Ramadan Feeding, the Kungiya continues with the distribution of material and apparel as well as raw foodstuff for Sallah celebrations for the orphans and vulnerable beyond Ramadan. For more information on how to participate and donate, call or drop us an email via CONTACT PERSON: DR MUHAMMAD LAWAN KAURANGINI [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> and 08034528577 (Assistant Secretary KUST Muslim Forum)

“Make things easy for people and not difficult. Give people good news and bring them joy, and do not turn them away.” Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

“ASSALAM RAMADAN!”: The Blessed Month of Ramadan is here. This series on NGOs making a difference in the lives of the poor, the orphan, the widow, the destitute, the vulnerable, etc, will run throughout Ramadan. If your NGO is doing such, drop us a 100-word email to <[email protected]> that answers the “Five W’s and H” of your work. The key words here are SUSTAINABILITY and UNIQUENESS. May Allah list us among the forgiven this Ramadan, amin.