Why we should donate our old property to charity

Almost all the in-patients there were able to get the food, the toiletries and the used clothes. Because the patients were not very many, there were more items left. While the group was contemplating on what to do with the remaining things, we began to see women and children coming into the hospital in droves […]

Almost all the in-patients there were able to get the food, the toiletries and the used clothes. Because the patients were not very many, there were more items left. While the group was contemplating on what to do with the remaining things, we began to see women and children coming into the hospital in droves from the neighborhood. They surrounded us and began pleading with us to also give them the charity. It was decided that they should be given from it and they were asked to form a queue. Most of them got one thing or the other and some even got cash donation from some members of the group.
As we boarded our cars to leave, the villagers were wishing us safe journey in chorus. Praying to God to reward us, give us more, sought forgiveness for our parents, blessings for our children and many more pleasantries. The joy was so visible on their faces. I overheard one woman who after seeing the lace she was lucky to get said her Sallah this year would be a splendid one, “Aha! This Sallah will be a special one with this my lace on. I will give it a special headgear that would be appreciated by any onlooker,” said the old woman.
When I asked the Financial Secretary of the group, a lecturer at the faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano, Hajiya Juwairiyyah Badamasiuy how they came about the clothing materials considering its large quantity, she said it was just a text message she sent to members requesting that whoever was having anything for charity should bring it to her and within a week, she was able to get that much. She and her children personally took the pain to sort, fold and package it for the distribution. So in a few words she was able to help others get rid of some of their loads, seemingly useless to them but serving as Sallah materials to others.
Based on this, one would be tempted to ask, how many among us ever cared to check our kitchens or wardrobe to flush out the seemingly useless materials that are occupying much space in our homes and left to rot? How many ever thought that these materials which are kept redundant at home if given out to the less privileged will change their lives.
A housewife who didn’t  want her name mentioned said she was sure if she were to flush out such materials from her house, it would be a truck load but because she doesn’t have time to do that, they are left abandoned.
Investigation by  this reporter revealed that there are many houses that are having properties worth huge amounts of money that are abandoned or left to rot. One would often hear women complaining about how their spaces are stuffed with items they no longer need but they could not give it out to those that are in need. Some of them would say they don’t have time to sort it out. Yet there are others who would not give out their used properties to charity despite its reward but would rather take it to the market to sell.
Malama Binta Garba revealed how she has been able to address the issue of items she no longer uses in the house, “First, for the clothing materials, I have reserved a big ‘Ghana must go’ bag which I put any material that I’m tired of using or my children are no longer using. If it is a kitchen ware or furniture, I keep them in a store pending when I decide to give them out to a destitute who could be my close relatives, neighbours or any other person. Sometimes I give it out to organizations that solicit for charity on behalf of some communities or people.”
She added that keeping old materials to rot at home without giving it to the needy might amount to extravagance which is condemned by God Almighty. According to her, if sorting it out is proving very difficult most especially for the working class women, they should ask a relative to do the work for them or even pay a woman to do it so that they could give it out in anticipation of reward.
She also advised husbands to encourage such charitable work in their homes by asking their wives to have a separate bag where they could be putting the old items for onward distribution to the needy. And the husbands could even help by carrying it themselves to people or houses that are in need to show to his family how important the act is.
The Home Front further learnt that in some societies, there are charitable organizations that dedicate themselves to soliciting for used materials from whoever is willing to give and they would in turn, package them and keep  for anybody in need. By so doing they have assisted the rich to dispose of their abandoned properties which might fetch them reward from God Almighty and they have also helped the needy to get what might be of immense benefit to them.