Archive for October, 2011

Chronicles from Mogadishu

October 20, 2011 at 4:31 pm · Filed under Blogs, Muslim Charities, Somalia ·Tagged , , , ,


It has been nearly a month since I returned from Mogadishu with a delegation of NGOs from the UK. Parts of our activities included:

  • Assessing the humanitarian situation by visiting IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps and Hospitals
  • Getting firsthand experience so as to carry out awareness activities in the UK
  • Arranging meetings with local civil society organisations and Muslim INGOs
  • Taking part in a Rain Prayer organised by several Civil Society Organisations

I have now been twice to Mogadishu since the month of August.

On my first visit, I assisted Loutfi and Wassim from Islamic Relief Worldwide in collecting data on water that would then be used to mobilise Muslim Donors and NGOs on the need to focus on long term access to Water in Somalia. I was happy to hear that this resulted in the OIC organising a conference entitle “Water for Life” in Egypt where NGOs offered to drill 582 boreholes.

On the second visit, we organised meetings with Muslim INGOs and local NGOs. Two of our trustees, Othman Moqbel (Human Appeal International) and Dr. Hany El-Banna were part of these conversations. We recognised the fact that it would be difficult for International NGOs to scale up their activities in Somalia given the current political context and that it would be better to work with local partners. Working with local partners also meant taking the responsibility and investing in building their capacities.

We were accompanied during this trip by a group of Somalis from the UK Diaspora, from the Somali Relief and Development Forum, who had not been to Somalia for over 20 years and in some cases had never been to Somalia before. Three ladies in particular: Rahma, Samira and Zahra.

The people living in IDP camps were mainly women and children. The accounts they gave to Rahma, Samira and Zahra, were things they would have never been able to say to anyone else. Cases of rape and other serious issues that no one dares to talk about. These women spoke, because the people they spoke to were women, Somalis and persons they felt they could trust.

I had also noticed limited visibility from certain NGOs as compared to Muslim NGOs. This may be due to security concerns, I don’t know. It seems that, in Somalia, new humanitarian actors are coming to light, thus challenging the traditional “Western” model of humanitarianism which may have failed in this part of the world.

We ended up our trip with a Rain Prayer. The Rain arrived on that same night. A blessing from Allah.

By Abdurahman Sharif

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Mediawatch on Pakistan

October 13, 2011 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Humanitarian, Monsoon, Muslim Charities, Pakistan ·Tagged , , , ,

Earlier this week Sir Nicholas Young CEO of the British Red Cross highlighted the silence of the media surrounding the monsoons which have besieged Pakistan. For the second time in as many years the country has seen the negative effect of rain and monsoons.

The point he has raised is a good one. The past year has seen multiple humanitarian crises due to displacement and natural disasters. USA, Japan, East Africa – as the year has gone on each crisis has received less and less media coverage. The number of column inches and news clips about the current crisis in Pakistan has been minimal. They have been linked to other stories such as one about a party for British expats or a simple weather report.

Every news story needs a hook – an angle to draw a reader or viewer to take interest. Despite aid agencies from the UK such as British Red Cross, Islamic Relief and Oxfam  as well as MCF members Human Appeal International, Human Relief Foundation and Muslim Hands are all working in the region to help people who have lost their livelihoods; there has been a lack of interest.

Possible reasons could include fatigue of the different disasters coupled with a perilous financial situation in our economy. We may be more interested in the care of the elderly in hospitals or the latest Blackberry outage – but surely there is space to cover those in need.

An international perception that Pakistan has problems due to terrorism is seen as off putting to donors. The overwhelming majority in the country are like you and I – wanting earn a living and take care of their families. We need to distinguish and separate the political situation in the country and its humanitarian needs otherwise the people that matter and their plight will be forgotten.

The power of the press and media cannot go unnoticed and neither should humanitarian disasters which require attention in order for aid and support to reach the regions of crisis.

By Mohammad Shakir

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Home is where the heart is

October 13, 2011 at 9:16 am · Filed under East Africa ·Tagged , , ,

I was born in Kenya in a city called Mombasa, but have lived majority of my life in England. My mother was born in south east coast of Somalia in a small city called Brava. Brava has a real history going back to the 16th century in which it was ruled by the Portuguese during the ‘Battle of Brawa’ up until the civil war in 1991, in which majority of the Bravanese people have relocated in other countries and cities but majority to Mombasa. Having families who went Mombasa back and forth for trading and business before the war outbreak of the war, some decided to stay there and build homes to settle.

We moved back to Brava two years after I was born. I hardly recall anything during that period and asked my mother to help me fill the gap in my mind, but nothing significant happen other than I overdosed myself diabetic medicines which were lying around the house! Luckily I’m still alive!

In 1991 when my family escaped from the war, we returned back to Kenya and planned to settle down there for good. She recalls vividly the events that had taken place, and how the bombs and shootings woke up everyone around the neighbourhood. It was such shocking experience for her and her first priority like any other mother was the safety of their children.

It was with Allah’s help and might that we had help escape from the war. I can see her eyes starting to fill with tears as she said “we had to leave some people behind” the boat was small and could not carry a lot of people. She admitted in to saying where was sailing for 2 days trying to reach the coast of Mombasa before we managed to get help from the Kenyan people. When we got to Mombasa we had a place to stay as my grandfather built 3 homes from the trading and business he used to do.

Later that year I was put into government school in Mombasa and we were quickly starting to settle in the country. We had to swiftly get to terms with everything around the country because my parents realised that it was not the same country or environment they were living in before. As I thought everything was going well, I started making new friends, I had gotten used to the area i was living in and everything was just about working out. Little did I know that another journey was about to take place.

In 1992 we moved to Saudi Arabia where my father was working. This was another major happening in our life cycle when my mother had her 3rd child later that year. When I arrived it was a totally new surrounding, new people, new environment and new culture. I suffered a little of a culture shock in Saudi, I didn’t want to go school because I felt betrayed by my parents because I had left my friends behind in Mombasa. I was homesick and wanted to go back to Mombasa and see my friends and go back to the school that I had friends. I didn’t want the process of making friends again, building relationship because it took me longer than I thought it would. I had difficulty understanding a new language and difficulty integrating with people.

After a year in Saudi Arabia – in February 1993 we arrived in the UK, in search of a more stable life than what we experienced before. When we got to London that is when my life changed completely. I had started school again after much persuasion from my mum. I was happy again.

20 years on I ask my parents about the life before the civil war in Somalia, and most of the time they can’t but help have nostalgia. They described life as being very natural and everyone living together in total harmony. Families where all living in close proximity to each other so everyone had help from the small community they were living in. During Ramadan food was shared around each house sparing no one as there was no worry about families left in hunger. Doors would be open from morning until late evening as people had no worries about security issues, people living in total trust with each other created a real unity amongst one another.

My parents now realise the situation in Brava is no longer the same, friends have passed away, and some have relocated to America and others Western European countries. We try to go back to Mombasa as often as possible as that is we have homes and family members that we’ve known since we were living in Brava. Mombasa has changed over the years; it has now become one of the major tourist attractions in Africa because of its weather, beaches, food and lifestyle – all enjoyed by many people.

Home is where the heart is, is definitely a true declaration, although living in London for most of my life – it does not compare to being at home where you have extended family and where the lifestyle is more suited to the culture we’ve originally inherited to.

By Mohamed Mohamed

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The of irony of natural disasters

October 3, 2011 at 4:20 pm · Filed under Collaboration, Drought, East Africa, Humanitarian, Monsoon, Pakistan ·Tagged , , , , ,

Humanitarian work sometimes brings up irony in the form of two humanitarian disasters, in two parts of the world which are complete opposites. East Africa is in the midst of a drought while Pakistan – a little over a year since the worst floods had hit the country in 80 years – has been besieged by monsoons.

Currently there are nearly 60 countries in which there is a requirement for humanitarian relief and aid. No country is immune from natural disasters and tornadoes in USA or earthquakes in Japan both earlier this year have shown us. No matter how developed a country is, it can lose everything in a single go. While countries such as Japan and the USA have the resources and finances to get back on their feet, countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Pakistan do not.

In the charity sector, we don’t know where the next emergency will be. We have to be ready to get up and work at a moments’ notice- every part of an organisation doing its part to ensure that clear coordination lead to aid reaching the people it needs to get to.

We have to remember that the next humanitarian alert can be moments away. It could be a flood, earthquake, drought or famine. We don’t know where it will strike next – but we must be ready.

By Mohammad Shakir

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Getting satisfaction from a smile

October 3, 2011 at 11:12 am · Filed under Collaboration, Internships, Volunteers ·Tagged , ,

***Editor’s Note: This blog is being cross posted between the Muslim Charities Forum and Zakat House as the wonderful intern that wrote the below entry spent time with both organisations.***

In the two months that I have been working in the charity sector I feel proud and honoured that I have done something valuable with my time. Knowing that every blog, letter and Facebook update that I do will somehow to try to persuade someone to give from their time or money to help the less fortunate. My time that I spent with both the charity organisations I was with has been a big help to me in such a way that will benefit me in my professional career.

Three months ago before the end of the academic school year that I wanted to spend my summer doing something more different to what I am used to. I’ve always believed in the proclamation that says “charity does not decrease wealth” and how true that has been during this journey.

During my time I have been fortunate to meet people from all different walks of life, people from different background, people with different interest, people with different lifestyles but are all united in one cause, helping the people who do not have the same luxuries as we do. It’s the people you work with really shape up how office life is to be viewed. One of the main things that I’ve learnt during my time here is the importance of good communication skills and a friendly disposition. This helps you settle in to any environment quickly because it wins your work colleagues over with your character. No one ever wants to work with anyone who does not have a friendly temperament and someone who finds it difficult trying to communicate with others as it usually leads to some sort of frustration.

I am currently studying at a medical school in Romania where I have learnt how important it is to have good communication skills between doctors and patients. However this is also true in working with charity organisations as there is a potential donor which you do not want to lose. This donor could be the difference between saving someone’s life to them dying. As a result with good communication it builds rapport, good understanding and a good relationship between people.

There are many benefits in working for charities as a volunteer such as using your skills and experience no matter how little it is, it helps the community and those around you. At times you work under pressure, which is a good thing because it shows your mental strength and how you can cope in different situations.

This I feel is a valuable experience which will forever remain with me as it has taught me to be calm and carry on even when the going gets tough. Working as a volunteer helps you personally by allowing your mind to become free and think of different and new innovative ideas in ways you can help them grow.  I feel that also by doing charity work it will stand you in good stead as it will set you apart from the crowd.

Past charity work says a lot about your character, giving you a multi-dimensional personality and highlighting your good nature. Even more importantly, volunteer positions show future employers your drive and dedication. Such accomplishments demonstrate initiative, personal will, leadership skills and the ability to work hard.

I am forever thankful to those wonderful people who have helped me and given me the opportunity to volunteer, my next aim is to complete my medical studies to become a doctor and hopefully this will allow me to become more fully involved in people’s lives so I can bring them a simple smile and bring me satisfaction.

By Mohamed Mohamed

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