Words: Sana Ebrahim

It was all strength, muscle and camaraderie at the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA)/ Islamic Relief (IR) Ramadan Humanitarian Project (RHP) event held at the UKZN Westville Campus Quad from 09h00 – 12h00 on Saturday 15 August.

Coordinated by Safiyyah Patel (MSA member and first-year Economics, Politics and Development Studies student at UKZN-Howard College), the event found students of various backgrounds join hands and work together in packaging hampers to bring delight to orphans, vulnerable children and refugees over the holy month of fasting. “RHP is an MSA national project which takes place at campuses in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The project has been running since 2004. Alhamdulillah, we managed to raise R50 000 in 2004, and a whopping R1m last year (2008). This year, the MSA has partnered with Islamic Relief, South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF), Mercy Mission and Channel Islam International (CII) to ensure that RHP is bigger and better than ever,” reports Ms Patel.

270 hampers were packed and sewn into bags by the Durban students, each containing mealie meal; rice; sugar beans; samp; toothpaste; face soap; soup mix; milk powder; salt; tea bags; soya mince and peanut butter. The hampers will be distributed in eThekwini Municipality vans to orphans and vulnerable children in the Wyebank, Umbumbulu, Clare Estate, and Newlands East regions, and refugees in Central Durban, Bonella and Mayville.

Lending insight into the work of Islamic Relief, Farouk Sulthan (Resource Mobilisation Support Coordinator – IR) said: “We work on a one-to-one sponsorship programme costing R400 – where an orphan is supplied with a monthly food hamper catering for a family of four. We also have an orphan endowment/ waqf, which costs R500 and provides funding for the support of orphans on a sustainable basis. Islamic Relief also runs self-sufficiency programmes like food gardens. We are always looking for volunteers to assist us in our various projects.”

For more information, banking details and packaging times, contact Islamic Relief on +27 31 208 2838 or email durbs@islamic-relief.co.za.