AMA: ‘As we mark 35 years of service to humanity, we say shukran for your contributions, support and dua’s’

Alhamdulillah, the year 2022 marks 35 years since Africa Muslims Agency (AMA) was established in South Africa. We express our deepest gratitude to the Almighty Allah (SWT) for his endless favours upon us and for allowing us the opportunity to be tools in the process of serving humanity.

We remember the remarkable sacrifices made by the late Dr Abdur Rahman As Sumait and the Late Mahomed Farid Choonara as they travelled the continent of Africa to understand the plight of people living in remote areas, and to bring aid to them through water, food, masaajid, education and various other forms of necessities.

The organisation has grown over the years, expanding to many countries beyond Africa. We have operations in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Burma, Turkey and Yemen amongst others. We remain humbled at the way in which the Almighty brings us together with others on the same path as we are, working to serve humanity, and we have partnered with incredible organisations and people in countries like Lebanon and Turkey to expand our reach to as much of the Ummah as we can.

In South Africa, we continue to work hard to alleviate the challenges that face our people, focusing on the provision of essentials such as food, toiletries, blankets, sanitary packs and stationery, and we remain responsive to the need on the ground, adapting our offering to the greatest need, such as the provision of masks, sanitizers and medication during Covid-19 waves.

Some of our key initiatives include water wells and boreholes, orphan and education sponsorships, masaajid, disaster response, medical assistance, and provision of essentials.

As needs shift around the world, we must adapt to find new ways of assisting those in need. We have installed solar powered boreholes in Afghanistan and provided solar panels to hospitals in Lebanon as a way to overcome lack of access to electricity.

We have begun a school in Lebanon with a curriculum tailored to the needs of refugee children as part of our goal of breaking their cycle of poverty.

In Women’s Month last year, the provision of sanitary packs for young girls was included in our portfolio to empower the youth and build their confidence as we recognised the huge need for these basic items in countries around the world.

We have also begun providing nutritional meals to children in South African schools to expand our feeding schemes locally.

We are always humbled by the way in which our teams find ways to help others, no matter what it takes.

We recognise the tireless work of our staff, ground teams and volunteers to deliver the aid that saves lives across the world. And of course, we say Shukran to our donors for your contributions, support and du’as over the years.

Central to our work at AMA has always been people – whether it is our founders, our donors, our supporters or our beneficiaries. The AMA philosophy is not to give and leave, but rather, to give and grow wherever we can.

When our staff and delegation visit refugees and the impoverished, we hear over and over again that their gratitude is not just for the meal or item we have provided…it is for the love and care that come with it…the knowledge that someone, somewhere in the world cares.

It is our wish that as we mark 35 years of service, we will not pause, but rather, we will ask Allah to give us the strength to do even more, to reach new places and people and continue finding ways to serve and seek His mercy.

Those who in charity spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve – Qur’an 2:274

Imraan Choonara
CEO Africa Muslim Agency
Johannesburg