Al-Qalam 
As part of Women’s Month, Al-Qalam focuses on Shahnaaz Paruk, an energetic go-getter who is passionate about charitable causes. She chatted to Nabeelah Shaikh.
When Shahnaaz Paruk visits orphans at Syrian refugee camps to assist with their needs, it’s in that pivotal moment that she is reminded of how much we should be grateful for.
The stories of little children who don’t even have a basic pair of shoes have been one of the things that motivate Paruk to want to continue serving humanity, without ever looking back on that life-changing choice she made, almost two decades ago.
Paruk’s journey to serving the most destitute in South Africa and beyond began in 2006. Today, she’s the inspirational woman behind Penny Appeal South Africa, a non-governmental organisation that she has been leading as the Chief Executive Officer for five years.
Penny Appeal was first set up globally in 2009 to provide poverty relief across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa by offering water solutions, organising mass feedings, supporting orphan care, and providing emergency food and medical aid.
“I think I was always inclined towards charitable work. I had wanted to do social work after I completed school. But I ended up doing media and communications instead. Fast track to after me having my first job, which was in retail, I then took a break. I helped with a family business and I decided to volunteer some of my time at the South African National Zakah Fund,” said Paruk. She knew at this point that she was passionate about creating change and serving humanity.
“I volunteered for a while and then was offered a job at Sanzaf where she served for four years.
After her time at Sanzaf, she joined Islamic Relief South Africa.
“They were looking for a marketing officer. I was there for close to a decade. There were multiple roles, from marketing to fundraising, to being a part of programmes, hosting events, and assisting with operations setups, systems, and processes. And then I took on a national role in human resources. I was also part of the exec team at a national level and served two terms as interim country director,” said Paruk.
She was then approached by Penny Appeal SA to set up its operations in South Africa, and since then the work never stopped.
Milestones
One of her Penny Appeal milestones is the mobile medical bus project. “That was us being able to have an actual bus that went around to rural schools in the Western Cape offering primary health eye screening and dental health to children that lacked access. Children were able to get glasses on site if needed. There were referrals done to specialists with those kids who needed it. And why I think it was so impactful was because of the stories that came out of there. There were over 950 children who were helped. We’ve also hosted major successful fundraising events that I’m proud of too,” said Paruk.
She hopes to grow the organisation from strength to strength.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have already expanded into the SADC region in places like Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho. This women’s month, Paruk says society must understand being a woman is a superpower in itself. “Our religion tells us that we are not equal to men. We never will be. We are different. We are created differently. And I’m not saying it from a feminist perspective. I’m saying don’t try and make the scales equal.As you are and as you are created as a woman, you’ll find your role in terms of stepping into your power,” said Paruk.
She encourages other women not to be afraid of moving ahead.
“Don’t be afraid of changing things, and disrupting things.Don’t be afraid of challenging norms in a respectable way,” said Paruk. She encourages more people to get involved in humanitarian work because everybody has a charitable heart by nature.
“Our religion tells us: ‘Love for your brother and sister, what you love for yourself.’ If you can honour this and have that intention that you’re doing it for the pleasure of the Almighty and nothing else, I promise you, you’ll see in abundance, how things just open up for you with this renewed intention,” said Paruk.
