BY: SIMONE JENNIFER SMITH
“All men, whatever nation or tribe they may belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. Allah has made you brethren one to another, so be not divided. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; nor is a white one to be preferred to a dark one, nor a dark one to a white one.” (The Holy Prophet Muhammad)
It is very easy to become focused on one’s personal issues and to forget that all over the world, there are people who are suffering and are in need of help. It is not our fault really; we have been raised in a culture that focuses on the “I,” and can forget the collective. Now, I want to make sure that people understand that self-development, and self-growth is a great thing, if and only if the purpose is not self-serving. Unfortunately, the majority of the time, it is done only because people are focused on their own self-advancement. I wanted to take some time to highlight the work in the community that is being done selflessly, and how we can get involved in this work. It is the small things really that we take for granted.
As many of my readers may know, in March, I traveled to Gatswick, England to participate in the International Peace Symposium. Toronto Caribbean Newspaper was invited by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to be part of this event, and while there, I was able to see how much they actually do throughout the world. I want to share a bit about what I saw, and of course, give the readers an opportunity to become involved if they choose to. The Ahmadiyya Muslim’s pride themselves on serving mankind and they do so in various ways throughout the world. ‘Love for All, Hatred for None,’ expresses the spirit of giving and providing aid and social justice to the global community. This guiding principle eludes compassion and sympathy for all, and it inspires members of this community to do for others, and to think collectively.
This love for all initiated a movement that can not only be seen as humanitarian, but also life-saving. The Water for Life Project was initiated after the realization of a serious issue that is still occurring in Africa. Nearly one billion people in Africa do not have access to clean safe water. Imagine if you can, how demanding it would be to not be able to get up in the morning, go into the washroom, turn on your tap, and have clean water to brush your teeth, much less take a shower. Imaging how demanding it would be to have to transport water in a 40-pound jerry can, back and forth from your village every day. Some women even carry up to 70 pounds of water in a barrel; this is equivalent to carrying a baby hippo. People living in these African villages spend a great deal of their day just trying to meet their basic needs, and there isn’t time for much else. The time lost transporting water takes away from the time needed to make a living; this can make it very hard to provide for the family, and to live a productive life.
The Water of Life Project was established under the guidance of His Holiness in January 2005, and the objective is to carry out research that will establish cheap methods of water extraction for the people of Africa. The International Association of Ahmadi Architects & Engineers caters to the professional development of Ahmadi Muslim engineers, architects and technologists, and they played an integral role in setting up the water project. Very early in the process, they were able to identify what would not work, and decided on rehabilitation instead of installing new pumps. By doing this, they were able to successfully regenerate 1,000 water wells alleviating over a million people in Burkino Faso, Mali, Niger, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
It is always incredible to see what people working together can do. We must continue to learn from each other and find ways in which we can increase harmony and happiness in the world.
