Committed volunteers faithfully serve the community
The team from the Gift of the Givers Foundation – Estcourt branch has brought cheer to hundreds of deserving locals
Transporting, off-loading, sorting and distributing hundreds of kilograms of supplies takes teamwork.
Working together to help humanity with no expectation of rewards is the group of locals who make up the Gift of the Givers Foundation team.
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Since opening a local branch at the Masjid Ghouse Azam in Protea Road and recruiting local volunteers, thousands of people have benefitted from regular food, clothing, blankets or relief supplies.
At the helm of the Estcourt branch is Jaaved Khan who met Gift of the Givers Foundation Founder and Chairman Dr Imtiaz Sooliman at a mall and decided to approach him to help needy residents in Estcourt and surrounding areas.
Dr Sooliman agreed and just over a year ago, the Gift of the Givers extended its generous arm to Estcourt.
Since then, the team has grown and the volunteers are committed to the foundations motto: ‘The best among people are those that benefit mankind.’
The youngest volunteers consist of brothers Mohammed Azhar Saib (14) and Mohammed Humza Saib (8) as well as Zaheer Yunus Ebrahim (13).
These youngsters often assist to off-load and distribute the supplies when the supplies arrive via truck.
Undeterred by the large quantities and size of the items, the trio gets stuck in and offloads dozens of pallets and sorts hundreds of grocery items.
“We enjoy visiting the different places and helping out. It’s a great feeling,” they say when asked why they decided to become volunteers.
Another dedicated helper is Shafee Kalowa, who is the caretaker of Masjid Ghouse Azam. The friendly banter between him and the other volunteers often brings bursts of laughter and jesting, in between the long distances and heavy lifting.
Nafiza Gunkel often ditches her traffic officer uniform to pitch in and help distribute food parcels to locals.
She has become a welcome addition to the team of volunteers.
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Mr Khan is proud of the dynamic and unselfish team.
“In today’s times it’s very rare to find children these ages who offer to spend time helping people. The three boys approached me when the projects just started and have been with me since then through most of them. They give up their weekends, school holidays and sometimes even nights to go out and help the less fortunate and they enjoy and love every minute of it. From the young age of eight, Humza already tells me that at some point he will take over the Estcourt office, that’s pure love and dedication towards helping people,” he commented.
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