SA leads Africa in helping destitute

MAN HAS lost his humanity, said The Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, speaking on human rights at the 23rd annual Alan Paton lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday. A man who inspires through his humanitarian work across the globe, Sooliman said over the past three years he had become convinced that man had lost his ability to act with kindness, compassion and humility.

“When we witness man going out of his way to cause harm, pain and discord, it is clear that he has lost his spirituality, his humanity and his ability to respect, love and be merciful towards each other,” Sooliman said.

Speaking of his non-profit organisation, Sooliman said his 24 years spearheading disaster relief missions locally and abroad was nothing short of a miracle.

Addressing an audience that included political activist Rabia Motala, UKZN academics, students and media, Sooliman revealed he was introduced to his spiritual teacher, Sufi teacher Sheikh Saffer Effendi al-Jerrahia, during a visit to Turkey in 1991. “I opened myself to the universe and the process unfolded,” he said.

This led to the birth of The Gift of the Givers Foundation.

Their first mission was to ravaged Bosnia in 1994. The foundation is the largest disaster relief organisation of African origin. To date they have delivered more than R1.4 billion in aid to 41 countries around the world.

“We have designed and developed the world’s first and largest containerised mobile hospital, which was deployed in Bosnia.”

Sooliman recalled a rescue mission to Haiti in 2010 after an earthquake claimed the lives of 250 000 people. Due to red tape, the pope had to facilitate their entry into the country.

Sooliman said after days of finding dead bodies, the rescue team had become despondent, and then, eight days after the quake hit, the South African team rescued a 64-year-old woman from beneath the rubble.

Faith, spirituality, love, kindness and mercy. These are the values we possess,” Sooliman said. He added that it was these values that Alan Paton embodied in his life.

The Alan Paton lecture is held annually to commemorate his life and to discuss topics in which he was involved in his lifetime.