Mosque reaches out and treats community
ORPHANS and the needy in Athlone were treated to a warm meal on Christmas Day, thanks to the Gatesville Mosque.
As part of its outreach programme, the youth league of the mosque, with the help of ordinary citizens, cooked pots of akhni and distributed it to Leliebloem House in Athlone, which cares for 60 children from troubled families and backgrounds.
Some of the children have been abused or neglected; some are from single-parent households where drug and alcohol abuse is prevalent; and some have been orphaned by HIV/ Aids.
They also fed about 250 people in need in Rylands.
The mosque’s co-secretary, Laila Parker, said the initiative went well, and some people, having heard about the plan before Monday, packed party packets for the children and helped to distribute them.
“We had lots of help. Even those who could not make monetary donations were involved in helping us make the food and distributing it,” Parker said.
Meanwhile residents of Youth Solutions shelter in District Six were treated to a feast when Plumstead resident and former teacher Ellen Fedele and her former pupils, Aqeelah Kellerman and Mahir Adams, along with her friend, Mike Zvanyanya, helped to set up a Christmas tree, lights, decorations and napkins.
“I decided to spend my day in service of people in our city who might be forgotten in the rush of the season’s festivities, to try to show them that they matter. Two former pupils and a friend of theirs, Aqeela Johaadien, and my friend Mike, said they would be happy to join in.
“So the children and Mike came along on the numerous shopping days and helped with the organisation of the actual day,” said Fedele.
“All in all, it was a rewarding day; we were all tired but I was very grateful to my former pupils and also very proud of them for giving up their time to help others.
“On our way home, we saw two ladies and a queue of people and the children said ‘Miss, we have food and presents left over, let’s stop to help’. So we did.
“For nearly two hours, we helped dish up, pour cooldrinks, hand out black bags for rubbish, give all our leftover food and utensils as well and generally assist,” she said.