Gift of Givers turns 25
N SUNDAY, Gift of the Givers, the biggest non-profit disaster response organisation of African origin, which has raised and distributed R2.1 billion in aid across 43 countries, will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
This dedicated NGO has received 113 local and international awards for its lifesaving disaster relief service.
The idea for Gift of the Givers, unique in its all-encompassing approach to humanitarian care, was brought to life on a Thursday evening in Istanbul, Turkey. The organisation’s founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, said it was during a prayer session with spiritual leader, Muhammed Saffer Effendi al Jerrah, that he received instructions to start the NGO.
“He spoke to me in Turkish and, despite me not speaking the language, I understood every word,” said Sooliman, who recalls the instruction verbatim to this day.
Working as a medical doctor at the time, he fulfilled the message to establish an organisation that would serve everyone, indiscriminately, placing the dignity of the individual above all.
The first project was in Bosnia where the start of war left thousands of inhabitants in dire need of aid.
During its three-year relief efforts in the country, the Gift of the Givers supplied 620 tons of food, 160 tons of blankets, warm clothes and sleeping bags.
The NGO designed, developed and deployed the world’s first containerised mobile hospital, which was transported from Durban to Mostar, Bosnia, providing healthcare for thousands.
The deployment of this hospital, a feat which gained international recognition and acclaim, happened in 1993, a mere seven months after the establishment of the South African-based organisation.
It propelled Gift of the Givers into projects globally, with the structure adapting to meet whatever need arose.
This has seen it take on projects that cut across a range of sectors, including health, education, agricultural sustainability, job creation, entrepreneurship, feeding schemes, sport and culture, water provision, bursaries, medical services and care for the indigent.
Some notable projects undertaken over the past 25 years include relief efforts carried out in Haiti in 2010 after a devastating hurricane; the distribution of 200 containers of supplies to famine-ridden Somalia in 2012; and the successful negotiation of the release of Yolande Korkie from Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen in 2014.
“We started with about four or five people in the organisation, but as we were met with new needs, we evolved… We now have about 400 full-time staff members, 200 emergency volunteers as well as counsellors across the globe, ” said Sooliman.
There are offices in Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Johannesburg with a new office set to open in the Eastern Cape.
The organisation also has warehouses in Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town with the KwaZulu-Natal government recently donating a warehouse at Dube Tradeport.
Although Sooliman oversees all the projects, he doesn’t limit individual operators to specific rules.
As long as they follow the values within the organisation, they are free to set up a project and run it accordingly.
“I don’t want to limit individuals,” he explained.
“Everybody has their own set of skills, so they are free to try out new things, make their own mistakes and learn from this before trying another way. If people hear ‘no’ all the time, they lose heart. People need to find their own way and this is how the organisation benefits.”
Because the projects are so well run, with the Gift of the Givers co-ordinating everything from start to finish, donations to the organisation have continued to grow to the point that no fundraising efforts are needed. Although there is some international support, the majority of donations are local.
The team is currently facilitating aid efforts in Knysna, building more than 100 homes for people displaced by the recent fires, assisting individuals with re-establishing businesses, providing animal feed and also helping in the rehabilitation of the bee population – again showcasing the organisation’s diverse set of skills.
In war-torn Syria, Gift of the Givers has opened and is running two hospitals – one in Darkoush and one located just on the Turkish border.
In Yemen, a country experiencing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in history, where some 13 million people are malnourished, Gift of the Givers is distributing aid in conflict-ridden areas.
A big project at the moment is the establishment of the arthroplasty unit at Mount Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape.
With assistance from local government, Gift of the Givers will be refurbishing a ward of the hospital for hip and knee replacements with efforts co-ordinated by Professor Ismail Goga, head of the arthroplasty unit at Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.
The refurbishment will cost R10m, with R21m needed for the running of the unit annually – R10m from the Eastern Cape government, R1m from private funders and R10m from Gift of the Givers.
Commenting on the upcoming 25th anniversary, Sooliman said there would be no elaborate celebrations, with members more likely to partake in prayer and reflection while continuing with the lifesaving work they dedicate themselves to daily.
The South African Police Service has developed an application, Gift of the Givers, which can be downloaded free from Android or Apple stores.
This gives insight to ongoing projects and allows for easy donation to the efforts.
For enquiries or to donate to one of the many worthwhile projects, download the app, check out the website www.giftofthegivers. org or call the toll-free number 0800 786 777.