Day 3: Families travel seven miles to receive aid

After writing yesterday’s account, we met again with Abdurrazzaq who further discussed his story. He explained that his father passed away fifty years ago and he was a devout Muslim. His mother is alive who along with his wife are Muslims. In fact, his step father is the Chair of the local mosque. Two years ago he converted to Christianity because he was struggling financially and the local church supported him. We have a fruitful discussion focusing on his name and its meaning and how he may continue the legacy of his late mother. He suggests himself that our encounter is a blessing of Allah and that he shall visit us in the morning with his mother and wife and revert to Islam. True to his promise, he visits us in the morning with his family and reverts to Islam. His family is extremely happy as he is the breadwinner of the wider family and thereby the faith of the whole family has been safeguarded. May Allah preserve their faith and keep them steadfast. A discussion with local scholars and community leaders reveals that this is the first time ever a Muslim NGO has conducted such a project in this region. The project has already strengthened the confidence of Muslims in the region and made them realise that they are part of a global brotherhood that is committed to supporting them. Although Abdurrazzaq was not a beneficiary of our Iftar programme, he himself confirmed that the programme has changed his view of Muslims. For us, this encounter alone is sufficient for the success of this programme and our trip. All praise belongs to Allah who guides whomsoever he wishes. Another blessing this morning is the opportunity to scan through the manuscripts, books and writings of the Saint Al-Haji Lamphia Tarawally (d. 1954). Unfortunately, the books have not been properly preserved. However, his descendants have agreed to take steps to preserve these documents.

It is now time to leave Moyamba and head to Blama. Blama is a town in the Kenema District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The journey takes three hours. We arrive in the afternoon and distribute Iftar packs to some four hundred families who have gathered from different areas of the district. Some have travelled from as far as seven miles to obtain an Iftar pack. This demonstrates the extent of the poverty. As the distribution ends, there are many other disappointed people queuing up requesting support.

We leave Blama and head to Freetown. The journey takes five hours and we arrive late in the evening. En route, we complete our fast with juice and biscuits. Within minutes of arriving into Freetown, there is an electricity blackout. This is common occurrence in the capital.