The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said, ‘The best house among the Muslims is the house in which orphans are well-treated. The worst house among the Muslims is the one in which orphans are ill-treated. [Bukhari] Eventually, the status of ‘best house’ is not achieved by anything material such as property value, a beautiful garden or an expensive refurbishing – the best home is one which shows care and concern for orphans.
In this context, Ummah Foundation has reached out to orphans in almost all activities. Through our high school education bursary programs, the bulk of beneficiaries are orphans. We give priority to their situation as we know it is rare to get family members who are supportive. This has been our operating policy from the days Ummah Foundation was incepted. With the specific expertise that we have in serving the poor urban and rural communities, we always focus on transforming the lives of these orphans. For the past four years, we have expanded our scope and reached out to Zanzibar where the situation was getting out of hand and our intervention was exceedingly required. The situation was so dire that orphaned children were turning into street urchins and getting into debaucheries that were detrimental to society. Ummah Foundation in collaboration with a local Charity Organisation. Muzdalifah Islamic Charitable Organisation (MICO) embarked on a journey of sponsoring orphans in villages across the Zanzibar Islands. We currently have a capacity of 60 orphans who are currently learning and receiving our monthly orphanage support from the comfort of their homes and their guardians. In the beginning, it was a bit challenging but as the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim, from which he gives to the poor, the orphan and the wayfarer.”