Dubai: A young Emirati mother has travelled thousands of kilometres with a mission to deliver donations to the underprivileged living in some of Ghana’s poorest villages.
Ruqiya Ahmad, a 25-year-old volunteer has gone all the way to Tamale, Ghana, on her own to distribute her donations to more than 300 people this Ramadan.
Speaking to Gulf News about her trip, Ahmad said her tour, which began on Thursday, will cover schools, mosques and hospitals across the town, where she will be distributing basic need items and other daily essentials that every Muslim should have.
“I have been volunteering for more than six years, and I have travelled to more than seven countries for similar missions, but this one is a special to me because I want to dedicate enough time to help people during the holy month of Ramadan,” she said.
Ahmad, who has left her three-month old baby with her husband for the two-week trip, hopes her efforts will change the lives of people living in poor conditions.
“During my trip, I will distribute food, clothes and dates to people. I have also prepared boxes containing prayer mats, copies of Holy Quran and hijabs and will be distributing them to people who do not have enough means to buy these things,” Ahmad, who is an HR director and a masters student, said.
While planning her journey, Ahmad said she contacted some families she knew in Ghana to assist her in identifying what the people in Tamale are mostly in need of and arranging her visits to various places. The same families will accompany her during the distribution process across several areas in the city.
“I managed to pack 20-30 boxes of dates, 35 copies of Quran and 50 pieces of hijab and prayer mats. I will buy more items in Ghana to distribute because it was a bit challenging for me to take everything from here,” she said. “I will also be giving out cash donations.”
Apart from providing people with some basic needs, Ahmad said she has another goal of telling people living there about their religion Islam.
“I decided to go on this trip after seeing video clips of people living in Tamale and the difficulties they had been facing. I was also passionate about going there because it is a Muslim town. However, a lot of the people didn’t know enough about Islam.
“I believe they need someone to guide them and provide them with items that every Muslim worshipper needs. I will visit two schools there who have agreed to allow me to give Quran lessons to children for a few days,” she said.
Ahmad said the video clips of Tamale showing disabled children and others in need of clothes affected her so much. “If God has given you a better life than others, you need to help others. Many people think it’s wrong to speak about the charity work one is doing, but I do it for a reason. I want to encourage other people to get involved in charity work ”
She said that people are usually reluctant to take up such challenges. “But we need to show our compassion and always give to others. This is what Islam teaches us and we need to tell this to others."
