AKHBAAR Volume-14 November 2019

AKHBAAR / Volume 14
Giving Back
We continue our series of honouring the Jamat’s many selfless Khidmatgars. In this issue, we showcase Bibi Saima, volunteer from Booni and
Ali Madad, volunteer from Immit.
Bibi Saima
The current area lieutenant of the ladies
Ismaili Volunteer Corps (IVC) in Booni, Upper
Chitral, the journey of Bibi Saima weaves
through a path of commitment and
dedication to voluntary service. She began
her volunteering career 19 years ago while
serving in the REC. Not many years later, she
found her calling at the IVC in 2004. Now at
the delicate age of 75, Bibi Saima continues
working in these institutions, teaching REC
students five days a week and giving
volunteer duties in Jamatkhana on Fridays
and other days the REC is off. For her,
volunteering is a way to achieve the blessings
of the Imam-e-Zaman, which gives her
internal peace. Through her love for khidmat,
Bibi Saima has instilled in her own children
the spirit of voluntary service and they too
continue her tradition of volunteerism as
members of the Ismaili Girl Guides and Boy
Scouts’ chapters.
During the Diamond Jubilee darbar in 2017,
Bibi Saima gave her services as a volunteer
during event preparations where IVC
members would cook food daily for workers
and other volunteers setting up the darbar
hall. Additionally, her family graciously opened
the doors of their home to host murids who
had travelled from out of town to attend the
darbar. In her own words, these were guests
of Mawlana Hazar Imam and she felt blessed
to be given the opportunity to host them
during such a joyful occasion. In December of
2018, Bibi Saima was given a token of
appreciation during a Khushyali celebration
program. She was told that her work had an
impact not only on the jamat, but also on the
community at-large and will surely be an
example of best-practices for the generations
of khidmatgar that follow. Her advice to
young volunteers is to always try to better
their efforts in voluntary services and to do
their work out of love and affection for the
Imam and his Jamat.
Ali Madad
Mr. Ali Madad, President, Ismaili Council for
Immit, began his volunteering career at the
age of 25 years old and has continued
volunteering for nearly as long. Since the
beginning of his journey, Mr. Madad has been
inspired by the love and gratitude Mawlana
Hazar Imam has showered upon volunteers,
and it is this affection which has given him
immense satisfaction from his volunteer
effort.
Operating in the mountains and valleys of
Pakistan, where he is tasked with reaching
out to the remotest and poorest jamati
members, Mr. Madad has learned to become
a symbol of resilience and a leader in
logistical management.
During the July 2017 flood, Mr. Madad recalls
that he had relocated himself for a week to
be near the village of Badswat; this allowed
him to have eyes and ears on the ground in
order to coordinate with the situation and
needs of the Jamat. Such a practical
experience during the floods was useful
during the Diamond Jubilee darbars in
December 2017, when Mr. Madad ensured
12,000 Jamati members were able to access
the darbar in Taus, Gilgit-Baltistan. Taking
responsibility of such a large and widespread
Jamat included catering towards not only
their financial needs, but also their safety
requirements. These challenging experiences,
nevertheless, were immensely rewarding to
Mr. Madad, who felt that the lessons learnt
prominently reflect his personal and
professional development.
Today, Mr. Madad spends nearly 35 to 40
hours weekly – equivalent to a full-time job –
on his council responsibilities, which include
liaising with other councils, ensuring the
boards are keeping up with their tasks and
maintaining ties with governmental
institutions to ensure the safety and security
of the Jamat.
His advice to young volunteers is that they
must remain humble during volunteerism and
strive to give their full potential to any task
at-hand.
Official online sources
the.ismaili
www.facebook.com/TheIsmaili
www.instagram.com/TheIsmaili
www.youtube.com/TheIsmaili
www.twitter.com/TheIsmaili
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