Last December 24th, Ismaili CIVIC joined once again the Noor'Fátima Association, this time to provide a Christmas dinner to about 100 people. A special moment, in which smiles, hugs and a friendly word to those most in need were shared.
The main objective of this action was to overcome the socio-economic differences that consume us every day, on a moment of unity and peace such as Christmas Eve. This initiative had more than 60 volunteers, aged between 10 and 60 years old, of which around 10 were young Ismailis.
The Noor'Fatima association was created with the aim of supporting those in need, initially with food, and today covers various basic needs, such as clothing and personal hygiene, having a significant impact on the lives of many people.
Ismaili CIVIC is a global programme under which the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community has united around its centuries-old tradition of serving humanity by providing voluntary service to improve the quality of life of the communities in which it lives, regardless of religion, gender, and social background.
On August 25th, 1998, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Her Highness, Princess Zahra Aga Khan said: "Service is a means for each individual to actualise Islam's ethics of inclusiveness, of compassion, of sharing, of the respect for life (...) Socializing young people to see voluntary service as an important part of everyday life is the key, and providing models, opportunities, programmes and appropriate incentives are the means".
"This was my first time participating in an Ismaili CIVIC initiative. It is a great pleasure to represent the community at such a large event. I really enjoyed it and hope to repeat it more often", said Haroon Samsudin, one of the volunteers who participated in this initiative.
Nurjaha, the President of the association said that "Christmas is from January to January", that is, voluntary service should not be occasional, we should perform it regularly because not only are we contributing to a better society, but also to our personal development.
