At every crossroads in life, we find ourselves having to learn new skills and adapt new ways of thinking at a personal, familial and community level. It is noteworthy that our Community seems to transcend such challenges with strength. What is it that keeps us afloat? What is it that prevents us from drowning?
Globally, our community continues to face many challenging circumstances. No sooner have we found solutions, we are faced with fresh ones, be they cultural, emotional, mental or skill development. We learn to weather the tides and swim.
When Safia was stranded in the Middle East during COVID because of severe work changes where people got an early retirement and some were removed from their present positions at work, she was left homeless and penniless in one sweep. Penniless because earned salaries remained unpaid, and homeless, because she could no longer legally live at the company residence. There was simply one phone call to make, to the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board (AKSWB). Within hours she had a bed to sleep on, food, shelter and the warmth of people to support and cheer her up. Eventually, her legal papers were completed, and she was given a ticket to return to her home country to reunite with her family.
Social welfare is a British term for ensuring that all social groups are well. Mawlana Hazar Imam has ensured that each region of the Global community has their own social welfare body for ease of cultural understanding, expediency and independence, to maintain the dignity of people in need of support, as well as to minimise the burden on the greater community within which we live. The learning we gain through these challenges will eventually assist us in helping other communities as well. Our ethos of lending a hand begins with our Community. Using our assets and strength to lift our fellow human beings is a tradition of Seva (voluntary service) that goes back centuries in our tradition.
Families are generally conscious of learning, acquiring and sharing skills and knowledge to strengthen each member which in turn enriches the entire family. This analogy mirrors the role of the AKSWB. Their role is to ensure that their regional Community is well cared for, paving the pathway for a healthy and happy Community.
Whether it is learning a new skill, equipping ourselves emotionally and mentally, or searching for employment, the AKSWB is equipped with the tools and connections to relevant portfolios to prevent us from drowning; by teaching us to swim, and swim well!
Shamsher and his family had escaped a conflict zone and settled in the UAE. Barely making ends meet, he suddenly took ill and was diagnosed with multiple kidney stones causing him severe agony. Unable to return to his war-torn homeland for treatment, he sought the assistance of the AKSWB to find a solution. However, when his kidney stones recurred after the first treatment, the AKSWB stepped in again. They negotiated a reduction in costs of 70% with the hospital and placed Shamsher within the right medical establishments to care for his immediate and future medical needs.
During the COVID era, the AKSWB and other complimenting boards and portfolios worked cohesively to manage the multitude of challenges that came forth, through which a model of efficacy and efficiency formed. “Sharing life stories, successes and challenges allows us to learn more and expand our internal knowledge and skills for the benefit of the Community,” expressed Rahim Ladhani, Chairman of AKSWB.
The AKSW, as a portfolio under the National Council for UAE, has been serving the GCC community for decades and was established as a board for the UAE in 2019. They can be reached on: [email protected]
Note: the names mentioned are fictitious for confidentiality purposes.
