OmanPride: An all-female volunteer group aims to help Muscat’s needy

More sports Saturday 12/August/2017 19:56 PM
By: Times News Service
OmanPride: An all-female volunteer group aims to help Muscat’s needy

Volunteering purifies the heart and makes society and its members feel more attached to one another,” said Huda Al Foori, the founder and active member of Fatayat Al Atta, one of Muscat’s female-only volunteering team. Huda realises the importance of volunteering in today’s society, and wishes to encourage her fellow female compatriots to participate in a new adventure that would bring long-term happiness and open minds to a whole new level of appreciating those in need of help. “Giving back to society is like donating a part of you and rejoicing in the beauty of others,” said Huda.

In 2011, Huda established her volunteering group Fatayat Al Atta (which translates to ‘women who offer help to others’) that includes a number of women from all over the Sultanate, belonging to different backgrounds and from varied age groups. She put together a team of hardworking volunteers, who love to offer a helping hand to others, expecting nothing in return; they have been active ever since the launch. The team has helped a number of families stand on their feet and become a part of society; they began extending their help to families that were stuck in difficult situations, as well as orphans who have no money, by helping them have a better life.

“Our goal is to help turn families from being needy to becoming valuable members of their community, where they will be able to serve themselves and contribute to the service of those who are in the same situation,” said Huda. Some of the activities that the group focuses on include studying needy families and providing necessities, and seeing if the family has a member that can be trained or given the necessary tools to become the provider of their family. And, the team works together with other volunteering groups to help supervise and organise events or campaigns throughout the year, such as visiting patients and sick children during holidays and showering them with gifts that make their circumstances more bearable.

Other activities, such as breakfast campaigns during Ramadan; and collaborations with the Higher College of Technology’s team can be found on their list. Seeking the best for the benefit of all is truly Huda’s motto; she founded the team in the hope to develop strong female-led volunteer personnel that can become a motivating factor in raising awareness about volunteering as an effective element in the community. “Voluntary work is important in creating a cohesive and compassionate society,” she said, adding that “We as an Omani society welcome and relate to the idea of ​​helping others.”
The team has succeeded in its adventure of providing for families. The best part is that these once needy families are now working with Huda’s team to help other poor families.
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