Wednesday 01 / May / 2024
Muscat: A group of volunteers from Oman are planning to travel to Africa to help orphans during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
International Volunteers Oman, an organisation which attempts to help needy and impoverished communities in East Africa and other areas will teach these orphans to grow crops and cultivate food so that they can learn skills for living independently in the future.
The CEO and founder of IVO, Mohammed Al Touqi, told Times of Oman that volunteering during Ramadan is a must for all those who were looking to give back to the community.
“We have programmes with orphanages in disadvantaged communities in Mombasa, Kenya and Zanzibar,” he explained.
“We have volunteers from Denmark supporting people by supplying food in both Zanzibar and Mombasa, where we feed two orphanages. However, at the same time, our objectives are making all orphanages self-sustainable either by cultivating crops or poultry farming. We also celebrate Eid with the less fortunate ones.”
He added: “Our Ramadan programmes make sure these disadvantaged children get enough food during the entire month of Ramadan as well as creating a sustainable business for the orphanages such as a crops or poultry farm or in tailoring. Apart from food we also provide clothes and school shoes, and these are ongoing programmes.”
Al Touqi explained that people developed broader minds and better perspectives when they volunteered, because they learned just how fortunate they were, through helping others who had little or nothing.
He added that while volunteering did not provide material gain, its intangible benefits were often priceless and more important. He said that there were many ways people could help others.
“Ramadan is a great time to start volunteering, either by joining others to supply food in mosques for people to break their fast or helping your family and friends. Begin on a small scale and later on do more challenging volunteering programmes,” explained Al Touqi.
“Doing this during Ramadan gives people inner peace, happiness and brings people together to cherish each other which is also an Omani identity. The bond of being together grows each day during Ramadan with everyone having a common goal.”
He explained: “The moment someone is exposed to real life situations such as working with limited resources to teach, sleeping without A/Cs, and seeing how other human beings are happy with less is a life changing experience which leads to an appreciation of the little things we take for granted in Oman”
“Ramadan is an opportunity to start giving which will lead you to want to volunteer in educational programs and you will see first-hand evidence the difference you are making “
Mohammed Al Touqi also explained the benefits experienced by volunteers.
He revealed: “Enriching your mind and spirit automatically improves your mental health especially while you volunteer abroad. This helps to reduce stress, combat loneliness and isolation and builds self-confidence. Giving your time and getting involved in disadvantaged communities alleviates symptoms of mild depression and improves mental health.”
“Mixing with others, working together to achieve goals and feeling that you are making a difference can also give a healthy boost to your confidence and self-esteem,” he added. “As well as improving your mental health, studies suggest a link between volunteering and physical health, contributing to lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan. This may be related to lower stress levels, more time outside the house, stronger social connections and more physical activity.”
