Imtiaz Sooliman – Gift of the Givers Foundation turning 26
AI: Summary ©
A representative from a gift organization talks about their success in helping people to serve their neighbors and their cultures. They discuss their involvement in South Africa and their efforts to improve housing conditions. The representative also talks about their work with Stephen McGowan and their hope for a way to turn the world around.
AI: Summary ©
Uh from Peter Maritzburg in KwaZulu Natal by the gift of the
givers. Founder, Doctor Imtiaz silaman, Dr Suleman, welcome and
thank you so much. Happy birthday.
Thank you very much for the birthday, and thank you for the
for the introduction
26 years of giving back and serving. How has that been? Remind
us of the foundations of gift of the givers.
It's very, very strange. You know? It was not something I envisaged.
I met a spiritual teacher in Istanbul in
1992
and he said to me, my son,
I'm not asking you,
I'm instructing you
to form an organization.
The name will be gift of the givers.
You will serve all people
of all races,
of all religions,
of all colors, all
cultures,
classes, and you will serve them unconditionally. You
will not expect even a thank you. This
is an instruction for you for the rest of your life,
and that's how it started.
Most of us meet people like that in our lives who say, you know,
this is the way you should go. What is it about how this was said
that made you believe in it so much and want to implement it
the setting that I was in, the the spiritual place, the kind the kind
of people that I saw,
they were from all religions,
all countries,
and there was a harmonious love between them.
At that time, it was post Gulf War,
and the world was polarized,
and then to see such harmony between people
of different religions, told
me there was something special about this place.
And My heart fell in love with the teacher instantly. And I
realized this was something I had to do.
Dr Suleman, what was the NGO's first relief mission
Bosnia? I met the teacher in August 92 and
immediately we responded to the civil war in Bosnia
in August. We took in 31 containers of eight.
In November, another eight containers of eight,
and then in 93
we built the world's first
containerized mobile hospital,
a product of African technology,
and took it to Europe.
This hospital has saved 1000s of lives
and 1000s of children were born here
you speak about the project you did in Bosnia and all over the
world, so much so that in your early days, people couldn't
believe that you're actually a South African organization. But
I've done a story with you in Alexandra, where you were building
houses. Tell us about some of the big needs that you found here in
South Africa,
the strange thing is, our involvement in South Africa was
always bigger than this national
but it was not fancy for the media
to cover those stories. It
was not sensationalist, like
the disasters and the wars that we respond to.
But over time, the the media in South Africa has covered a local
studies in a much bigger way
that housing project they destroyed Alexandra
was a response to the repeated floods in the Jack scaraway
where we said, No more help for flood pickups.
We need to do something more permanent and
sustainable, and
that's when we got land from the city council
and designed that housing village.
It's one of its kind of the country
where people have houses that are fire resistant,
not fireproof,
but fire resistant,
which which it's spaced out,
and people can live clearly and comfortably.
It has its own ablution block.
It has its own kitchen.
It has its own garden. It
has a security fence.
It's paved.
It has solar power,
and kids have their own playground. It's
something that can be replicated throughout South Africa. What
you're talking about is so important this morning we wake up
to the news that about 50 Czechs were burnt down in the Kathrada
informal settlements. Why aren't you imparting these these lessons
to government, about, as you say, the structures that you have built
that are fire proof.
We are in communications with the human settles ministry
for quite some time now,
what, Sir, Minister Sulu,
and then now do my Indian for keto,
and they love our concept, and
there's a possibility that soon they
will be asking us to replicate this in many areas in the country,
but specifically in crisis where there's fires and plants.
Doctor Sula, Suleman, it's time to wrap up, which is unfortunate
because there's so much to talk to you about your work with Stephen
McGowan, and how your work is not always about big disasters, but
sometimes about individuals. Just quickly wrap up for us, what are
your challenges now going forward?
What our degree of the organization
and people coming know about us locally and internationally.
The demands are getting greater.
Right now. We have more requests to get involved in hostage
situations,
more requests to have in the country in the draft area
to have an education, health and housing.
So in short, the demands are much greater than our resources can
cater for,
and the time is less compared to the amount of work adjustable.
But we keep trying and plodding on. I
Well, we wish you God's blessings on this day, and we hope there's a
way to celebrate Dr imtia Suleiman talking to us about gift of the
givers turning 26 years of giving and serving.
Let's take a break. You.