Imtiaz Sooliman and the Gift of the Givers: A Mercy to All

by Shafiq Morton

Overview

Imtiaz Sooliman, a medical doctor practising in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, visited a Shaikh in Istanbul in 1992. The Sufi teacher gave him a message that would dramatically change the lives of countless people. 'To my absolute astonishment he told me I would help people for the rest of my life. He then instructed me to form a humanitarian organisation called the "Gift of the Givers," and repeated the phrase "the best among people are those who benefit mankind."

Almost 30 years later Gift of the Givers, Africa's largest humanitarian and disaster agency, has a reputation for speedy responses to floods, war, famine, fires, tsunamis, kidnapping and earthquakes. Well-known for their interventions in South African and international disasters, teams of volunteers have undertaken missions to places such as Bosnia, Palestine, Japan, Haiti, Indonesia, Malawi and Mozambique. They have put up hospitals, run clinics, dug wells, drilled boreholes, built houses, offered scholarships and provided shelter, food, and psychological succour to millions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781928257943
Publisher:	Bookstorm
Publication date:	11/01/2021
Edition description:	Second edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Shafiq Morton is an award-winning photo-journalist and radio presenter. Recipient of two Vodacom awards, he received the 2012 AWQAF award for his contribution to community media. In 2020, Imtiaz Sooliman and the Gift of the Givers – A Mercy to All won the AfriCAN Awards. His radio show on Voice of the Cape has been nominated for the national MTN and Liberty Life Awards. Morton was voted amongst the 500 most influential Muslims in the world 2009-12 in the media category by the Royal Islamic Strategic Centre in Jordan.

Table of Contents

Preface 2021 1

Preface 2014 4

1 Beginnings 11

2 1995-2003: From Food Parcels to Careline 23

3 The Early Years 32

4 Sibusiso, A Zulu Blessing 43

5 2004: The Asian Tsunami, Sri Lanka and Somalia 52

6 2006: Lebanon 61

7 Xenophobia 73

8 2009: Gaza 84

9 January 2010: The Haiti Earthquake 96

10 September 2010: The Pakistan Flood 106

11 2011: Libya 117

12 August 2011: The Somali Famine 131

13 September 2011: Rebuilding in Somalia 140

14 October 2011: The Verdwaal Four 150

15 2013: The Syrian Story 159

16 Syria: The Ubuntu of Darkoush 171

17 January 2013: The Khayelitsha Fire 180

18 2013: Mandela Day and the Alex Housing Scheme 189

19 2013: Typhoon Haiyan 197

20 2014: Yemen 206

21 2011-2019: The Hostage Crises 219

22 2015: Nepal 229

23 September 2018: Palu 238

24 2015-2021: Drought 247

25 June 2017: The Knysna Disaster 256

26 2019: From Cyclone Idai to Day Zero 265

27 2020-2021: The COVID-19 Pandemic. 273

28 1993-2014: Dr Imtiaz Sooliman and Gift of the Givers People 284

29 If You Give, You Get 294

30 2014-2021: Changes 302

31 1993-2021: In Service 313

Acknowledgements 320

About the author 321