Havdala and Catherine Constantinides find a tree near the Sahharawi Refugee Camps [Photographer Heinrich Knoetze]
“Today is the first day of AFRICA Month. And so as the month unfolds I will use my platforms to continue sharing not only my journey with My Saharawi People but the truths surrounding a conflict of occupation and colonization that spans 45 years. An illegal invasion of their country by Morocco. We continue to tell a truth because justice must and will prevail!” – Catherine Constantinides
The month of May is Africa Month and while I’m proud to be African and we have much to celebrate I would like to call attention once again to the illegal occupation of the Western Sahara by Morocco (can you imagine fleeing from war to what you thought would be a temporary refugee camp only to still be there 45 YEARS LATER?) the United Nations recognizes the Western Sahara as a country separate from Morocco but the referendum the UN promised in 1991 is yet to take place and why because Morocco has powerful allies at the UN.
The Story of Havdala [told through the eyes of Photographer Heinrich Knoetze]
Freedom is what we do with what has happened to us – that’s what I’ve realized
Today is Freedom Day in South Africa – a day marking 26 years since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy – and while it is ironic that we are spending Freedom Day under lockdown due to COVID19 I’m grateful that when this is over we will have a democracy to go back to.
Executive Vice Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, Smile Train
Susannah Schaefer is Executive Vice Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer of Smile Train, an international organization focused on empowering local medical professionals to provide free cleft lip and/or palate surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally.
Susannah joined Smile Train in February 2013, after serving as a member of the organization’s Board for over ten years. In her role as CEO, she leads Smile Train’s vision to expand access to healthcare and increase local capacity in countries in which Smile Train helps children. During her time as CEO, Susannah led an organizational rebrand, seeded funding for hundreds of thousands of new smiles, expanded cleft surgical training and education programs throughout the world and helped to establish organizational partnerships in Haiti and Rwanda. In addition, Susannah led the team in developing Smile Train’s ground-breaking Virtual Surgery Simulator, further accelerating cleft surgical training and enhancing the organization’s “teach a man to fish” model.
Susannah came to Smile Train after almost twenty years in operational roles, bringing a vast network and past experiences to the team. Previously, Susannah served as Vice President, Director of International Marketing at CA Technologies, where she led implementation of the company’s international marketing strategies. Earlier in her career, Susannah was the Director of Marketing, Asia for CA Technologies, where she built the organization’s presence throughout the region and hosted the first regional CA World conference in China.
Susannah is a Trustee of The Smile Train UK and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the State University of New York College at Oswego.
“My son, you will form an organisation. The name will be Waqful Waqifin, and that name is translated into ‘Gift of the Givers’. You will serve all people of all races, of all religions, of all colours, of all classes, of all political affiliations and of any geographical location. You will serve them unconditionally.”
– Sufi Sheikh Muhammed Saffer Effendi al Jerrahi
… After receiving this message from his spiritual leader in Istanbul, Turkey, at the age of just 30, Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, immediately heeded the calling… and continues to do so to this day.
Following that life-changing day in 1992, Dr Sooliman returned to South Africa, left a flourishing career as a medical doctor and established the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
In the intervening years, he has travelled to some of the most desolate, war-torn and disaster-struck areas of the world, heading relief missions. Through his work with Gift of the Givers, he and his teams have responded to the needs of countless people affected by a wide range of natural and man-made disasters, such as floods, famine, tsunamis, earthquakes and wars.
He has facilitated the establishment of hospitals, run clinics, created agricultural schemes, dug wells, built houses, developed and manufactured an energy food, renovated fishing boats, offered scholarships and provided food and shelter to millions.
The transition from doctor to humanitarian was both seamless and simple.
He is driven by the same basic principles that led to his becoming a medical doctor: respect, care, professionalism and dedication. But there is something else that fuels Dr Sooliman’s passion for humanitarianism – the solid belief in the common humanity that unites us. His fervour for, and belief in, mankind is what really motivates and energises him, and the reason is his faith.
His sense of community is felt throughout his endeavours with Gift of the Givers.
When disaster strikes or pleas for assistance are sounded – whether in South Africa or abroad – he and Gift of the Givers are ready with an immediate response, swiftly rallying the organisation’s network of doctors, nurses, relief workers and other professionals, and despatching humanitarian and medical supplies to disaster areas.
Gift of The Givers
Overview
The Gift of the Givers Foundation is the largest disaster response, non-governmental organisation of African origin on the African continent.
It works to unite people, with a common vision, to make a real and telling difference by serving mankind for the ‘Greater Good’ .
Assistance is provided unconditionally; assisting the needy, irrespective of human or animal, race, religion, colour, class, political affiliation of geographic location.
Since its inception in 1992, the organisation has been responsible for the delivery of life-saving goods and on-the-ground support for innumerable people, collectively valued at some R2.8 billion, in more than 43 countries across the globe, including South Africa.
Gift of the Givers restores the hope and dignity of the most vulnerable in their time of need, rebuilding prosperous communities and empowering leaders of tomorrow.
[Note: All the above text is from The Gift of the Givers website]
Vision Tactical Supporting NGO’s On The Ground Deliver Essentials During 21 Day Lockdown
April 6, 2020 Vision Tactical –
Private Security company Vision Tactical has lended it’s helping hand by supporting local NGO’s deliver much needed essential items during the 21 day COVID-19 lockdown.
Intervention and Specialized Support Units are making sure that essential items which need to be distributed to hundreds of people on a daily basis reaches its point of destination safely.
Team members also mobilized to manage the coordination of the distribution while ensuring that all protocols and necessary safety procedures are followed.
Team members assisted the @MuslimAssocSA today distributing essential food items to the less fortunate in the Bekezela informal settlement in Newtown, Johannesburg.
Director of Vision Tactical, Yaseen Theba says that it’s positive to see how many NGO’s and volunteers have come forward and rose to the challenge of assisting the needy during a very challenging time.
“The members from the Muslim Association of South Africa found out about the dire need for essential food items required at the Bakazela Settlement, they then immediately purchased the items, and came out to distribute.”
Theba says that every helping hand counts at this point in time.
“During this challenging period, being proactive and positive is the only way to move forward stronger and together.”
Those wanting to contribute:
Muslim Association of South Africa LILLAH ACCOUNT First National Bank (FNB) Account Number: 62779526725 Branch Code is: 253305 Swift Code: FIRNZAJJXXX Ref: (Donor Name)
Essential food supplies distributed on Monday at the Bakazela settlement in Newtown, JHB where hundreds of people live in challenging conditions & circumstances.
Today is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action and in honour of that I would like to introduce you to the EXTRAORDINARY Aziz Haidar.
Aziz Haidar was a young man when he became a victim of landmines, which are scattered across Western Sahara by illegal occupying power Morocco. He lost both his legs & right arm. He founded Association for Victims of Landmines in the Saharawi Refugee Camps to help other landmine survivors and their families. The importance of Aziz’s work is impossible to overstate as there are still 5-10 MILLION ACTIVE LANDMINES scattered across the Sahara. Today and every day I salute Aziz Haidar for all that he is and all that he does every day.
Smile Train is an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate.
Many children with untreated clefts around the world live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Cleft treatment is safe, and the impact on the child is immediate.
Seeing the flaws in mission-based models, Smile Train was the first cleft-focused organization with a model of true sustainability – providing training, funding, and resources to empower local medical professionals in 90+ countries to provide 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care in their own communities.
And through our sustainable “teach a man to fish” model, Smile Train is not only raising the standard of cleft care and safety – we’re setting it. The support we provide has elevated the standards of care for cleft patients at our partner hospitals around the world, ultimately elevating the standards of care for all patients.
As a result of our efficiency, and with the help of our donors and partners, Smile Train has supported safe and quality cleft care for 1.5+ million children and will continue to do so until every child in need with a cleft has access to the care they deserve.
“After Spain relinquished its colonial control of the territory [Western Sahara] to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, the latter soon withdrew its claims to the territory while Morocco gained de facto control of the area (and with it, control over its rich mineral resources). The battle for Western Sahara ensued for 16 years before a ceasefire agreement was reached along with calls for a referendum on its national status that would ostensibly never come.” – Catherine Constantinides
When I heard about the Western Sahara and the fact that half the Saharawis (the people of Western Sahara) still live in the refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria (where they fled to during the war) surviving on nothing but foreign aid in inhospitable climatic conditions while the other half of the Saharawis live in occupied-Western Sahara subjected to violence at the hands of the Moroccan authorities I knew I had to do something particularly after I heard that the Saharawis in the refugee camp and the Saharawis in the occupied territory are separated by a 2720 kilometre wall, called The Berm, built by Morocco to maintain control of the Western Sahara and separate Saharawi families . The Berm is extraordinarily dangerous to attempt to jump over because on either side of it Morocco placed 7-10 MILLION ACTIVE LANDMINES additionally, The Berm is manned by 120 000 Morocco soldiers daily.
In 2017 I paraglided off Signal Hill to raise awareness about Western Sahara and the plight of the Saharawi People because I believe none of us can be truly free if some of us are oppressed.
Yesterday I dedicated my 29th birthday to the Saharawi People of Western Sahara. For Little Mohammed, Ahmed and every child in that camp who doesn’t know a life outside of itThis illegal occupation began before i was born but IT WILL END BEFORE I DIE.
Playing with her friend Carmella, Catherine Constantinides (image captured by Heinrich Knoetze Photography) 3-year-old Wadadi making a scrapyard in the refugee camp his playgym (image captured by Heinrich Knoetze Photography)Saharawi Refugee Camps (image captured by Heinrich Knoetze Photography)
“To me – old age is always ten years older than I am.” -Bernard Baruch
Today is my
29th birthday and my first one since the passing of Gerda and to
pour salt of my wound we are currently in the midst of a pandemic so yeah today
isn’t the happiest birthday I’ve ever had but I’m grateful that my family and I
are alive and relatively healthy (PLEASE GOD LONG MAY IT STAY THAT WAY)
The only
thing that’s constant is change – that’s what I keep realizing
Last night
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that with effect from 23: 59 on Thursday,
March 26th South Africa would placed on a 21-day lockdown to stop
the spread of the Corona Virus which means only essential services personnel
can work, only essential business will remain open and that during the 21-day
lockdown the general public can only go out to seek healthcare, buy groceries,
perform banking activities or collect social grants. The next few weeks will be
hard for everyone in this country and the world but I plan to live kindly, lovingly and generously as I always strive to do.
Thank you to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government of the Republic of South Africa for the bold and decisive leadership exhibited this was a painful but necessary step in the fight against the Corona Virus.
