Zubair Khalil Khan
Director Projects in Balkan Countries, HF Germany
Prior to Eid-ul-Fitr, on 27 May 2019 the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Bosnia along with Humanity First Germany prepared Eid food packets for distribution among the refugees stranded in Sarajevo Refugee camp.
On arrival, Mufeezur Rahman Sahib of the Ahmadiyya Mission and Humanity First Bosnia along with his team and with Balkan Director of Humanity First Germany were welcomed by the camp director. Later, a tour of the camp was conducted by the camp authorities and food cooking and distribution facilities were shown to the visiting team. Along with IOM (International Organisation for Migration) local humanitarian organisation Pomozi.ba managed all the matters related to this food donation.
According to camp authorities, the help provided by Humanity First through AMJ Bosnia will suffice for 3,500 meals for the camp residents. Currently, the camp houses above 800 refugees. Food help in the month of Ramadan was very much applauded by all concerned.
Following the donation in Bosnia, food security and medical camp projects were organised another four times by National President of AMJ Macedonia, Wasim Sahib with the financial help of Humanity First. These projects continued from 30 May to 2 June 2019. The municipality of Berovo, Macedonia was generous enough to provide a big hall for distribution of the food packets and to conduct medical check-ups.
Director of Health for the region was personally present along with doctors and medical staff who volunteered to help their countrymen. A unique aspect of the project was visiting the houses of those people who, due to their weak conditions, were unable to come to the municipality hall. It took many hours for doctors, medical staff and volunteers of HF to visit the houses in remote villages of Berovo and to hand out medicine as well as food packets.
One could feel the emotions of those who received the needed items at their door steps. The local media was highly impressed with this gesture of AMJ and Humanity First. Television channels covered the event and gave prime time news coverage. Similarly, newspapers also covered the event.
After Berovo, the Humanity First team travelled 200km to the city of Kumanovo, bordering Kosovo. This time, food packets were distributed to deaf people. The municipality was kind enough to provide a hall as well as an interpreter to understand what the people wanted to say about this project of AMJ and HF. Local television outlets also covered the event and news was broadcast several times covering the efforts of the Jamaat and Humanity First.
After Kumanovo, another refugee camp 250km away in the city of Gevgelije, bordering Greece, was chosen to deliver the food packets. The camp is administered under UNHCR. Local humanitarian organisations Red Cross, JSR and Legis were extremely cooperative to undertake the distribution of food items donated by HF through AMJ Macedonia. Local television channels remained with the Humanity First and Jamaat team during the whole project and later covered the news in prime time.
On 3 June, the Humanity First team visited the refugee camp in Sofia-Bulgaria. There, waited almost 100 youths who were without parents and had been living in the camp for a few months. Families with young children also received the Eid gift packets. All recipients were extremely happy and thankful to Humanity First for remembering the less privileged thousands of kilometres away.
Jawwad Sahib, Abdullah Sahib, Zia Sahib, wife of Jawwad Sahib and his mother took all the trouble to purchase, pack and distribute the Eid gift packs.
Through the service of humanity, the Jamaat has a good reputation in these areas. The Jamaat and Humanity First is now well known in these Balkan countries due to continuous humanitarian projects.
May Allah accept this humble effort and shower His ever-increasing blessings on all those who take the trouble to serve humanity.