Moonis Nasir
MKA UK
MAA UK successfully planned a trip to Ghana, from 21-28 October. The primary aim of this trip was to show the Atfal the journey of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa in Ghana and to harbour within them a spirit of sacrifice, resolve and complete trust in God. Hence, this trip was called, “Follow the footsteps of a man of God.”
A total of 26 Atfal, 13 organisers and 12 parents embarked on this faith inspiring journey. On 21 October, at 21:30 local time, the entourage arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana, being welcomed by Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Ghana.
Throughout the course of the trip, many places were visited and many faith-inspiring lectures were heard from elders in Ghana. The journey began by travelling to Kumasi, after which they were led back to Accra. What was noticeable by the Atfal was that the more they travelled away from Accra towards Kumasi, the more the landscape changed to lush green.
In Kumasi, Atfal visited the Asofa Mosque, which is located in the heart of Kumasi. They also visited TI Ahmadiyya Secondary School which is considered the best school in the Ashanti region. The love and affection shown by the people of Kumasi was indescribable, an experience which will forever remain with the Atfal.
The next day, Atfal visited the Kokofu Hospital which is approximately a two-hour drive from Kumasi Mosque. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Dr Mahmud Ahmad Butt Sahib, originally from Qadian, who has been serving in Ghana for the past 20 years.
Dr Mahmud Sahib gave the Atfal a tour of the hospital. At the time of its opening, in 1971, this hospital was one of the very few hospitals present in the region. Since its opening, the hospital’s reputation has grown, not only in Ghana but across all of the West Africa.
On 24 October, Atfal visited Jamiatul Mubasharin, Madrasa Hifz-ul-Quran and Jamia International, which wasopened in 2012 with 186 students and 12 teachers. They also visited Saltpond mission house and mosque, the birth place of Ahmadiyyat in Ghana.
On the fifth day of the trip, Atfal visited the Ekrawfo mosque where they met with the grandson of Chief Mahdi Appah, Ahmad Afaw, who is now 80 years old. He gave a brief history of the area and of the first missionary, Abdur Raheem Nayyar Sahib who was sent there by Hazrat Musleh Maudra. They also visited the Ekrawfo cemetery, TI Senior school, Bagh-e-Ahmad where the first Jalsa took place, Maqbara Musian and later, after arriving back in Accra, they went to the Wahab Adam Studios, opened in 2017.
On 26 October, the sixth day of the trip, Atfal sat with Naib Amir Sahib who narrated the history of Accra Jamaat headquarters and the mosque. On the same day, Atfal visited the Raqeem Press.
Overall, the trip was extremely faith inspiring and an eye-opening experience for the UK Atfal.