NOSH/Zimbabwe Relief & Diyanet Foundation Feed Thousands of families

No one sleeps hungry (NOSH), an NGO that celebrated their Eid al-Adha in style, sharing meat around Zimbabwe.

By Reginald Tapfumaneyi 

The Islam religion recommends Muslims to love people and optimize compassionate and sincere relationship with them, even if they do not believe in Islam or in God. Love holds an important place in Islam. 

In Zimbabwe, the Islam community engages in various charity programmes in which thousands of families benefit across the country each year. 

On Thursday 29 June, more than 1300 goats and hundreds of cattle were slaughtered in the old suburb of Arcadia, Harare, and the small town of Chitungwiza, some few km out of the capital.

This was a philanthropic programme organized by NOSH/Zimbabwe Relief, a humanitarian organisation founded by Mr Afzal Motiwala, who partnered with Diyanet Foundation  from Türkiye, to help feed less privileged families across the country.

According to Mr Gashirai Nyemba, the Public Relations Officer of NOSH, the meat is set to  benefit more than 50 000 families around Zimbabwe. Mr Nyemba also said NOSH is set to increase the number of people benefiting from its charity initiatives.

“Our motto is no-one sleeps hungry, more than 50 000 families across the country are set to benefit. NOSH has always been feeding up to 600 people daily in the capital, and we set to increase that number,” explained Nyemba.

Speaking at the meat handover ceremony in Harare, Mr Afzal Motiwala, who is also founder of MedTech Holdings, expressed joy of this philanthropic gesture.

“We believe that everyone deserves to have access to food, especially during this time of year, when many families are struggling to make ends meet. We hope that this Qurbani feeding program will help to provide some relief to those in need.” he said.

Qurbani, is an Islamic occasion which involves sacrificing an animal, such as a cow or goat, during the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha, also known as the “Feast of Sacrifice.”

In an effort to ensure that noone sleeps hungry, as aptly captured by its name, NOSH Zimbabwe provides daily meals to over 600 families and also assist families who are unable to pay school fees or medical bills under the Zimbabwe relief banner. 

The organization was amongst the very first responders to mobilize food aid and other essentials to families affected by the earthquake in Türkiye earlier this year under Zimbabwe Relief and is actively involved in packing and  distributing monthly food hampers to support individuals in Türkiye affected by the earthquake and those residing in refugee centres in Southern Türkiye.

Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” signifies the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, known as Abraham in Christianity and Judaism, to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as ordered by Allah. It is one of Islam’s most important celebrations usually lasting three to four days and celebrated by millions of Muslims worldwide, the celebration begins on the 10th day of the Muslim calendar lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, at the time of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Considered the holiest of the two Eids, the other being Eid al-Fitr, or “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” that commemorates the end of Ramadan, it is one of two major Muslim celebrations observed across the globe each year.

NOSH/Zimbabwe Relief is proud to be able to provide Qurbani to underprivileged families in Zimbabwe during this holy time of year. The organization is committed to helping those in need and ensuring that everyone has access to food.