World Islamic Propagation and Humanitarian Services (WIPAHS)
WIPAHS is an organization based in the capital city of Tanzania - Dar es Salaam.
It is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). WIPAHS started its activities from nothing in 1985/1986. It is now about 16 years old.
WIPAHS OBJECTIVES
1. Propagation of the true teachings of Islam as revealed to the Holy Prophet (SAW) and detailed by the Ahlul-Bayt (AS)
2. Uplift of the conditions of Muslims and other poor citizens of the country by providing water, education, medical care, etc. at normal or subsidized rates.
3. Encourage, and help in poverty alleviation plans by the local communities.
4. Cooperation with other institutions, charitable, religious or otherwise with similar objectives and aims
5. WIPAHS strongly believes in maintaining cordial and friendly relationship with sisterly organizations and strongly distances itself from confrontations that can weaken the organization and hinder implementation of their objectives. Neither is WIPAHS objective to interfere in other organizations’ affairs or duplicate work already being done. WIPAHS has rather filled in a vacant niche in offering its services in forgotten or neglected fields, like female education, etc.
The foremost duty is to be aware of the condition of the other Muslims and exploring ways of helping them. One can help others in many ways, those who have money can help financially, those who have abilities or know how.
It is obligatory on us to help all Muslims who need help, physically as well as spiritually.
The Holy Prophet (SAW) said: “A person who spends a night unconcerned about the affairs of other Muslims is not a Muslim.”
So far WIPAHS has been able to achieve the following with the help of Almighty Allah.
Water Projects
1. Karbala shallows well projects. 155 wells dug in various villages some very remote to provide water.
2. Ashura Tube well projects. 65 deep wells have been dug giving between 3500-12000 liters of water per hour per well.
Medical Projects
1. MEDEWELL Charitable Dispensary The dispensary is situated at Temeke wailes, treating between 1200 to 1600 patients per month, equipped with modern equipment like ECG and Ultrasound. Consultation with other consultants is also done through Internet.
2. Eyesight to Blind 420 cataract operations done so far, most of them heavily subscribed and some free.
3. Donating medicines and equipment to various hospitals and clinics.
Educational Projects
1. Wali-ul-Asr Center - Kibaha
a) Teachers Training Courses for school teachers as well as for Madressa teachers is being undertaken, total students first batch 150 of 24 Nursery school teachers graduated in November 2000.
b) From January 2001, Nursery School (currently 60 students) and Secondary Schools (currently 210 students) have started.
c) From January 2002, commercial courses to start as well as Reception Class for Standard One.
2. Lady Fatima (SA) Nursery School –
Gongo la Mboto. 140 students attend the nursery school where religious education and nutritional needs are met free of charge.
3. Assistance to Muslims students in the form of fees, books and uniforms.
4. Assistance to Muslim schools and libraries with textbooks and stationery
Social Welfare
1. Assistance the poor widow and orphans.
2. Providing crutches, wheelchairs to the physically handicapped.
3. Assistance to disabled to start their business.
4. Distribution of food packets, clothes, etc
5. Iftar (breakfast) program during the holy month of Ramadan.
Islamic Propagation
1. Madrasatuz-Zahra in town where about 40 girls are currently receiving religious instructions as well as training in English, Arabic and sewing
2. The Message Audio-Video distribution project.
3. The Truth Book distribution project.
4. Arranging lectures, majlises and milads for Muslim women.
5. Assistance for mosques, madressas’ construction projects.
Wali-ul-Asr
Wali-ul-Asr Education Center started in April 1998 with an intake of 80 students. It is a religious and secular college providing various courses for girl students. Islamic studies are taught according to the Qur’an and the Hadith and Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW)), as relayed to us by and under the Guidance of the Holy Imams (AS) the Household of the Prophet (SAW).
The College is in Kibaha at “Maili Moja” area just about 30 kilometers from the City Center and is built on spacious 70 acres on hillside plot. There are 24 classrooms, two computer rooms, a library, one lecture theater, Sajadiya Prayer Hall, Dinner Hall with a modern kitchen, two wings of five story dormitories with 30 rooms each (capacity 360 students) teachers quarters and workshops. Currently (February 2002), there are 360 students on campus.
The basic philosophy is to provide secular education as well as to give strong religious, moral and spiritual foundation so that they may become practicing Muslims and better mothers of tomorrow. These literate mothers will be in a better position to break the cycle of poverty-illiteracy and provide stable homes for their offspring.
Courses Available:
1. Muslim Teachers training certificate. A 4-year course for Muslim girls who have finished Primary and Secondary education, giving basic training in English, Mathematics, Arabic, Islamic courses, computers and education. These are expected to be professional and proficient Madressa teachers in their subjects. Language of Instruction is Arabic.
2. Nursery Teachers Training Certificate. A 3-year course for Form IV leavers brushing up their English and Mathematics, plus Arabic, Islamic courses, Computer Education.
3. Teachers Training Diploma. Standard Government prescribed teachers training courses.
4. Secondary School Form VI and I to VI Currently Form II and I as well as form V.
5. Secretariat Business Skills: Basic training in secretarial software application as well as basic accounting.
Also on campus a fully-fledged Nursery School (Umm-u-Abiha) Nursery School (40 students) for the nearby and Kibaha children. It is also used as a teaching and practical workshop for Education Classes.
Future Plans
Immediate: Consolidate current courses and introduce other marketable Diploma Courses.
Long Term: Prepare transition plant so that in 4 to 5 years will be able to offer Bachelors Degree in relevant fields.
1. Secondary School: Permission to start secondary schools was given by the Ministry of Education on condition that at a later date the Secondary School will be housed in separate buildings apart from the college building currently in use. Nevertheless, the current building is also running out of space for extra classes required by the secondary department. Classes can only be accommodated till the end of the year 2002.
2. Boarding House: The current dorms are running out of space, as it can accommodate at present not more than 340 students. The intention is to build other dorms with the Secondary School.
3. Primary School: There is also demand for a Primary School so that students from the Nursery School can continue with the quality education that they have been receiving so far. Depending on the number of application received, the Primary School may start in January 2002 within the current Nursery School premises. If successful, then a separate block will have to be built and be ready by January 2003.
4. Administration Building: Currently the Administration Offices including staff rooms are located within the classroom block. Since we are running out of classrooms, it is proposed to build an Administration Block properly designed to handle smooth administration, record keeping, staff rooms, conference room, etc.
5. Library & Research Center: Currently two classrooms are used as a library, which is already too small and congested with hardly enough space for reading for all 300 students. The book section is also too small. It is proposed to build a custom designed computerized library and research center, capable of holding up to 800 students for study time.
6. MEDEWELL: Institute of Ophthalmology: It will start as Eye Clinic and then expand services by offering more services. It will also act as a center for training medical workers starting with Diploma and Certificate in Optometry and Eye nursing and later degree in Ophthalmology. A detailed write-up is available on request.
7. Mosque: With the increasing number of students the prayer hall is becoming smaller in spite of expanding it twice previously. The Master Plan requires the construction of a proposed Mosque capable of accommodating at least 1,000 students.
WIPAHS Management with encouragement from donors as well as the success of the MEDEWELL Eye Project decided to embark on this project.
This is a very ambitious project and according to the Project proposal prepared by Dr. Dhalla, will take about 10 years to complete.
The aim of this Project is to offer excellent eye services at the most reasonable and affordable cost, and at the same time to establish a Center of Academic Excellence in Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Paramedics.
The fist phase will involve the construction of an out-patient section and provision of basic eye services, leading to the construction of an Operation Theater. The second phase will involve provision of advanced eye services like anterior segment and cornea surgery, virtue retinal surgeries, refractive and VR surgeries. The aim is to equip the Center with all kinds of diagnostic and treatment equipment, like lasers, phaco-emulsion, etc.
At the same time as the services expand, we intend to use the facility in cooperation with the Wali-ul-Asr Education Center to train medical workers in various fields like, Optometrist, Assistant Medical Officers Ophthalmology/Cataract, Ophthalmic Nursing Officers and Assistants and later Ophthalmologist.
The Foundation Stone of the first phase was laid on November 2, 2001 and the construction has already started. It is expected that early outpatient services be ready by June 2002.
When fully operational, there may be no need for patients to travel to Nairobi or India or United Kingdom for an eye-treatment. Let us pray to the Almighty Allah to accept our efforts and to help us to succeed - Inshallah.
Du’a (Prayers) of the Holy Month of Ramadan:
It is also the month of reflection, the month of spiritual purification and purification of our wealth, it the month to sit down and think about where we are coming from, and where we are going to. It is a month to think of others and to thank Almighty Allah for the innumerable blessing He has given us.
It is well known that you realize the benefit of an item only when you start missing it. You also realize the benefit of saliva only when your mouth runs dry.
During this month it is obligatory upon us (Muslims) to look around us and at those who are less fortunate, both financially as well as physically, and think about ways to help them and ease their difficulties even if that be only for a moment. It is at that very moment that you may see a smile that you may never forget in your life!
WIPAHS with generous help from the community here, and abroad has several projects during this holy month of Ramadan. Here below we give some in brief:
a) Food Packet Distribution consisting of rice, maize-flour, sugar, salt and cowpeas and cooking oil. This takes place in various Muslim centers, e.g., mosques and madressas in Dar-es-Salaam, Kibaha, Dodoma, Morogoro, Mwanza, Zanzibar and Pemba. It is expected that about 3,000 people will benefit from this Food Packet Distribution.
b) Breakfast (Iftar) meals supplied to various centers especially the disabled, blind school, and deaf-dumb schools. A group of girls visit, distribute and share Iftar with them for the whole month of Ramadan.
c) Visits to hospitals for food distribution as well as other relief assistance.
d) Cash assistance to the poor and the needy families in Dar-es-Salaam as well as in other towns like Dodoma and Zanzibar.
e) Distribution of Qur’an to madressas and mosques.
f) Special Program for the Last Friday of Ramadan A grand program for ladies with lectures on various important topics, followed by Iftar. The number of participants last year was 1,500.
g) Islamic Crash Course for Muslim Girls at Kibaha. Sixty new students joined other 300 students in Kibaha at Wali-ul-Asr Education Center for intensive courses in Islam.
Current Address and Office Bearers
World Islamic Propagation and Humanitarian Services.
P. O. Box 1895,
Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania)
Telephones: + 255 22 2113278 & 2129532.
E-mail: humanitarian@raha.com.
