An international non-governmental organisation, Humanity First, under the auspices of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has committed 15 million dollars to global social services as it marked its 30th anniversary.
Speaking to African journalists at the sidelines of the 59th Annual Ahmadiyya Islamic Conference at the Oakland Farm, Alton, Hampshire. Fazal Ahmad, Operations Director, told Voice of Nigeria that the funds would cover social services in the areas of health, education, sanitation, orphanage care and food security across Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America, as well as Europe.
According to Fazal Ahmad, in 30 years, Humanity First has “supported and empowered vulnerable individuals and communities worldwide through donations and selfless volunteers, changing the future for good.”
Statistics
Since 1995, the international NGO has impacted the lives of over 16.7 million people, built three orphanage homes, established food banks across Europe, North America and Southern Africa, and provided 6,176 water projects, including wells, hand pumps and solar boreholes.
Humanity Global presence
Specially driven by service to humanity in a decent way, over 100 schools have been built in Africa, managed by local staff, namely in Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Togo, Chad, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Congo-Brazzaville, Sao Tome and Principe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia.
Under the health programmes, the Humanity First service includes Nasir Specialised Hospital in Guatemala, Urgent Care Center in Chimaltenango, Masroor Center for Health Care in the Ivory Coast, and Masroor Eye Clinic in Burkina Faso.
Another eye hospital is proposed for Tanzania. In all, 11 hospitals and clinics are now functional in Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Benin Republic, Cambodia, the Congo Republic and Indonesia. Two mobile surgical units are active in the Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, and Togo.
Care for Elders and Disability Support
Europe has been the main beneficiary of the care for the elderly programme due to its ageing population. The Operations Director stated that “the elderly in our society were once the ones who held it up, bearing the brunt of its challenges.
“Now, there are fewer and fewer people to care for them, as the population of the elderly increases and conflicts with the lack of caretakers.
“Care homes all around the UK have been overflowing for years now, and many are not able to handle the intense workload.” Accordingly, Humanity First has been partnering with organisations such as Staywell to provide comfort, stability and safety.
Other areas of support covered by Humanity First include providing for disabled people or people with special needs, building a better environment for the people, establishing bus shelters in Canada and reducing unemployment globally, and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Mission and Vision
Humanity First is registered with the UK Charities Commission and has expanded its operations to 66 countries across six continents, supporting eight different programmes.
It is a non-political, non-religious, and impartial international relief and development agency that focuses on protecting human life and dignity.
Humanity First’s mission is to serve socially disadvantaged individuals and families in the poorer communities and disaster-stricken areas of the world.
Link: www.humanityfirst.org