The Jamiah Faqihul-Ummah Orphanage for boys in Maraisburg South Africa is quite a remarkable place. It was established in 2003 and houses 17 orphaned boys ranging from 9 to 20 years of age. The orphanage looks like a family home and is managed by a Muslim couple, Mufti Abdullah and his wife, Sara Madaran. Mufti Abdullah founded the orphanage six years ago and today he and Sara and their two sons live in a small house opposite it.
A South African Story of Hope
I found an inspiring article about the Jamiah Faqihul-Ummah Orphanage in Islamonline. It talks about some of the boys who live at the orphanage, all of whom come from different backgrounds. Some are from South Africa, others from other African countries.
One of the boys is from the Congo, and having already suffered terrible hardships, he also had to cope with the news of his mother’s death, while he was living at the orphanage. The boy, who was in his late teens, was bad-tempered and aggressive, but he changed gradually as he grew accustomed to his new home. His first challenge, before even thinking about going to school was learning to speak two of South Africa’s eleven official languages: English and Afrikaans.
Some of boys at the orphanage still have living parents, but Sara feels that they do better in the orphanage environment as they receive great care. The eldest orphan, Hussein is 20 years old, and a responsible, thoughtful young Muslim man who proves a great help Sara around the orphanage. The youngest boy is just 9 years old.
Working Towards a Better Life
All 17 boys at the orphanage sleep in two bedrooms, and due to financial limitations they haven’t all been able to enrol in the local schools A handful of the boys attend local schools such as the Al-Azhar Islamic school, Chris J Botha, Goudveld, R.W Fiqh, and Bosmont Primary.
Most of the schools are compassionate when it comes to the issue of the school fees: they are aware of the boys’ situation and therefore tend not to pressure the orphanage too rigorously. Sara pays school fees whenever funding permits, but sadly one of the boys has had to leave the school for financial reasons. According to the Islamonline article, the level of leniency varies from school to school. Each afternoon, Mufti Abdullah teaches Islamic studies to the boys. He is a well-educated Muslim man, who seeks to educate the boys in all life’s lessons.
The orphanage is funded by donations and there isn’t a constant flow, although fundraising events are held and all profits go to giving the boys a brighter future.
