Tag Archives: His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin

Maharashtra: Dawoodi Bohra community launches ‘Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program’ for underprivileged

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , ,

Nandurbar District, MAHARASHTRA:

Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program in Nandurbar

Nandurbar:

Project Rise, the Dawoodi Bohra community’s global philanthropic arm, announced the launch of ‘Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program’ in the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra to support over 600 beneficiaries for the next 3 years.

This program is undertaken in partnership with the Association for Nutrition and Development Action (ANNADA), Nandurbar District Authorities and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The comprehensive program will provide micronutrient-, fortified energy-dense food to malnourished children below six years and pregnant and lactating mothers across 10 Anganwadi centres. It will also educate pregnant and lactating mothers on breastfeeding and monitoring their health to mitigate physical and cognitive growth in children.

Thanking the Dawoodi Bohra community & ANNADA for initiating the program, Mr. Krishna Rathod, the Deputy CEO (Women and Child Development), Nandurbar Zilla Parishad said, “A health and nutrition initiative like this will go a long way in making a difference in the lives of undernourished children and achieving a hunger-free and healthy nation.

Alvin D’souza, Program Head at ANNADA, said, “Child undernutrition can lead to severe developmental issues, diseases, infections and even death. It is at the root of all the social problems and severely impacts national socio-economic development. Our program will use simple, community-relevant, ready-to-eat meals that provide almost 1/3rd of a child’s recommended dietary requirement of micronutrients. Most of these meals are millet-based and rich in protein. We are glad to have partnered with the Dawoodi Bohra community to be able to impact the lives of children in Nandurbar.”

In his address at the launch event, Kutubkhan Badri, representative of His Holiness in the nearby town of Shahada said,  ” Our community leader His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin guides us to show empathy and compassion, and look after the well-being of people, particularly those in need.”

“Our community collaborated with ANNADA around five years ago to fight against malnutrition in Govandi near Mumbai and Roha near Raigad District of Maharashtra, where we saw significant change in the health of our beneficiaries. This project in Nandurbar is an extension of our nutrition and zero-hunger objective of Project Rise.”

The program in Nandurbar was launched in September to support the Government of India’s “Rashtriya Poshan Maah”, or National Nutrition Month, which promotes nationwide awareness of nutrition and hunger, especially for mothers and children.

India is home to the largest population of hungry people and almost 1/3rd of the world’s malnourished children. Almost every third child under 5 years suffers from stunting and about 20% suffer from wasting as per the National Family Health Survey 2019-21.

Maharashtra has a significant burden of child malnutrition, with less than 10% of children under 2 having access to an adequate diet. The situation is incredibly complex in rural and tribal areas. Working hand in hand with local communities, partners and Anganwadi centres can yield positive outcomes and raise the level of nutrition, health, and overall well-being of families.

About Project Rise

Established in 2018, Project Rise is the Dawoodi Bohra community’s social welfare endeavour working in partnership with local community volunteers and government bodies to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, provide access to education, address water insecurity issues, raise health and hygiene levels among children & families, and preserve and protect the environment.

About ANNADA

ANNADA is a seven-year-old not-for-profit organisation with a vision to realise a Hunger-free and nourished India. ANNADA has provided over 16 million safe, hygienic, micronutrient-fortified meals while supporting more than 1.6 lakh beneficiaries, reducing malnutrition cases by 50-60% across various interventions implemented in rural tribal areas.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Network / September 12th, 2023

Dawoodi Bohras launch global program to conserve rainfall water

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Leaders, Science & Technology, , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA:

The rainfall water conservation project
The rainfall water conservation project

New Delhi :

The Dawoodi Bohra community has launched a global program to conserve water and recharge groundwater through effective rainwater harvesting techniques.

Recognising the global water scarcity issues, the leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, in his recent address to community members in Mombasa, Kenya, stressed the importance of preserving and conserving water.

“Following the instructions of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, a team of over 200 community officials were mobilised to visit more than 250 villages, towns and cities in India to study the strain on existing water supplies and provide support for building a more resilient and sustainable water management system”, said Shabbir Najmuddin, Associate Executive Trustee of Burhani Foundation, the community’s 30-year-old environmental body which is leading this initiative in collaboration with other organisations.

The process of water conservation 

“As part of the first phase of the water conservation program, we targeted water-challenged areas in India by guiding them to harvest rainwater in their backyards, wells, ponds and other local catchment areas,” Najmuddin added, awareness programs were also held at educational institutions and community centres to showcase various methods of rainwater harvesting and their benefits in revitalising depleted groundwater levels.

“Various stakeholders in the water management field and municipalities were also consulted and involved in the survey to gauge the local conditions and take their opinions in adopting methods that best suit the region’s topography,” he added.

For the long-term rollout of the program, Burhani Foundation is identifying project coordinators from each area who will be tagged to experts to troubleshoot issues and facilitate the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in their regions. In the coming days, the Foundation is also going to reach out to community representatives from across the globe to harness the power of rainfall in their regions and share best practices for other areas to adopt. Besides that, the Trust is also rejuvenating defunct wells in the identified areas.

During the survey of rainwater harvesting in households 43-year-old Ismail Raja from Shahada, a town in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, shared, “We installed a rainwater harvesting system in our backyard two years ago to recharge our borewell. Since then we have never faced water shortage as our borewell provides water not just to our families but also at times to our neighbours.”

Another community member, Jaffer Shabbir (36) from Savda village next to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, is using a simple yet effective solution to recharge the nearby well which had run dry in 2017. He says, “By collecting rainwater from the roof of our hall and parking area which we give on rent for weddings and other functions, we’re harnessing the power of rain to replenish the groundwater in the neighbourhood.”

The members checking the progress

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s unwavering commitment to environmental conservation reflects in his broader vision of leading a harmonious and sustainable life. In his sermons, he continues to counsel the community to protect and preserve nature while inspiring individuals from all walks of life to actively participate in conserving natural resources and embracing practices that promote environmental sustainability.

According to NITI Aayog, nearly 600 million people, which is almost 50% of India’s population, are facing water shortage issues. The country is vulnerable to droughts as well as floods even as climate change is increasing unpredictability in weather patterns and leading to more extreme weather events. Rainwater harvesting, water reservoirs and other methods can help mitigate these extreme events by storing & recharging groundwater and releasing it when needed.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Shaista Fatima / July 02nd, 2023