A Heart Of Gold: 78-Year-Old Dubai Expat Brings Eid Joy to Needy Families

News18

2 days ago

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Hussain Ahmedali Nalwala arranges the sacrifice and distribution of meat to African households who often go without proper meals for days.
As Muslims across the world prepare for Eid al-Adha, a heartwarming story of kindness and generosity has emerged from Dubai. A 78-year-old retired Indian expat has taken on the task of distributing Qurbani meat to thousands of needy families in Africa.
Hussain Ahmedali Nalwala, through his foundation, has been organising this charity drive for the past 5 years. He arranges the sacrifice and distribution of meat to African households who often go without proper meals for days. Nalwala has turned this annual religious event into a massive humanitarian endeavour that is currently taking place in many countries.
Nalwala entered the field of charity five years ago after he visited Yemen and witnessed heartbreaking levels of poverty. He saw widespread pain, malnutrition, and grinding poverty in the country, which left a profound impact on him, changing the course of his retirement.
'That experience opened my eyes. Seeing individuals with nothing, not even one proper meal in day,s made me understand I could not just retire and rest. I needed to do something," Nalwala said. What started out as a personal epiphany quickly became an official goal inspiring him to establish a charitable trust.
Since then, Nalwala has organised the yearly killing and distribution of dozens of camels amongst rural communities in Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. His staff ensure ethical procurement and distribution of the Qurbani meat while Nalwala closely monitors the procedure himself.
Nalwala's team sends him pictures of the animals for approval.
'I personally vet the animals through photographs before buying. We deal only with healthy animals according to religious and ethical principles. It's a matter of giving with dignity," said Nalwala.
Once approved, the meat is meticulously separated and distributed to the long queues of people, who came from nearby villages. The remaining portions are delivered by volunteers to families that can't make the journey themselves.
'One camel can feed 300 families. This is the only time of the year they eat meat for many of them," Nalwala explained.
While Africa remains the main focus, Nalwala has also reached out to the home country. In the last three years, he has coordinated the delivery of Qurbani meat to underprivileged communities in Jammu and Kashmir's Sumbal and Bandipore. He also conducts mass distribution in Mumbai, where his team feeds over 1,500 people during the festival.
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