January 2011 Kenya by Mansur Kothia

Khabar JANUARY 2011

AZIM KHAMISA PRESENTATION

Message of Forgiveness, Peace and Hope

s the man continues to speak to the crowd listening intently in the Pavilion, his story brings tears to the eyes of many, but his courage in telling this story over and over again inspires the many who have listened to him for the past 15 years.

Over the years, through his work and the Tariq Khamisa Foundation set up in memory of his son, Azim Khamisa has been able to reach out to thousands around the world with his message of peace and reconciliation. Having been hailed by dignitaries such as Azim Khamisa Azim Khamisa is no the Dalai Lama, his stranger to the world of tragedy and messages of peace, forgiveness, hope pain. At the tender age of 20, his and reconciliation resonate with the son was shot dead in gang related teachings of the Ismaili Tariqah. As violence. Rather than taking the Azim stated, ‘a heart can only be open conventional route and pushing to love, prosperity and happiness after for prosecution of his son’s killer, it has been broken a few times’. His Khamisa turned back to some of the presence here was well appreciated most important tenets of our faith by all, and it is our hope that with the - forgiveness and acceptance of Jamat’s support, we can continue to others. He reached out to the family have such stimulating seminars for of his son’s killer, and together, they the Jamat that will inspire each one embarked on a mission to stop gang of us to reach greater heights and live related violence in America. by the tenets of our Tariqah.

COUNCIL FOR NAIROBI Upcoming EventS 2011 JANUARY 2011 Saturday 15 January Despicable Me Youth Committee Movie Afternoon Saturday 22 January The Last Airbender (Avatar Series) Youth Committee Movie Afternoon English Classes Ismaili Women’s Committee (To be announced) - Introduction to Jewelry Design Ismaili Women’s Committee (To be announced)

JAMATI MEDICAL PROGRAMME CARDS 2011 Please collect your Jamati medical programme cards from the Dar ul Shifa office during working hours. Card holders enjoy a 10% discount on all out-patient services at all Aga Khan Hospitals country-wide

Lifelong Learning programmes

IWC Jewelry Design Programme

n October 2010, the IWC had hosted the jewelry design programme as a start to its lifelong learning programme initiative. The course was taught by Hobby Craft Ltd., a well known craft store located in Muthaiga. The turnout was good and many Ismaili women who had an interest in making their own jewelry attended the classes. There were five classes held every Saturday at the youth centre during the month. The women were very excited to have taken this course, and some have already started making their own designs and handing them out as gifts to family and friends. In addition, one of the participants has taken up this skill to make an additional income. QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” - Mother Teresa KHABAR 1

“Your capacity to keep your vow will depend on the purity of your life.” - Mahatma Gandhi Lifelong Learning programmes by Ismaili Women’s Committee

Reflection on Events Held in November 2010

Speaking with confidence.

Group participants.

he fear of speaking in front of an audience is always ranked in the top three fears of all people. Age, social standing and educational background do not make a difference, and the fear of public speaking has no boundaries.

of public speaking. At the end of the course, nine individuals passionately delivered captivating speeches with a great deal of ease on various topics, with a great amount of skill, confidence and clarity advocating the success of the course.

Over the last two months, the IWC has held a public speaking course, in conjunction with the Toastmaster’s organisation, aiming to help members of the Jamat to overcome their fear

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. GO out & get busy.” Dale Carnegie.

Aga Khan Sports Centre, Seniors Committee and Pavilion & Complex Committee

Bhuli Beesre Yaadein

Iqbal Alibhai & Anis Jariwalla announcing a raffle draw.

Dance item presented by the troup from the Luxury cruise ‘ocean mist’.

Geet mehefil by the Savani brothers, Nitin, Pritam, Sonal & Hiren.

ISMAILI VOLUNTEER CORPS

IVC Annual General Meeting

he IVC held its Annual General Meeting on 21 November at the Pavilion. Family members were invited to this meeting and Nazim Mitha delivered a motivating presentation on Seva. At the end of the meeting, members and their families were treated to an afternoon of fun and entertainment. A recital by violin maestro Mohamed Kassam. 2 KHABAR

Nazim Mitha delivering his presentation.

“When prosperity comes, do not use all of it.” - Confucius JAMATI EDUCATION COMMITTEE – NAIROBI

Continuing Education

• Those who are pursuing a post-graduate degree part-time; • People changing the focus of their careers, or embarking on a new career path; • Students returning to education after a time away;

ime and again, Mawlana Hazar Imam has reiterated the importance of education to our Jamat. As an adult, one may feel that there is hardly ever a right time to educate oneself as one is juggling enough tasks without adding another. However, educating oneself at a later stage has many benefits; the least of which is monetary. Finding a course in this era of the internet is not hard, and many prestigious and well established universities offer a variety of courses that enable students to dictate their own schedules and work load. Like any issue that needs to be addressed, educating oneself at home through a distance learning programme requires dedication and the determination to make time for readings and assignments.

• • • • • •

The list below offers some websites that someone looking into continuing education may want to review: www.conted.ox.ac.uk www.manhattan.about.com www.iiz-dvv.de www.learn-source.com www.canadian-universities.net www.search.ezilon.com

Continuing education refers to any type of post-secondary education used to either obtain additional certifications or as credits required to maintain a professional license (i.e. Doctors, Dentists, etc). Continuing education is aimed exclusively to adults who already possess a college or university degree. Continuing education can take the form of workshops, seminars, home-study or online courses, conferences, or hands-on training. There is no specific format or length for a continuing education programme: some may take a weekend, while others can span weeks or even months. In the case of continuing education for personal advancement only, students usually don’t receive college credits, as the courses are not considered part of the standard educational system. A common characteristic to all continuing education programmes is a registration process. Attending a conference or cultural event that is open to the general public does not give attendants any type of education credits, and cannot be considered formal training.’ If one has no previous experience or has very little in the way of study, it would be recommended that instead of aiming for a continuing education course, one should attempt a Bachelors degree or a Diploma course on line or full time if possible, as this will make it easy to join a continuing education programme at a later stage. If one is seriously considering joining a continuing education programme, there are a few reasons to do so: • Why do you want to study; people studying for enjoyment and personal enrichment; • Working to obtain a certificate or diploma in a given subject; • Do you need a change? Continuing education allows people to move from one country to another, allowing them the security of an educational institution, while allowing one to explore a new town/city, • Those who wish to upgrade professional skills;

Submitting Articles for the Ismaili Africa

embers of the Jamat who are interested in writing articles for the March 2011 issue of the Ismaili Africa are requested to submit their articles by e-mail, to amaan@amaseena.com before 31 January 2011. KHABAR 3

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” - Oprah Winfrey COMMUNITY COUNSELLING SERVICES

Self Esteem: Identification, Signs and How to Improve on it

any peoples’ feelings and thoughts about themselves fluctuate based on their experiences. Ones’ self-esteem however, is something more fundamental than the normal “ups and downs” associated with situational changes. For people with good basic self-esteem normal “ups and downs” may lead to temporary fluctuations in how they feel about themselves, but only to a limited extent. In contrast for people with poor self-esteem these “ups and downs” may make all the difference in the world.

Where does self-esteem come from? Our self-esteem develops and evolves throughout our lives as we build an image of ourselves through our experiences with different people and activities. Experiences during our childhood play a particularly large role in the shaping of our basic self-esteem. When we were growing up, our successes (and failures) and how we were treated by other members of our family, teachers, religious authorities and by our peers, all contributed to the creation of our basic self-esteem.

Healthy self-esteem is based on our ability to assess ourselves accurately and still be able to accept and value ourselves unconditionally. This means being able to realistically acknowledge our strengths and limitations and at the same time accepting ourselves as worthy.

THREE FACES OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM The Imposter: Acts happy and successful but is really terrified of failure. This person lives with the constant fear that she or he will be “found out”. They need continuous success to maintain the mask of positive self-esteem, and this could lead to problems with perfectionism, competition and burn-out.

self-esteem you must believe that you can change, and that you are not powerless.

The Rebel: Acts like the opinions or goodwill of others - especially people who are important or powerful don’t matter. They live with constant anger about not feeling “good enough”. They continuously needs to prove that others’ judgment and criticism don’t hurt and this could lead to problems like blaming others excessively, breaking rules or laws or fighting authority.

Step 2: Is to treat yourself as a worthwhile person. Start to challenge past negative experiences or messages by nurturing and caring for yourself in ways that show that you are lovable, valuable, competent and deserving. “Take it” until you can “make it” when you treat yourself like you deserve to feel good and be nurtured, slowly you’ll come to believe it.

The Loser: Acts helplessly and is unable to cope with the world and waits for someone to come the rescue. They use self-pity or indifference as a shield against fear of taking responsibility for changing their lives. They constantly look to others for guidance, which can lead to such problems such as assertiveness, skills, under achievement and exclusive reliance on others in relationship. Three steps to improve self-esteem Before you can begin to improve your

Step 1: Is to begin to challenge the negative messages of the critically inner voice. Don’t be unfairly harsh; rather, be reassuring. Don’t generalise unrealistically and be specific. Don’t make a heap of illogical ideas; challenge them.

Step 3: GET HELP from others. People with low-esteem often don’t ask for help because they feel they don’t deserve it. But since low self-esteem is often caused by how other people treated you in the past, you may need the help of other people in the present to challenge the critical messages that come from negative past experiences. Some ways to seek assistance from others include asking for support from friends, teachers and other helpers, and talking to a therapist or counselor.

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he Council for Nairobi conveys their sincere condolences to the families of the individuals who passed away on the respective dates. May Allah rest their souls in eternal peace. Ramzan Vali Hasham December 6, 2010 Zulfikar Sadrudin Mohamed December 7, 2010 Shahin Jafferali Peermohamed December 28, 2010 Gulshan Kamrudin Jinnah December 29, 2010 Adil Rahimtulla Premji Walji January 6, 2011