6 minute read
Thought Leadership - Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, Founder & CEO at Gift Of The Givers
Practicing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion On A Global Scale
By Fiona Wakelin
Best Among people are those who benefit mankind
Beginning his humanitarian work in Mozambique during the 1990s, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman raised significant funds in just five days to provide boreholes, medical supplies, and malaria medication for the country. His philanthropic work continued in Iraq and Bangladesh - and then the life-changing trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he received an instruction from teacher Sufi Sheikh Muhammed Saffer Effendi al Jerrahi:
“My son, you will form an organisation. The name will be Waqful Waqifin (the closest translation is ‘Gift of the Givers’) You will serve all people of all races, of all religions, of all colours, of all classes, of all political affiliations and of any geographical location. You will serve them unconditionally.”
Imtiaz did not speak Turkish but understood the instruction. How was that possible? “When there is a meeting of hearts, language is not necessary.”
After receiving this message from the spiritual leader, Imtiaz Sooliman, at the age of just 30, built the Gift of the Givers from humble beginnings into what has become the largest disaster response, nongovernmental organisation of African origin on the African continent. He and the team live by the maxim: “Best among people are those who benefit mankind”.
He established the organisation with family support - started in a small 12m² room with a fax machine. The first major project was during the Bosnian civil war in August 1992, delivering 32 containers of aid and creating the world’s first containerised mobile hospital in 1993, including surgery theaters, ICU, X-ray, and other medical units. CNN reported the mobile hospital as ‘equal to any of the best hospitals in Europe’.
The dedicated team is committed to addressing crisis situations, showcasing innovative problem-solving and the importance of partnerships across sectors.
We met at the Arabella Estate after a few months of planning - the Gift of the Givers are in big demand (not surprisingly) and it took a while for us to both be in the same province at the same time. The time flew by and it was so refreshing, and so easy to speak with this ego-free, quick, solutions-orientated, energetic, humanity-first human being.
During our conversation he had 4 cell phones on the arm chair, all on silent. There are so many disasters happening all the time around the globe at any given time, I asked Imtiaz how they choose where to go - and where the funds come from:
“If a country has hit something major, the head of state must come on world TV and announce they have a problem. Only then will we respond. But sometimes before he or she makes the statement and we hear about, say, a tsunami in Indonesia, an earthquake in Haiti, an earthquake in Nepal, a typhoon in the Philippines, I put my teams on standby. Usually Africa comes first.
Money Matters?
“My spiritual teacher said, ‘You will never need to look for money. People will come to you. You’ll never have to ask for money.’ We never have to go to people to ask for funds. We have no need for fund raisers in our organisation.
“Things just happen. Everything falls into place. The teacher said, ‘things will work out for you’ - and they do”.
Knysna Fire Response And Cape Water Crisis-Diversity In Action
The Gift of the Givers responded to the 2017 Knysna fires with medical teams, food for firefighters, and essential supplies and set up a warehouse operation in the Checkers parking lot to coordinate massive aid distribution. This was diversity in action with teams of all backgrounds working together.
They responded to the Western Cape water crisis by drilling 238 boreholes at a cost of R19-million, saving farming communities and livestock; and successfully navigated the flood response by coordinating multiple stakeholders, with partnerships across political parties, race, and class to reach isolated communities.
CSI, Ethics, Economic Philosophy And Personal Values
We spoke about how Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is evolving from ‘ticking boxes’ to meaningful engagement and corporates in South Africa are developing a purposeful CSI focus:
“CSI - we don’t just tick the box anymore. Now the CEOs call and ask for us to take them and their staff to be on site to see. To feel what it is like to be on the ground. Big companies like Sibanye-Stillwater, Bonitas, FNB, see first-hand where the CSI money is going. They feel the words of the people.
“And we are growing. Now because we have got a new thing called virtual. They call you any time. On 31st December 2024, afterhours, the FNB guys called – ‘We’ve got all these fires in Cape Town. On the 2nd of January, the money will be in your account’.
“ And when you think of COVID, the ethical business practices of keeping staff employed - ultimately benefitted the economy”.
I had to ask about his take on the ramifications of the Trump administration withdrawing funding from Africa: “I am very happy about it. We should have cut ties long ago. We don’t need to have a begging bowl. We are self-sufficient and have the resources to manage our own needs. Companies are already calling to see how we can fill the gap. America is one country in the world. There are 199 others and we are about to sign an agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations”.
And What Gives Him Joy?
“The relief of suffering - a mother feeding a child, restoring sight to the blind - when a person has cataracts and they open and they can see. Or they can hear you because of a hearing aid. It’s priceless. Absolutely, absolutely priceless.
“When I was in Somalia I saw a child who had been bed-ridden for 8 months and sepsis was creeping into the bone. Nobody could fix it. I brought my doctors from South Africa. They did the operation in 20 minutes. The father gets up and says, I like to appreciate you. Meaning thank you for what you’ve done. May God bless you. The child is giving a big smile. He’s mobile, he can walk, can go home. He can be with his father, with his parents, his family. When you unite families together, when you give life. It’s priceless. When the water comes out of the tap, when people haven’t drunk water and the people scream and they jump for joy. It’s priceless”.
What Keeps Him Going?
“Gratitude. God’s grace and my team’s and my family’s support.”
A Message Of Inspiration
“South Africans are unique - there is no one like us in the world. What is unique about us? It is our attitude. We care. Wherever I go people say to me that there is no one like us. And that is something to be proud of!”
When I think of Imtiaz Solliman and the Gift of the Givers, the word that comes quickly to mind is “sage” - not only because of the connotation of wisdom, but also because of the cleansing quality of the herb - its capacity to “purify spaces or objects, to ward off negative energy and promote well-being”. And, in my book, this is what the world needs right now.
