1) Tell us about yourself and any previous involvement in charity organizations.
I am a Syrian national who was born and raised in Abu Dhabi. I graduated from the American International School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in IT from the Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus. While at high school and university, I would often volunteer during the summer to assist with children in summer camps. I’ve done a few volunteering jobs through the Emirates Foundation but Tanzania and Glorious Orphanage was my first international volunteering experience.
2) Tell us about Glorious Orphanage.
Glorious Orphanage is a care facility and school, mainly for orphans, with 81 students aged from 3 to 11 years old. It is run by a Tanzanian couple named Alice Mathew and Julius Shuma, who are its directors and founders. Alice was previously a volunteer for Care International, traveling around Arusha tending to those with HIV and AIDS. She noticed that once her patients lost their battle with AIDS, their children would either be taken in by relatives or foster families and were rarely given the opportunity of education. She took it upon herself to start a school on her own property for these children, and, out of her own pocket, began feeding them once a week. Over time, her school grew in size to its current total. Not all of these students are orphans, yet each child comes from extreme poverty.
3) What were your reasons behind getting involved with Glorious Orphanage?
I went to Tanzania through a New Zealand-based volunteering organization in November 2010 and was randomly placed at Glorious Orphanage. I expected to spend two weeks assisting where I could, and then move to volunteer at other orphanages in different countries. What I did not expect was for the children at Glorious to change my life completely. I was absolutely touched by the spirit of the children, and I knew that when the 2 weeks were over, there was no way I was going to be able to return to my normal routine and life. I then contacted Hannah Ames, the founder the US-registered Glorious Orphanage Corporation, and told her that I am eager to do whatever it takes to continue helping Glorious. After collecting massive amounts of generous donations and securing sponsors for the majority of the kids, I was placed on the Board of Directors and have since been back three times to implement many other projects, including expanding the building for more classrooms, a teachers’ area and a water well. My next trip there will be in August.
4) What success have you achieved and what challenges were faced during the process of setting up the orphanage?
I was not involved when Glorious Orphanage was first set up but when I joined, the building comprised of one classroom and a small wooden shack, and lunch was served on the ground under a tree to 50 kids. Over time, with continuous commitment from the team and hard work to secure more donations, Glorious Orphanage now has four classrooms, a water well, electricity, an office, a security wall, sets of swings and a dining room. We expect to attain registration from the Ministry of Education in Tanzania which will add credibility to the education that the students are receiving and assist them in their future endeavors. In November, an anonymous Emirati woman donated AED 60,000 to the orphanage. In addition, the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort generously sent three of their staff members with funds to Glorious Orphanage. Our current challenge is spacing. Glorious has expanded so much to accommodate our current numbers that we are no longer able to take on more kids or build anything else.
5) What can readers do to help you and this initiative?
Donate – whether it’s money or your time – and I don’t mean just to Glorious Orphanage. Find a cause you are passionate about, do some research, contact reputable organizations and donate sustainably. Allocate some days from your annual leave and volunteer. People tend to find all that is wrong with the world to be overwhelming and become discouraged because they feel that whatever they do makes no difference. But I’ve seen first hand that the smallest initiation goes a long way.
For more information, visit www.gloriousorphanage.com or the Official Facebook page, Glorious Orphanage. Lujan can be contacted at lujan.mourad@gloriousorphanage.com
