Morocco has been close to our hearts for quite some time. Since 2012, we have had the honor of sponsoring twenty-three orphans in Oujda through partnership with a credible grass root organization called ABPO Association pour les Benefiance et Protection des Orphelins (APBO). Like many of our success stories, there is a beautiful story we would like to share of how this came to be.
Of all of my father’s qualities, the most salient is his sensitivity to the poor. When I was a child, he was a schoolteacher who bore witness daily to the hardships experienced by the poor in Morocco. These people were not some distant strangers; they included his neighbors and their children. He had students who came to school with torn sandals because their parents did not have enough to eat, let alone buy them proper shoes. We went shopping every week for these children, and my father would buy school supplies for one, clothes for another, and a pair of shoes for a third. Yet, the students he expressed the most compassion for were the orphans that he taught. Nothing he could buy them could fill the dark void that only the presence of a parent can fill.
When he retired, he was determined to help orphans in a more lasting way than his weekly shopping. So, he founded, in our hometown of Oujda, “ABP Orphelin,” an association designed to provide financial assistance to orphans in the city. The association provides food and clothes and takes care of the orphans’ medical and educational needs. It also aims to improve the orphans’ basic living conditions. For example, one family was living with metal sheets in lieu of a roof and ABPO built them a proper roof this past Ramadan. Other households had no running water and no electricity until ABPO helped finance both.
One of the things that our beloved Prophet (SAW) taught us is to lead by example, and it is through my father’s example that I decided to support GiveLight. This wonderful association embodies everything my father stood for and I have been a supporter since its initial creation. So, when my father needed help with ABPO I could not think of a better fit than a partnership with GiveLight, as they have the same mission and have worked hand-in-hand to protect our orphans.
The volunteer team at ABPO has the drive and dedication to do more but there is only so much they can do with limited resources. This is why the partnership ABPO has formed with GiveLight is a crucial and beneficial one. GiveLight can, with your help, provide the funds that ABPO needs.
Helping orphans is my father’s and GiveLight’s legacy but it can also be yours and that of your children. Be to your children the example that my father has been for me. Sponsor an orphan or donate to GiveLight today.
Abdelhakim Bouamama
