It was 2009 and my first visit to sub-Sahara Africa. I had the privilege to be selected as a Fellow to serve an international NGO (non-government organization) in Tanzania. I came with no expectations and an open mind. I learned much during that 6 month fellowship. I had the opportunity to visit rural villages and travel within the country. Village life was a far cry from anything I had imagined.
Soon after completing my fellowship, I retired from a 30 year career in corporate America. In 2010, my husband and I returned to his homeland in the coastal southern region of Tanzania. I continued to share pictures and stories from Tanzania with my friends, family, and Islamic community in the United States. Their unsolicited generosity was heartwarming. I received various types of charity from around the world for the people of my village and surrounding areas.
It is this generosity that inspired the formation of the Lindi Islamic Foundation of Tanzania (LIFT). After 3 years of receiving donations, sadaqa, and zakat for distribution to Muslim communities in the Lindi region, it soon became apparent that this charity is not just a one-time contribution. Therefore, LIFT was founded and organized to ensure that the charity targeted for the most vulnerable in Lindi Region can continue. By engaging members and leaders from within Lindi region, LIFT will InshaAllah (God Willing) be an organization that can “LIFT” the most vulnerable to a place where they can be self-sufficient and have access to those things that many of us take for granted: food, healthcare, education, water, sanitation, and spiritual growth.
Jazakallahu khairan (May God reward you with good).
Alexandria Osborne, PhD, PMP-Retired
(also known as Sister Nur)