Photo by [NBC News]
Sunny Morgan, a climate-change activist and an ordinary South African with a heart of gold, recently made a meaningful donation to a Mosque in Dlamini, Soweto. He was invited to an Iftar program by the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance, aimed at discussing and fostering interfaith dialogue regarding the Palestinian struggle.
“[The event] was to be able to listen to stories from Palestine but also to Foster interfaith dialogue around the issues. Because people conflate the issue in Palestine as being a Muslim issue, an Islamic issue and an Arabic issue when it actually is a human rights issue. It’s necessary for Christian people to hear from the front lines of the people [which] are being impacted in that region.”
It was an auspicious occasion, not only because it was a good Friday and sacred for Christians, but because the Mosque opened its doors to people from different faiths. The program was ongoing, people were eating, and the electricity suddenly went out. At that moment, he realised the Mosque required a reliable power source.
Morgan said he approached the Imam of the Mosque and discussed possible solutions. He donated a complete solar system with installation as someone active in the solar and energy provision space. A few days later, he arrived personally at the Mosque with the solar equipment ready for installation.
“I dropped it off yesterday. The Imam said you kept your word, almost as if it’s the norm not to keep your word, and I said to him who can make a promise in the house of God and not deliver.”
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Why Not a Church?
Morgan’s donation is a prime example that helping and giving back goes beyond ethnicity and belief. Despite being asked why he did not donate to a church, he humbly replied that he was moved by the community and the sense of spirituality that prevailed at the Mosque.
All he thought about was that this community needed help, and this was a place of worship. He saw an opportunity and understood what he needed to do.
“It didn’t cross my mind at that time. [All I thought], here was a place of God, here was a place of worship and here was a community of people … it was just a natural thing to do. I didn’t think about Muslims and Christians at the time … But when we talk about Interfaith dialogue, we’re so privileged in South Africa not to have religious intolerance and I want to be part of a process that brings people together.”
It is not the first time he has donated and helped underprivileged people and communities, and he hopes it will not be the last. Morgan believes “those who have must do” and makes it a point to help wherever possible.
“If I’m able to do something that has more value than the price of the items that we’re giving away, then that’s what I want to do. I want to live in a world that’s beautiful, I want to live in a world that’s compassionate, and that’s caring.”
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Sunny at the End of the Tunnel
Morgan has an unwavering belief that ordinary people can make a difference. An everyday person like himself, you or I who have the same life challenges can set that aside and be a force for good.
“We are inundated with the story of how everything is failing in South Africa right and [how] everything is falling apart. But in your own space of influence, in your own sphere in your home, you must be an example. In your home, your family must be an example to the neighbours, the neighbours must be an example to the community, and the community must be an example to the country. What drives us? It’s this ability, this desire to make positive change … But we’re not going to get that if individuals don’t step up to the plate and do what they can.”
In a world of negativity and despair, especially in South Africa, Morgan and many others like him stand as beacons of hope. His actions and belief remind us that change does not need to be significant gestures of selflessness. It can be something as small as setting a good example in our own spaces and making a difference in the lives of those around us.
