Johannesburg – The African Muslim Agency (AMA) has set up several AMAN Schools of Excellence in Middle Eastern nations like Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon to offer a secure haven and quality education for refugee children. With deep gratitude and joy representing the AMA, Ashraf Gangrekar proudly announced the establishment of the AMAN School of Excellence in Finetown, South of Johannesburg.
“We’ve been particularly humbled and grateful to Allah for his Mercy and to everybody for their support. So [to announce] AMAN South Africa here in Finetown is open and is up and running.”
In Arabic, AMAN translates to safety, and faithful to its meaning, the school was created as a child-centred institution providing children with a secure, affectionate, and nurturing environment. Here, with the help of both parents and educators, they can acquire valuable knowledge and skills to enhance their lives.
“We are putting our hands out to parents to say that together, between the home and the school, let us love, care for and nurture our children. So that they become critical-thinking young men and women and productive members of our society.”
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To Help Others, We Need to Help Our Own
According to Gangrekar, the AMAN schools in the Middle East have successfully achieved their goals of empowering children and communities. Recognizing the challenges faced by many disadvantaged communities in South Africa and its education system, AMA decided to establish an AMAN School of Excellence in Finetown to offer South Africans an opportunity for personal and community development.
“We saw it fit to establish a school to give our children an opportunity to attend a school of excellence so that education can be a tool to break cycles of poverty. Finetown, like many communities in our country, is a low economic area where the majority of people are unemployed. However, there is this hunger, a need and desire on the side of the parents … To want better for the child than what they perhaps have for themselves.”
In an appeal to ensure that children benefit from all that AMAN has to offer, as attendance is not without financial requirements, Gangrekar requests that individuals sponsor some students attending the school. This support can be a catalyst for breaking cycles and positively impacting their lives.
