About

ABOUT US

Our Mission

To create an organization filled with like-minded, loving adults to assist in nurturing and improving the lives of orphans, vulnerable and under-privileged members of our community and surrounding communities by providing education, food, housing, acute medical care and clothing.

Beautiful Beginnings Outreach Relief (BBOR) is an organization that provides a platform for orphaned and vulnerable children to receive their basic human rights. By being a voice during their darkest hour, BBOR advocates on their behalf in search of a better tomorrow and a promising future in sha Allah.

Losing a parent can mean that access to education, protection of shelter, sustenance of nutritious meals and the chance for a secure future, all become an impossible dream. This is why the responsibility of caring for the orphan falls on all of us. Who could be more deserving of our help than a child that has no one?

Sahl ibn Sa’d reported: The Prophet of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “The one who cares for an orphan and myself will be together in paradise like this.” And he held his two fingers together to illustrate. Sahih Bukhari 5659 Children in Zambia are at great risk of social exclusion and exploitation due to the threats of profound poverty and HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has diverse social and economic effects, and has caused many deaths among working age adults. As a result, 1 in every 4 homes has a child that is the “head of the household”, acting as the primary care giver for younger children in the home. Very often these children become victims of rape, theft and witchcraft, which is prevalent in the slums many of them live in. The orphaned and vulnerable children often come from homes living off of less than $1.25 per day, putting them at high risk of becoming “social orphans”; children abandoned by their parents, family or caregiver, leaving them to fend for themselves.

There is hope for the orphaned and vulnerable children of Zambia. Through the efforts of BBOR, and the Mercy and permission of Allah, a new generation of children is now being supported to change their future. As of 2023, we currently house 131 girls and 30 boys’ orphans and vulnerable on our BBOR campus which are fully cared for and educated 11 months out of the year including two school breaks. We have 13 girls that are housed year round due to no family or extended family to return to and bond with. BBOR sponsorship programs secure all aspects of a child’s wellbeing. This includes access to quality education (secular education is 5 days a week and Islamic studies and Qur’an memorization 6 days a week), provision of nutritious meals and snacks, acute health care, clothing, training in self-care and transportation.

Overview

BBOR is a commitment to sincere, selfless services of all humankind in need, in a warm and caring, manner, regardless of race, religion, nationality, culture or social class.

BBOR has been formed on the values of alleviating the plight of the vulnerable members of our society, with a focus on children. Despite the government’s effort to try and improve the lives of the vulnerable, many communities still lack basic needs such as sufficient food, water, shelter, education and healthcare. BBOR has come into communities to supplement and provide for the orphans, vulnerable and under-privileged members of society through its programs. BBOR aims to provide care, support, protection and beyond for approximately 250 orphaned and vulnerable children.

We currently have 25 staff members, many of which volunteer their personal time, and go above and beyond what their assigned duties call for. Each child is being provided nutritious meals and snacks daily, a set of school books, and 3 sets of uniforms along with casual attire. Every participant has the access to indoor and outdoor recreation and play facilities and receives training in crafts, hobbies and self-care.

Challenges

Right now, 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children are living in Zambia and don’t have the support or family structure they need to thrive. Many live in granny or child headed households, scraping by on less than $1 a day. Without access to school they face a lifetime of poverty. We provide uniforms, books and tuition fees, fund nutritious school meals, help school leavers gain vocational qualifications, give mental health support to those that need it and provide girls with reusable sanitary pads to keep them in the classroom. You can help us do whatever it takes to give orphans and vulnerable children the chance to go to school and reach their potential.

Despite our aim to achieve a number of goals and objectives, in sha Allah, BBOR has continued to face many challenges on a daily basis. Although we do have some local support, we have hardly managed to keep our program running due to the decline in Zambia’s economy which is one of the poorest economies in the world. We have now been forced to cease accepting new participants due to maximum capacity at our BBOR campus and funds simply not coming in the way they used to. BBOR still processes intake of potential recipients of our service but has now resorted to placing them on a waiting list. A few of our challenges are listed below:

  • BBOR has no permanent campus to carry out our growing programs and activities and keep up with the increasing need in our communities. We currently rent our campus that includes 3 houses which provides year round shelter for 193 girl orphans and vulnerable children and their caretakers. Rentals in Zambia, although the economy is declining, continue to rise. In order to maximize our donations, we have purchased 2 acres of land and plan to construct more suited living quarters, dining room and other facilities needed to care properly and comfortably for our deserving children. This will also enable us to open our doors and offer a safe haven to more orphaned and vulnerable children in sha Allah.
  • Funding to provide an affordable and successful education program for over 300 children.
  • Financial assistance to treat acute illnesses of our participants of BBOR and continue to provide physical therapy and two personal caregivers we have for our disabled participants.
  • Assistance with direct donations of food goods, washing powder, personal hygiene items, bedding and mosquito nets, and any other typical daily needs in providing a comfortable environment for our orphaned and vulnerable children, or money to cover these basic needs.
  • In order for BBOR to effectively run our different programs and activities, we are also seeking donations for school fees, housing rentals, electricity costs, maintenance for our transport and salaries for our 25 members of our BBOR team along with other expenses in the attached budget.

Summary

BBOR counsels and arranges for emotional adjustments and acceptance of the orphaned and vulnerable child within our program. By identifying the growing orphaned and vulnerable children in our society through personal contact on the streets, local leadership and community members, we are currently able to provide shelter for 161 of our participants at a rented property in Lusaka, Zambia.

The program has maintained its financial obligations and commitment to our participants through local donations and contributions of food items, clothing, household items, school supplies and other necessities. Due to our declining economy in Zambia, local donations are limited, but our need is only increasing as awareness of our programs grows. Therefore, our program is in jeopardy, unless we are able to obtain regular donors and sponsorship for our current participants.

The program has grown from 10 orphaned children who were taken into the personal home of the Director of BBOR in 2011, as result of a collapsed orphanage, to over 250 active participants in the Beautiful Beginnings Outreach Relief as of 2021. With due diligence, hard work and personal sacrifice, the Director of BBOR, permission of Allah and assistance of dedicated staff with her common goal of saving innocent orphaned and vulnerable children, has been able to grow, maintain and provide for our participants.

BBOR campus currently houses 131 girls that are taken care of in all aspects of life. The additional participants are schooled and/or provided for in multiple ways stated in the proposal. We are in dire need of every level of donors and sponsorship in order to continue to care for all of our children and allow for our program to grow and clear our waiting lists. BBOR will continue to put our efforts to mobilize local donations through exhibiting our good work and services and begin marketing globally in order to obtain additional help in sha-Allah.

We are planning to build a permanent home for orphaned and vulnerable children with the Mercy of Allah. To accomplish our long term goal of our own campus, we are in need of funding. As the funds allow, we will begin developing the land with residential dorms first and move on project by project until we are fully functional at one location with dormitories, study and dining hall, Masjid, ablution block, storage units, administrative block and staff housing.

With donor support, the ability to provide and empower the orphaned and vulnerable population of Zambia is possible. May Allah reward all of your for your efforts and du’a for our orphaned children in Zambia. May He count you in the rewards of any knowledge they learn, Surah’s they memorize and food they eat and break their fasts with. May He make our vision a reality and our path easy, Ameen? Jazakum Allah Khairun.

Our Team

Meet the team behind the initiative

Jameela Ohl

Director

Shaykh Haamid Nsibirwa

Chairman

Majidah Sharif

Treasurer

Latifa Bharuchi

Secretary

Khadija Jackson

Coordinator - USA

Aminah Ssali

Trustee