Imam Abdallah’s project that I wrote about last time is becoming increasingly important to us. It has everything that people in need can receive support from: a meal, a listening ear, free healings from Abdallah if desired, coming together to pray, to discuss disputes, and so on. In short: being heard and seen in your human needs.

Saïda has not only set up a project here in Karnak (district in Luxor) but also further south, towards Aswan, near the city of Edfu. She moved there with Abdallah as a small child and has meant a lot to people there for more than twenty years.

Eid, Imam Mohamed and I were recently invited to take a look here, of course together with Imam Abdallah.

Saïda came from a wealthy family and her father was married to four women, which is no longer common here. The family produced many socially committed children who, in one way or another, set up all kinds of aid projects as far away as Sudan and Malaysia.

We are very impressed with what Saïda and her family have achieved to help people in need. Saïda also gave free healings and was very spiritually gifted; we could hear that from all the stories we were told. Later in her life she built a mosque in the mountains and she is now buried there, in a separate room.

It touched us all deeply to visit her grave and to be in that place. Eid and I feel a strong connection with these people. Even after her death, the people around Saïda continued with aid projects, in her old house and in another room. They do this in the same way as here in Luxor: with older volunteers who knew Saïda well and under the leadership of a man who adopted Saïda there, just like she did with Abdallah in Luxor.

Saïda’s energy can still be felt everywhere and it is impressive to see how she is still honored. Everything in her old house has been preserved and here too people can come together and have a meal.

For us, all this, the place and these lovely people, feels like a kind of homecoming, also because we see and feel how all the work is done with a lot of love and care. This trip touched our hearts… very special!

We would like to support the projects of Abdallah and his mother Saïda even more.

Last month (December 2020), around 1000 euros were raised thanks to your generous donations. Part of this has been extensively renovated and freshened up with new paint in Abdallah’s space in Luxor, and that was desperately needed! Many thanks for this.

I understand from a number of sponsor friends that they also feel touched from a distance and that is nice to hear. There is a great need for support for the poorest and the poorest at this time and your contribution makes a concrete and tangible difference. If you would like more information, you can always contact me by email with questions, comments or whatever…