The IMAE team is seeking public assistance in manufacturing cloth pads to be donated to Palestine.
Maldivian non-profit, International Muslim Aid and Education (IMAE), has begun the process of donating sanitary pads to women in Gaza, Palestine.
This initiative is an extension of the pro-Palestinian activism that began on the streets of Male', now expanded on a global scale to provide direct assistance on the field in Gaza.
The three founders of the organisation are two lecturers from the National University, Dr. Shazra Ibrahim and Dr. Rana Ahmed Hameed, along with Aishath Shadhiya, who met them through their activism.
As the people of Gaza take in breaths of relief amid the ongoing ceasefire after 16 months of continuous brutality by Israel, many are now returning to the rubble that were once their homes. As they clean out the destruction and try to settle into make shift homes in any way they can, the one biggest issues Palestinians face right now is the difficulties in proper waste disposal.
Shazra said that the idea of donating cloth pads came from this situation. With about a million women living in Gaza, sanitary pads are among the most essential items they desperately need. However, using disposable pads would increase waste, which led the organisation towards sewing and donating cloth pads. They have also requested public assistance to sew as many pads as possible.
The organisation has posted a sample pattern for sewing pads on their social media. Shazra said they hope to send the first shipment within about a month after work properly begins. However, the organisation said they need the help of many Maldivian tailors to achieve this goal.
The organization has previously done extensive work in support of the rights of Palestinian people as well. This includes their most recent project which will see the book 'Soul of All Souls" - a book covering the detailed events that happened in Palestine from the Ottoman Caliphate to the present day - being published. This book will soon be available for sale in the Maldives as well as other international platforms.
The book's title is dedicated to Reem, a 5-year-old Palestinian child who was martyred in the massacre carried out by Israel last year. This name is inspired by the phrase 'Soul of My Soul' used by Reem's grandfather to describe her.
Although the organization was established not long ago, it has already provided many services. This includes representing Maldives in the International Asia Pacific Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine. Because of this, Shazra and her team have confidence and assurance that they will be able to provide direct assistance to Gaza.
They are also working on providing financial assistance to Gaza the Aid Project. To achieve this, they have created a Telegram community and plan to collect a minimum of MVR 50 per month from members to send to Gaza. Shazra said that none of the donated money will be used for the organization's purposes and all aid will be sent directly to the people of Gaza.
"All the members of our organization are people who do this voluntarily while working full-time jobs. So no one needs a salary. Even for trips abroad, conference participation, or even printing a poster, it's all done from the pockets of the three founders alone. So even when we collect aid, 100 percent will be donated to Palestine," Shazra said.
Despite facing criticism and many challenges, the organization remains steadfast in defending the people of Gaza. They continue to travel to different islands in Maldives, meeting with women's development committees and businesspeople, sharing information about countries supporting Israel's attacks and the goods imported to Maldives from these countries.
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