Ismaili Muslims ethic of giving and sharing, generosity of resources, time and knowledge, inspires this story in Canada’s national newspaper – The Globe and Mail.
What inspires people to give? And what do they get out of it? We asked readers to tell us about people who make a real difference in their community, then asked experts in the science of altruism how their generosity pays off for more than just those they set out to help.
Providing good dental care to Calgarians is his profession, but Noor Jaffer’s true calling takes him far from the city on the Bow.
Dedicated to international assistance, he has cut his office hours in recent years (his son has picked up the slack), so he can devote more time and energy to his primary passion: the Institute for Rural Education and Development, which he founded four years ago with Aly Nanji, now IREAD’s chief education officer.
The non-profit organization is devoted to bringing schools that specialize in early childhood development to remote areas.
“We don’t build in major townships,” says the 60-year-old philanthropist. “The first five are built and operational up in the mountainous part of northwest Pakistan very close to the Afghanistan border in an area called Chitral.” In 2011, IREAD received won a YMCA Peace Award for its work in the region.
“We are about to embark on more schools in that area as well as in Uganda,” says Dr. Jaffer, who scouts out new sites, paying travel expenses out of his own pocket.
Earlier related:
Aly Nanji and Noor Jaffer: IREAD: Institute for Rural Education and Development
2011 YMCA Peace Medal Recipients – Aly Nanji and Dr. Noorali Jaffer – The Institute of Rural Education and Development
Ismailimail 