The primary mission of the Africa Youth Network – the youth board of Africa Federation – is “Cultivating and strengthening youth networks to develop the youth for tomorrow: educated, socially aware and vibrant followers of the Ahlul Bayt (AS)”.
To this effect, I am proud to introduce our core team. The team members have displayed a versatile and talented skill-set, diverse experience in working in youth affairs and development work and great dedication. In addition to this core team, youth representatives from each jamaat will provide their input, support and unique perspective to ensure the development needs of the youth are addressed at a holistic level. Please find below brief profiles for each of our core team.
Qamber Somji was born and brought up in Mombasa, Kenya. After completing his primary and secondary education at Jaffery Academy in Mombasa, he pursued higher education in Malaysia where he graduated with a Bachelors’ Degree in Business Marketing and Management from Oxford Brookes University.
With a keen interest in the community activities, Qamber has served as the Hon. Asst. Secretary of Mombasa Jamaat for two years, from 2009 to 2011 and is currently the Hon. Secretary of Jaffery Medical and Welfare Board of Mombasa. A dedicated volunteer started from a very young age and continues to do so. Qamber has also worked in the Africa Federation Sports Council as a committee member for the last seven years.
Sajjad Karamsi was born in Dar es Salaam, and went to primary and secondary school in Nairobi, and has lived there for most of his life. He currently works as a business analyst for a credit and big data analytics consultancy and holds a degree in economics, statistics and finance from the University of Cape Town where he undertook his studies.
Sajjad is currently also involved at Haydari Madressah, Nairobi, and has taken part in various programs initiatives by SAAJ, Nairobi and Africa Federation, including the Africa Federation Youth Camp in 2015.
Sarah Somji was born and brought up in Dar es Salaam where she completed her IGCSE and International Baccalaureate Diploma before going to Cardiff, UK for further education. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Science (BSc) and her Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Cardiff University in 2015.
She has been involved in volunteering services since she was a child and has always felt the responsibility to give back to the community that she grew up in. She feels that youth require an organization to allow them to grow and to demonstrate their capabilities, and that the AYN is the best platform for this.
Sarah Karamsi was born in Dar es Salaam and completed her primary and secondary education at Nairobi Jaffery Academy. She currently works as a Business Intelligence Analyst at an IT consultancy in Nairobi, following successful completion of her degree in Information Systems at the University of Cape Town.
She volunteers at the Haydari Madressah, Nairobi as a Tarikh teacher with the vision of instilling strong Islamic morals within the youth of our community. She is a member of Who is Hussain Nairobi Core committee and the SAAJ Nairobi Women’s Tabligh Committee, she advocates innovative and effective ways of doing Tabligh within the community, and has volunteered in various charity events.
Sarah strongly believes in utilizing the skills that one possesses to serve in the name of Allah (SWT). She was involved in youth upliftment initiatives, interfaith dialogues and women empowerment programs at the Ahlulbayt Islamic Centre, Cape Town and helped establish the practice of having Muharram and Ramadhan classes for children at the Centre.
Zeeya Jaffer was born and raised in India; she is married and is a mother, and an accountant by profession. After moving to Mombasa in 2012, she used her passion for organizing events, in supporting the community through charitable event planning. Over the years, this is something that she has really enjoyed and hopes to continue. In addition to this, Zeeya has begun a new venture in producing organic products promoting good health.
She is very excited and humbled to be a part of the Africa Youth Network Team and looks forward to serving the youth. She remarks – “Together, we can bring a positive change that will impact the future of our Community”.
With your support and dedication, and by the will of Allah (SWT), we strive to achieve growth and empower the youths of our community.
Aliraza Sumar
Chairman – AYN