LDP is a treasure box waiting to be discovered if only people would reach out to it.
Set within the quiescent and scenic location of a hustling bustling city of Nairobi, 25 individuals from diverse walks of life undergo an astounding journey of knowing themselves. A 4 day Leadership Development Programme (LDP) organized by the Africa Federation Capacity Building Group was hosted by the Shia Asna Asheri Jamaat (SAAJ) Nairobi at the Jaffery Islamic Centre from 28th to 31st March 2019. The programme was facilitated by Br. Shabbirhussein Khalfan – Lead facilitator for LDP, Sr. Maria Pattinson from UK and supported by Sr. Shama Dewji, Br. Inayat Firdousi, Sr. Tahera Shivji, Sr. Zainab Sheriff, Sr. Zishan e Fatima Karim and Sr. Neelam Jiwa.
Each day began at 8:30 a.m. with reflection on verses from Holy Qur’an before the facilitators and participants immersed themselves in developing their most important and valuable asset – THEMSELVES.
LDP is not just acquisition of soft skills through sophisticated PowerPoint presentations and some crisp words on a bunch of 4×6 cards but it is a JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY. It is significant push out of your comfort zone, an eye opener to the myths you believe in and a belief in yourself to soar new heights. It is a pathway to greater values where practice and knowledge of faith is translated into actions of doing good for the community and to fulfil one’s duty towards Allah (SWT).
Some of the key concepts covered in the programme were: understanding self and others, the iceberg concept, emotional intelligence, effective communication, presenting with presence, giving and receiving feedback, power and politics, capacity vs capability, power of self, active listening, respect vs tolerance, self and leadership amongst several others. The various concepts were inculcated through innovative means of roleplay, group discussions and reflective learning.
The end of day 4 was nostalgically met by participants but with enthusiastic testimonials highlighting what they took away from this course and how it would impact their life after the programme. This was followed by a certification ceremony attended by prominent members of Nairobi Jamaat.
Feedback from Participants:
“An eye opening and insightful program.”
“The training was absolutely superb and the content was extremely informative and incredibly useful. I have attended several trainings before but I can’t recall any of them having such a strong impact. You have done a wonderful job and I appreciate your efforts.”
Notably, in attendance was Sheikh Dr. Murtadha Alidina who is currently the head of Islamic Education of the World Federation being one of the participants of the LDP program. With his attendance at this LDP, the participants had opportunities at various occasions to interact with Sheikh Dr. Alidina whose in-depth knowledge and wide-ranging scholastic abilities in Islamic studies and Jurisprudence are significant.
The AFED Capacity Building Group (CBG) wish to accord their utmost gratitude
and appreciation to the Chairman, Managing Committee of SAAJ, SAAJ – PDST and
volunteers for their time, energy and resources in hosting and organizing the
Leadership Development Program in Nairobi.
We also extend our appreciation to the Africa Federation Office Bearers and
Secretariat for their support, cooperation and guidance on the overall program.
Our deep appreciation also goes to each and every participant who took time off
from their busy schedules to further their personal and future development. It
is our sincere entreaty to the participants that this is but a stepping stone.
We hope that participants will keep up this learning journey and enhance their
personal effectiveness and also of their organization, community and humanity
at large.
CBG Secretariat
24th April 2019