AFED YOUTH CAMP MOSHI 2015
The AFED Youth Camp Moshi 2015 was held from 1st to 10th April 2015. On 29th March, the AYN Chairman, an AYN Committee Member and a mentor arrived at Moshi to start the ground work. They were later joined by Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi from Bhavnagar, India – who served at the camp as a teacher and guide, and Alhaj Shabbirhussein Khalfan a resource from CBG of AFED, who helped at the camp as a facilitator and teacher – who arrived on the 30th to assist with the preparations.
After long bus journey to Moshi from their places of domicile, campers started arriving on 1st April, with the large groups from Nairobi and Arusha arriving in the late afternoon. Upon arrival, all campers were allocated to their rooms and planets – and their passports and any valuables (and electronic devices) they had were stored for safekeeping by the camp administrators. Everyone lived in one of the three dorms, named – Kijana, Kiongozi and Kivuli. Each camper was provided with a campers’ kit that included a dua book, stationery, a salah assessment form, a water bottle and a musalla. A few campers and mentors from Dar es Salaam arrived on the 3rd of April – due to their school exams only ending on the 2nd. Each camper was allocated into one of the planets – Mars, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn or Neptune – with each planet consisting of 10 campers and 2 mentors each.
There were a total of 57 campers, 12 mentors, 4 administrators, 3 speakers/facilitators – including the camp Aalim and spiritual guide, and a Camp Lead.
On the first day, after dinner everyone proceeded for Maghribain salaah (dinner was served at 6 p.m. at camp), in the large hall – Karibu – that was used for all group activities. Shaykh Nuru Mohammed, the camp Aalim and spiritual guide, gave a short introductory talk (he gave a brief talk after every salaah) – after which the campers officially began their camp experience with the setting of camp rules and understanding expectations. The official camp mission statement: “Sharing sustenance for the mind, body and soul” was explained.
The next few days followed a similar schedule, with Fajr namaaz in the morning, followed by a short rest period. (Mentors would be up at 5.00 a.m. with the responsibility to ensure everyone was at Fajr namaaz in time.) Breakfast followed – with different daily menus that included omelettes, French toast, waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs along with accompanying cereal, tea and fresh juice. During every meal, a different planet would serve the campers – which helped instil the sense of volunteering and community service to the campers.
After breakfast, everyone proceeded to the Qur’an and Salaah Assessment session. Here campers had an hour of Qur’an class – where they explore their recitation of the Holy Qur’an and the mentors and teachers – including Shaykh Nuru Mohammed and Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi – helped them improve not only their recitation but also their understanding of the Holy Qur’an. Simultaneously, campers were assessed one-by-one on their salaah. Every camper had their wudhoo and salaah checked for any flaws or areas of improvement, and mentors guided the camper through this process and assisted all campers in trying to make their salaah perfect.
Thereafter, the campers then started their daily classes. Classes were taught by Shaykh Nuru Mohammed, Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi, Br Shabbirhussein Khalfan, Br Muntazir Meghjee and all the mentors at the camp. The topics varied – but they all focused on the camp mission statement of “Sharing sustenance for the mind, body and soul”. Class topics included: Buloogh and related issues, public speaking and debating skills, introduction to astronomy, the importance of respecting one another, how to deal with peer pressure, understanding the brain, arrogance, learning and studying techniques, as well as a series of classes by Shaykh Nuru Mohammed on Tawheed and Akhlaaq.
Classes were followed by dhohrain namaaz and lunch, after which campers attended “Planet time”. Planets shared dorms, played sports together, and did numerous other activities together – of which “Planet time” was one of the most important. Here campers and their mentors discussed within their planet any issues they faced on a personal level, and the session was used for personal development for all involved.
The sports sessions – which followed “Planet time” – were quite popular amongst the campers and mentors. Campers played water polo, football, volleyball, tennis and cricket against each other in their planets with their mentors playing alongside them – coaching and motivating the campers. Shaykh Nuru Mohammed also often joined in to play football alongside the rest of the campers.
After everyone washed up after sports, they all proceeded to dinner at 6pm – followed by Maghribain namaaz and the now customary inspirational talk by Shaykh Nuru Mohammed. Shaykh, in his talks after salaah, covered a variety of topics including asraaf, haqq-un-naas, respect, tips on making one’s salaah more spiritual and effective, as well as daily Fiqh rules specifically targeted towards the campers.
This then led into “Personal Development Time”, PDT, where campers completed numerous exercises that were focused on “Sharing sustenance for the mind, body and soul”. These included lateral thinking exercises, team-building activities and debates between the planets. Campers were also given a daily camp summary, by one of their campers – which touched on the key events of the day at camp; as well as a current affairs segment where one camperinformed the rest the about news and sports events that made headlines during the day.
After another “Planet time” session, this time in the campers’ dorms, and hot chocolate, the campers went to sleep by 10.30 p.m., to wake up in time for Fajr and another exciting day of personal, spiritual, academic, and physical development.
One of the highlights of the camp was the field trip, on the 7th of April, to the Ngara Sero Mountain Lodge Conservancy – a private lodge where the campers were taught about fish farming and hydro-electric power generation, as well as observed the beautiful sights at the lodge – including Colobus and Sykes monkeys as well as hundreds of small animal and bird species.
The theme of environmental conservation continued the entire day, with the talk after salaah given by Shaykh focusing on our responsibilities towards the environment, and that night’s PDT session also environment-related. Each planet had to design and present a product that was beneficial to the environment in a Dragon’s Den-like competition.
The evening of the 9th of April – saw the closing ceremony of the camp – as all campers would depart early next day. The camp was graced by the presence of the Assistant Honorary Secretary of the Africa Federation – Alhaj Kumail Manji, the President of KSI Jamaat Arusha, Alhaj Gulamhussein Mukhtar, the Chairman of the KSI Jamaat Moshi – Alhaj Shafiq Kanji and the Chairman of the AFED Sports Council, Alhaj Mahmood Somji.
Also present were various other invitees and guests. Alhaj Kumail Manji read out a message from the Chairman of the Africa Federation, Alhaj Anwarali Dharamsi, which offered congratulations and gratitude for the completion of a successful camp. He expressed AFED’s appreciation to all those who were involved from the start to the end of the Camp Moshi, without forgetting the support of the World Federation, the Constituent Jamaats of the Africa Federation, AFED Secretariat and the various boards and sections of Africa Federation for their unwavering support towards the AFED Youth Camp – Moshi 2015.
A token of appreciation was also awarded to Moshi Jamaat. Moshi played crucial role in negotiation with the Management of International School, Moshi – the Camp Site and with the logistics of the camp. “A big Thank You” to Moshi Jamaat office bearers.
All campers, mentors, administrators and speakers were then awarded Certificates and a small token of appreciation, followed by the camp photo.
The “Best Sportsman” award at the camp – for showing excellent sportsmanship and team spirit was awarded to Mohammed Habshy of Nakuru, the “Best Discipline” award went to Zainali Jamal of Kampala, and the “Best Camper” award went to Sameer Shariff of Moshi – who showed great commitment to upholding the values and ethos of the camp, they were awarded by the Chairman of Africa Youth Network (AYN) and the Camp Lead, Br. Muntazir Meghjee.
The last day at the camp, amidst a flood of emotions, all participants departed to return to their homes, after an enriching experience that helped them develop spiritually, academically, physically and personally – having all upheld the camp mission of “Sharing sustenance for the mind, body and soul”.
I wish to express my deep gratitude to the AYN Board members, the office bearers of the Africa Federation, the World Federation CBG and Africa Federation CBG teams for their unflinching support in making this dream Camp possible – May Allah (swt) reward them all – Ameen.
Muntazir Meghjee
AYN – Chairman & Camp Leader