The Department hosted a talk by Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, in February.  Dr Sooliman was born in  Potchefstroom and qualified as a medical doctor at the University of Natal. He founded the Gift of the Givers Foundation in 1992.  The organization is known for its rapid humanitarian responses and has distributed over R6 billion in aid across 47 countries over 32 years. They have innovated world-firsts such as the world’s first container mobile hospital, which was proudly developed in South Africa, and deployed in the conflict in Bosnia in the 1990’s. 

Dr Sooliman shared how his spiritual calling has driven his humanitarian work.  He also spoke about the role of divine intervention or meaningful coincidences in his organization’s work. He shared anecdotes where unexpected events aligned perfectly, enabling Gift of the Givers to provide critical aid and care at just the right time. Drawing on the South African concept of Ubuntu, Dr Sooliman reminded us of our shared humanity and responsibility. He further spoke about the value of courage and providing a human touch and a listening ear during their missions. Dr Sooliman urged us, as South Africans and Africans, to believe in ourselves and advocate for our country and continent.

The talk was well attended and well received, culminating in a standing ovation from the audience. Many audience members were keen to talk to Dr Sooliman afterwards but he had to leave quite promptly in order to get to his next obligation.  As alluded to during his talk, ‘His teams don’t sit still.’