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Gift of the Givers’ Dr Imtiaz Sooliman inspires hope at UFS Brown Bag Lunch

26 September 2023 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) Centre for Graduate Support (CGS) recently hosted Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, at a CGS Brown Bag Lunch. The Brown Bag Lunches are a series of informal talks aimed at providing guidance and inspiration to postgraduate students.

The event served as a platform for Dr Sooliman to share his insights into how pursuing a postgraduate degree can empower individuals to bring hope and change to those around them.

He said his talk was inspired by his own journey: “After receiving a message from my spiritual leader in Istanbul, Turkey, at the age of just 30, I immediately heeded the calling and established the Gift of the Givers Foundation.”

He emphasised that success and progress are not possible without faith and spirituality, and that these were motivating factors in his work. “The foundation works to unite people with a common vision to make a real difference by serving mankind for the greater good.”

Dr Sooliman shared many of his experiences and insights with the audience. He said the foundation has provided critical aid to many disaster-stricken regions and has extended its assistance to the most vulnerable populations worldwide.

Creating hope

The Gift of the Givers Foundation also provides support to the UFS No Student Hungry Programme, which delivers food parcels to needy students on the UFS’s three campuses.

Dr Sooliman’s efforts have helped the foundation make a real and telling difference in the lives of people from all classes, political affiliations, and geographical locations

He encouraged students and academics in the audience to “view your pursuit of higher education as a means to gain knowledge, but also as a tool to cultivate empathy, resilience, and a sense of purpose”.

Event organisers said the University of the Free State continues to promote education and community engagement, and Dr Sooliman’s visit served as a beacon of inspiration for students and academics alike.

Dr Danila Wessels, Assistant Director at the Centre for Graduate Support, said, “Inviting Dr Imtiaz Sooliman to our Brown Bag Lunch event was a deliberate choice driven by our commitment to broadening the vision of UFS postgraduate students. We believe that postgraduate studies can serve as a powerful impetus for bringing hope to people, and Dr Sooliman's inspirational journey perfectly exemplifies this."

News Archive

UFS DiMTEC will help compile national emergency management system

2017-10-11

Preparedness and response are the two most important aspects of managing disaster when it strikes. Prof Andries Jordaan, Head of the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently attended an incident command course in California in the US.

Learning from US disaster management systems
More than 20 specialists from 17 countries attended the course where participants were introduced to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in the US. The system was implemented after lessons learned during 9/11. “According to the NIMS structure, all government organisations at all levels as well as emergency agencies had to standardise terminology and systems,” said Prof Jordaan.

The professor also had the opportunity to visit among others the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) headquarters in California, some State Coordination Centres as well as several other disaster management centres. He also had the chance to shadow an Incident Management Team (IMT) during active operations.

Providing training for local disaster management
Insight gained during this course, as well as Prof Jordaan’s experience as senior officer in the South African National Defence Reserve Forces, provided him the necessary background to conduct training and give assistance in terms of disaster management.

Through DiMTEC Prof Jordaan will assist the National Disaster Management Centre with the implementation of a national emergency management system. He will also provide training for incident management teams.

“DiMTEC is currently also in the process of developing a Master module in disaster response. Command and control and Incident Command will form a sub-module in the disaster response module,” he said.

From South Africa, Prof Jordaan was joined on the course by General Elias Mpumelelo Mahlabane from the South African Police Services, who is responsible for disaster management in the SAPS. Savage Breytenbach, a trainer in rural fire fighting who assists Mangaung with command and control structures, also attended the course.

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