Middle East Youth Service Activities
June 2018
As per the Holy Scripture Quran, every Muslim should abide by the five pillars of Islam which are: Declaration of faith, Obligatory prayer, Compulsory giving, Fasting and Pilgrimage to Mecca. The holy month of Ramadan commenced from the middle of May extending until middle of June. The followers of Islam in the region consider rituals and prayers as their prime responsibility thereby observing fasts and giving away alms as Zakat (money given for charitable and religious purposes).
“Service to Man is Service to God” – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Service at construction sites has been the prime Seva of the youth of Middle East which is now benefitting over 600 labourers from four different areas in the region. These men toil under the sun, day in and day out, to build magnificent edifices, yet they are paid very little for the hard labour they undertake. A major share of whatever they earn is sent to their homes for taking care of their kith and kin, leaving a bare minimum, just to keep themselves alive. The youth derived inspiration from such selfless and sacrificing souls whose hearts are richer than their pockets.
The selfless Sai Youth of the Middle East region are always excited to welcome weekends, as they get to meet these brothers, in whom they see their own reflections. They end up sharing quality time with each other distributing refreshments, snacks, dry ration, fruits and toiletries. The loving smiles from the recipients fill the hearts of these youth with the required energy to keep them vibrant for their own personal work.
‘Young Youth on the Path of Service
The youth of Middle East have divided themselves into four different groups. One group, primarily consists of the youngest among the youth, ‘Young Youth’ (as they are lovingly referred to, by the Sai family). These boys and girls co-ordinate their Seva end-to-end, from procuring the goods (be it vegetables or toiletries or snacks) through solid negotiations, to arranging the logistics at the work sites and distributing the same to their fellow brethren on all Saturdays.
Being a regular activity that happens every week, the labourers now know the youth by name and also enquire if any of them miss a day. The labourers have often mentioned to the youth that they feel happy seeing them coming for Seva and that it often reminds them of their brothers and sisters back in their home towns, in their respective countries.
‘Service Becomes the Breath of Life
For the youth of the Middle East, no weekend is spent without engaging in a group service activity. There is a group of youth, who stay towards north of the region, roaming around the city in search of labourers toiling under the hot sun, to be served. They go around distributing butter-milk packets for such hard-working souls who cannot afford to pay for even a cool drink.
The youth served over 50 such men working at different locations in and around the city. During another week, the youth managed to find a construction site with 40 workers. The labourers were indeed surprised by this loving gesture of distributing laban packets, bananas, and vegetable kits for free. The labourers’ joy knew no bounds as it was for the first time that they were beneficiaries of such selfless love and sacrifice. It took no time for them to nurture a bond with the youth, as if they had known each other for a long time.
