WF > Relief & Economic Development > Articles > Haiti Relief 2010: Part 2

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3 December 2025 / 13 Jamaadi al Thaani 1447

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Haiti Relief 2010: Part 2 - Al Mahdi Islamic Centre

Updated 2 February 2010

In continuation from last week’s article, Part 1 – Al Mahdi Islamic Centre, this article will focus on the Al Mahdi Islamic Centre in the months and weeks prior to the great earthquake of 12 January, 2010.

SCHOOL FINANCIAL RESOURCES
The Al Mahdi Centre runs a school and has about 200 children enrolled. Children who live with their families are asked to make a yearly contribution of USD $10. Those children who are homeless are provided with education at no charge.

The income received from paying students is no where close to meeting the expenses related to food, laundry and staff salaries. Each teacher is paid USD $150 per month. Monthly financial expenses are thus personally covered by Br. Shu’ayb and his wife from their own pay checks as well as other individuals who donate whenever they are able to.

LOCATION AND STRUCTURE

The Al Mahdi Islamic Centre moved to a new location with a bigger yard. The land was purchased for USD $20,000. A USD $2,500 deposit was made with the agreement that the balance of the payment would be paid before the end of summer 2010.

The Centre is equipped with a:

Salaat room
5 classrooms
Small library

The following additions were under construction at the time of the earthquake:

Dormitory
Dining room
Cultural room (for Eid celebration and other Islamic events)

Muslim families who live close to the Centre attend the programmes on a daily basis including Salaat and special classes.

CHALLENGES
Before seeking refuge at the Centre, many of the children lived on the streets, had little or no clothing, had no family, had no home and often went without meals for long periods of time. In its endeavour to meet the basic and religious needs of the children, the Al Mahdi Islamic Centre was facing a number of challenges. Feeding, clothing, watching over and providing an education for so many children was a full time endeavour that required a lot of resources.

Meals
A well balanced diet is vital for the health and well being of all children. The Centre was only able to provide one small meal a day, and often only water to drink; this consistent diet made a tremendous impact on the lives of the students. The Centre hopes to be able to provide each child with three meals a day as well as milk or juice to drink. In the weeks prior to the earthquake, Br. Shu’ayb was looking for donors to cover the cost of the meals so that the students are able to study better, participate in more physical exercises and avoid certain illnesses.

Expansion
The number of children who wish to live at the centre is increasing and the lack of funds made it that much more challenging to meet the growing needs of the people. Among the Centre’s wish list, expansion ideas included the construction of:

A new dormitory
Dining Room
Kitchen
Administration office
Guest room
Computer lab
Professional centre
Primary school building

Electricity
Because municipal electricity was very limited (available a couple hours a day at best) and costly, the Centre needed solar panels and a diesel powered generator to provide lighting for the buildings that were often dark inside even during daylight hours.

Health Care
There is a lack of affordable medical care for the children at the Centre and Br. Shu’ayb envisioned the opening of a new medical clinic as part of the Al Mahdi Islamic Centre. Having this facility would help meet the various medical needs of the children. At present, a Haitian Muslin doctor provides monthly check ups for the children. However, this limited service is not enough because the Centre does not have a proper place and the necessary equipment for medical exams.

Transportation
The only form of transportation available at the Centre was Br. Shu’ayb’s car, a small compact vehicle. Although very helpful, it was not the most adequate means of transportation. He used his personal car to pick up supplies, run errands and transport sick children to the clinic. Br. Shu’ayb decided that a bus was needed to replace his old car. However, the Centre had no funds to make this purchase.

Br. Shu’ayb, the founder and administrator of the Al Mahdi Islamic Centre expressed, “We continue to hope that one day the Centre will be self sufficient, but currently we remain dependant almost entirely on donations to exist. It is with this support of Allah (SWT) that we have accomplished so much and hope to continue to accomplish much more. The Centre receives no government funding since Islam is not a recognized religion in Haiti.”