DirectAid supports Eid celebrations with 250 bulls, serves free meat to 2,500 families

The DirectAid Society in Ghana, the Kuwait-based international humanitarian non-governmental organization on Friday slaughtered 250 bulls to provide meat for over 2,500 families across Ghana.

The gesture, an annual ritual by DirectAid to support mainly the Islamic community to celebrate the Eid-al-Adha festivities, was also extended to non-Muslims who thronged the Mercy Social Center (Al Rahma Social Center, Lakeside Estate) base in Accra to partake in the free meat.

Similar exercises took place at the Society’s three other centres in Ghana, namely Cape Coast, Tamale and Kumasi, and each celebrant received a gift of no less than 3kg of meat to take home.

According to Suleiman Adam, Secretary to the DirectAid Ghana Country Director, the gift of meat was to put some smiles on the faces of celebrants and all others who partook in the exercise across the country.

“We don’t discriminate in the distribution, we give to Muslims and non-Muslims and anyone who comes here, we don’t discriminate.

“The cost involved in this donation exercise is about 150,000 Euros. We are not doing this only at the Mercy Centre, this is happening at all our four centres in Ghana, in Tamale, Kumasi, Cape Coast and this place where we are. We are doing this donation to put happiness in the hearts of the people and it is for free. You can see the process going on, we take a lot of care to prepare the meat. We enskin the animals after they are slaughtered and we can assure you this is wholesome meat.”

The Director of the Mercy Centre, Reda Naguib, who emphasized the non-discriminately approach to DirectAid’s activities, said it is also the reason the Society changed its name to DirectAid to correct an earlier unintended impression that it was solely to support Islamic activities.

“I want to thank everyone here who is helping DirectAid, especially the Government of Ghana, the police and army who are all supporting us (for an orderly distribution) and all who came here. We are at your service at DirectAid. Thank you.”

Sami Henedak Ahmed Mohammed, DirectAid Ghana Country Director, congratulated all celebrants in Ghana for a successful celebration. He prayed that Allah may intervene, on behalf of the people of Ghana, and heal all who are sick of Covid-19 and cleanse the land.

“May Allah save Ghana and the people. Ghana is a country of peace. We thank everybody for today and we ask Allah to bless the country.”

He explained that the annual exercise will continue as always, and make the celebrations affordable for a good number of brothers and sisters who on their own, cannot afford to provide meat for the occasion, just as DirectAid will continue to support the celebration of Ramadan with the free distribution of food items.

Chief Abdul-Qadir Yakubu Mole, the Ashale Botwe Zongo Chief who led a number of Islamic leaders to grace the occasion and to pray for peace and unity, heaped praises on DirectAid for the many humanitarian interventions they are providing Ghanaians and urged the government to provide them every support they require to enhance their work.

He urged all Ghanaians to be law-abiding so peace will abound in the country, saying that especially as the nation prepares to go to the polls in December, Ghanaians must show great maturity to show that our democracy has come of age.

A number of beneficiaries who spoke to Graphic Online, expressed gratitude for the gift and prayed Allah’s blessings for DirectAid.