The Quick Version: Village Alhamdulillah has a population of around 8,000 yet no school for the children to learn at. The closest school is 90 miles away! 97% of the children are illiterate, but we are going to change that with this campaign. InshaAllah we will build a school to teach Reading, Writing, Science, Math, Qur'an and Islamic Studies. Let's build this school together!

300+ children have already signed up eagerly anticipating the opening of the school! InshaAllah the school will not only have 9 classrooms to accommodate the students, but will also care for the nourishment and health of the students. We are starting a self-sustaining, free-range poultry farm, from which the student lunches will be prepared daily and served in a 300 person cafeteria to allow for student interaction and growth. Proceeds from the poultry farm and the renting the cafeteria during non-school hours will help sustain the school. 2 wells will quench the thirst of the students, staff and village folk and will also irrigate the farm. Furthermore, an onsite clinic will take care of the students and staff that are not feeling well, so they can maximize their time in the school. The closest medical facility is 90 miles away! 

A young man named Abdulwahab once lived in a village called Yako, in modern day Burkina Faso, West Africa. Some of Yako's residents worshiped stones, including the village chief, while others were Muslims. However, not many people were literate about Islam. This young man wanted to learn his faith to benefit himself and his people. In 1895, he decided to take a journey on foot to Timbuktu, the oldest university in Africa and studied there and the surrounding regions of Guinea and Mauritania. After years of study he became a teacher and a well known scholar himself. Hundreds of students came to learn from him and and he became beloved to his students.

Eventually he decided that the time had come for him to go back home to Yako and benefit his people. As he packed up to leave, much to his surprise 80 students also joined him with their families and belongings. The caravan set out towards Yako in 1915. When the village chief got wind of Abdulwahab's return and the size of the caravan, he felt that his position was threatened. He immediately sent out fighters to stop them.

The teacher and students decided not to fight back, but rather called the bare earth beneath their feet - home. They named the newly founded village - 'Alhamdulillah', which translates to All Praise is for God, as a sign of their gratitute. The village was poor but for some time visitors were frequent. They came to learn from Shaykh Abdulwahab and his students. They even wrote entire manuscripts of tafsir and hadith by hand. 

The community remained poor but a vibrant center for Islamic education until after Shaykh Abdulwahab passed away in 1952. After his death his senior students assumed leadership. By 1985 the majority of them passed away, resulting in a breakdown of the educational system and community as a whole.

In 2007, Abdulwahab's grandson, Khalid continued his grandfather's legacy of studying Islam and graduated from Al-Azhar University. He decided to travel to America to teach in 2009. He got married and settled. In 2014 he finally travel back home to Village Alhamdulillah. When he got there he could not believe his eyes. The masjid's roof had fallen to the floor and no one had enough resources to fix it, and the condition of the residents had worsened. He was determined to rebuilt the masjid. He returned in 2015 with funds raised from family and friends and built a new masjid. Everyone was delighted, yet the village chief, Al-Hajj Oumar had words of wisdom to share with Khalid.

The village chief told Khalid that he was happy with the new masjid, but they needed to focus on building people and the respect for the knowledge like his grandfather had done. That is what will bring the village back to life. Shaykh Khalid and the village are now working to build a school for the hundreds of school aged children that do not have a school to attend. 300+ children have already signed up eagerly anticipating the opening of the school. Will you help us build the school and build our future?

Your donations are tax-deductible and our pledge to you is that 100% of the funds raised will go to support the Village Alhamdulillah School! This project is eligible for your zakat as well.

Campaign by Ummology. A premium, full-service consulting firm that helps incredible products and services reach Muslim audiences globally. Schedule a free consultation at www.Ummology.com