How we illuminate

Inara Project started two years ago during the pandemic in 2020. Now in their third year of running, the Dorset non-profit hopes to achieve greater things to support the local community.

Inara translates to 'illumination' in Arabic, and the charity hopes their actions can bring lightness to those they are supporting.

The charity mirrors the co-founders Islamic beliefs about giving: Faith, Empowerment, Enrichment, and Unity.

In Islam, charity is not always financial, it can and should be in the kind actions towards others.

They've run numerous projects across the two years, partnering up with other organisations like Seeking Refuge Project and Live Well Dorset to help the vulnerable in the Dorset community.

These projects include, a community kitchen, food drive missions, a health MOT, and their latest, creative sewing sessions.

Recognising that there was a huge disconnect between the lack of provisions for the vulnerable in the Bournemouth community and those who are more fortunate who can support them, a group of women decided to do something about it. To find out more about how they uplift the community, Murshida Uddin went along to a food drive mission.

Red, green, yellow, and blue: The light passes through the stained glass casting a kaleidoscope of colours into the room. The volunteers have set up tables, all in a row, creating a food station in preparation for the Ramadan Food Drive.

11:45. Only 15 minutes till the food drive opens officially.

Suddenly, there’s a flurry of hands and bodies moving around the space. Containers and pans of food are opened, the beautiful aromas ebbing around the room in waves. Dishes from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are presented to me, and I’m shocked by the quantity. The food donations from volunteers in the BCP area are plentiful.

The fluffy rice from the pan and the warm, earthy soup is distributed, ready to find its home within a belly. There will be many in need of a meal, with a rise in homelessness in Bournemouth, including rough sleepers.

12:00. The food drive station is open.

Rajni Mahzabin, 26, one of the co-founders of the charity Inara Project, stands beside me as we talk about the current project. She's grateful for the donations, we both are amazed. "I suspect we going to have almost too much to donate to the few shelters around.”

“Why did we start Inara Project? Myself and the other co-founders started Inara Project because we really felt a disconnect between the young Muslim woman and the young ladies in the Dorset area and their community, and giving back to that community. We had those experiences when we studied at universities in bigger cities with more diverse communities and with a lot more going on and we returned to Dorset, and Bournemouth and Poole we didn’t feel that we had those opportunities and we noticed that the young woman, the younger girls at schools, colleges, and universities didn’t have those opportunities either. And so, we wanted to create that. During the pandemic and there was a lot of negativity in the news we want to start bringing the communities together."

The door opens and a man steps through; he’s an older gentlemen, still with bright eyes and an appetite. I’ve heard there’s some free food here somewhere, he says.

At five o’clock, the food drive closes. Packages of hot and cold food were made, handed out by the volunteers to the rough sleepers in the gardens and the town centre. Some go to the YMCA, who are thankful to receive some extra meals. The remaining few are ready to be distributed to students in accommodations. Watching the volunteers pull off a last-minute charity project was amazing, and seeing the happiness emanating off those who took the meals truly displays the values of Inara Project – faith, empowerment, enrichment, and unity.

“We wanted to provide females in our area the opportunity to be involved in projects to uplift those around them. We focus on women because we are women. We were debating about whether to do things for the whole community and we thought let's do something unique something that there isn’t, and we believe that women are the foundation of society and if you want to contribute to society, then we need to build on that foundation. We know the potential that women have and sometimes they don't see in themselves and we want to empower women and uplift them to see their own potential, we want them to be leaders in their communities in the schools and the and the organisations in their work and especially in their home lives and personal lives and we want to give them the confidence that we had that we were given and the opportunities."

"I've met some incredible people who have inspired me," said Nawar Saadi, 21, a volunteer.

We load up the last of the supplies to her car. As the evening settles on the horizon, the warm orange tones change to a cool blue. The other volunteers wave their goodbyes, going home to rest or break their fast. I wave goodbye to Rajni as I turn to go home.

Taken by volunteer AJ

Taken by volunteer

During Ramadan, the charity is busy with fundraising to help them continue supporting the community.

"The first biggest struggle we had was realising what a huge undertaking this was. We were all either full-time students, full-time working, or we had our family lives. What we took on was essentially another full-time job and that was really hard to balance. We wanted to do everything from the get-go."

Though most volunteers are local to the BCP area, Inara Project has attracted helpful minds from across the south. Nuzhath Ahmed, 26, a volunteer close to Birmingham is head of project delivery. She's helped bring their events and projects together through careful planning.

"I decided to join Inara Project because when I first came across their website and Instagram, its values and mission statement stood out to me straight away. It was all about empowering women, providing them with volunteering and leadership opportunities which is what I was seeking. I came out of lock down feeling as though I wasn't contributing towards something meaningful. I wanted to gain new skills that I couldn't gain at my day job. I also felt like I didn't have a crowd of like-minded people around me who wanted to make a difference. However, when I came across Inara Project, it looked like everything I was looking for! "

The Iftar dinner was huge success. A large number of the local Muslim community got to enjoy a night of laughter, accompanied by plates of delicious food, and immersed in the holy month of Ramadan.

Inara Project has done a dinner every year, and having been able to experience the sisterhood here, I know I will enjoy it in the future too.

"What are some of my best memories? One of my best memories at Inara Project - equally the scariest - was going on live TV to do an interview for 20 minutes, talking about Inara Project. When I first joined, I did not expect to get to this point just a year later. I have actively made the effort to go out and visit the team, attend socials and our project sessions in Dorset to stay connected and see the work we plan come to fruition - it's an incredible feeling," Nuzhath says, fondly recalling the memory.

"For me," Rajni says, "its the small moments of when you get feedback from unexpected members of the community. It makes you realise the effect you have on one person. You can create change just by having an effect on one person. That is all that matters, that is our goal achieved."

From left to right, volunteers Shahina, Nawshin, Rajni, and Nuzhath on Salaam Britain, Islam Channel

Click here to watch the full video of the volunteers on TV.