TABLE OF CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATION 3
3. EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT PERIOD. 6
4. STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY AND SERVICE BASED
LEARNING ATTACHMENT. 12
5. CONCLUSION 14
6. APPENDICES
1.INTRODUCTION

Masjid As-Salaam is a community organization located along Muhoho Avenue

in Mugoya, South C. It boasts one of the largest, if not the largest, Masjids in
South C, whose capacity exceeds 1000 heads.

It deals in uplifting the society through its many projects that have continued to
better the lives of South C residents and other communities in the country. It has
done so through innovative initiatives partnering with a network of similar
community organizations in Nairobi.

It organizes charity collection and distribution to the needy, it operates an

integrated Islamic school that offers a better understanding of the Islamic
religion to community members: Muslim and non-Muslim, it also helps
community members with burial services and medical emergencies by operating
an ambulance and a funeral van that serves them, among others.

I chose to do my attachment there because I wanted to give back to my

community, having been a member for as long as I can remember. I took my
application letter to the main office and without hesitation they accepted to let
me lend my services. My supervisor and I agreed upon various conditions,
including; working 10 hours a day from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm,
with no pay. However I was always offered tea and snacks twice a day.

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I did not have a specific job description, sometimes I was the teacher, or the
cleaner or the secretary. It depended on the task I was given for the day.
These are the tasks I was given while at this organization:

1. Teaching (Tuition)
2. Library services; i.e Cataloging and shelving books & journals.
3. Secretarial duties at the administration and the zakat(charity) offices
4. Guidance and counseling for the students (ie; helping students find their
passions and interests that may lead to a career choice they may not have
considered)
5. Volunteering my financial skills at the zakat (charity) office.

In this report I give a detailed account of the organization I worked for and my
experience as a volunteer at the organization. I outline my day to day routine and
my overall feedback about the whole experience. My aim is to generally shed
light on what I have gathered or rather learnt, with the hopes of encouraging
others to give back to society in the same way.

2. COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATION

Masjid As-Salaam community center, located along Muhoho Avenue, Mugoya,

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South C.

Postal Address; P.O.Box 3342-00506.

Before Masjid As-Salaam became the community center it is today, it was just a
small iron sheet Masjid, standing on a fraction of the real estate it currently
occupies. The Masjid leadership decided to approach the community with a plan
for expanding the Masjid and making it into the community center it is today.
The community came together to finance the project and voila, in a couple of
years it was finally opened to the public, after completion.

It is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, Masjids in South C, whose
capacity exceeds 1000 heads and even has a television network, ILM TV, through
which a larger audience is reached.

The organization deals in uplifting the society through its many projects that have
continued to better the lives of South C residents and other communities in the
country. It has done so through innovative initiatives partnering with a network of
similar community organizations in Nairobi.

These are some of the roles of the Masjid plays in the community;

● Organizing charity collection and distribution to the needy,

● It operates an integrated Islamic school that offers a better understanding of
the Islamic religion to community members: Muslim and non-Muslim as

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 well as those reverting/ converting to islam,
● It also helps community members with burial services and medical
emergencies by operating an ambulance and a funeral van that serves them,
● It also organizes visits from international Islamic scholars and clerics to the
country.

The organization is structured in the following manner;

➔ At the top, the organization is headed by a Chairman, who is selected from

by the Masjid’s Board of Governance. .
➔ Then the imam (The figurehead who leads the prayers on a daily basis)
➔ The Muadhin (the one who calls people for prayer)
➔ Directly under him is the Supervisor for the men's section, who is tasked
with the day to day running of the organization. He is charged with
assigning duties to all workers in the institution. He ensures that work is
divided equally and is rotated in the same way. This is done by a work
chart which specifies what each worker is to do each day when they report
to work. This chart is updated at the end of each day to ensure equal
workload. Among his many duties the supervisor is also tasked with
assigning work to interns in the institution.
➔ Supervisor for the ladies section, who also shares the same responsibilities
as the supervisor for the men’s section.
➔ Different department heads are next in line, among who was
my supervisor,
➔ The staff members, ie; teaching staff, support staff, volunteer
staff (interns)

The workload is fairly rotated so that no individual would be restricted to work

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 in a particular place all through the week. The supervisor is in charge of
allocating and rotating duties. The duties include:

6. Teaching (Tuition)
7. Library services; i.e Cataloging and shelving books & journals.
8. Secretarial duties at the administration and the zakat(charity) offices
9. Guidance and counseling for the students (ie; helping students find their
passions and interests that may lead to a career choice they may not have
considered)
10.Volunteering my financial skills at the zakat (charity) office.

I did not have a permanent working station. However at all the places I was
assigned to work at, I was met with professionalism and cooperation from the
staff and the students too. This made my work much easier, and it gave me
motivation to come back the next day.

A typical working day for me started at 8am and ended at 5pm, while having
short breaks in the course of the day.
My supervisor would check in on me at random hours to ensure everything was
going smoothly, and I raised any queries I encountered then.

3. EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT PERIOD.

Personal contribution to the organization

I was able to offer guidance and counseling to students sitting for the KCSE
exams and explain to them the different stages/occurrences they could encounter.
From revising difficulties to managing workload, it was with great honor that I
was able to finally touch pupils’ lives and offer assistance to them assuring them

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that days do get brighter and that it's all about time for them to overcome
whatever difficulties they face and that they should not seek perfection but do
their best. From this exercise not only did they get a way to solve their problems
but also a friend they could always lean on.

I was also offering free tuition to the candidates especially in math and the
languages. I was able as well to guide the students on how to go about their
national exams, do continuous revision with them, teach new things/tricks/ideas
on how to remember the concepts they learnt in class, encourage them to be their
best versions, among others. I was able to stand by their side till the examinations
approached mentoring them and as a support guide ensuring they have an easy
time with the exams.

I introduced cataloging to the library that holds thousands of books. The process
was long and arduous and it involved recovering and restoring books and journals
that had not been opened in years. The process was carried out by the aid of other
interns at the organization but I did lead the process from a team standpoint. It did
bring me joy at the end of the service to have done such a good job. Anticipating
reward from the Almighty was a motivating factor as well as my love for
organization and order.

I also worked at the charity office for a while. There I offered my services as a
secretary organizing the collection and distribution of charity to the needy and
those financially dependent on the masjid. The holy month of Ramadan was to
begin at the end of my internship and in the meantime, the masjid usually makes
an effort to serve the poor people of the community in that regard.

Finally, I assisted the masjid’s support staff in ensuring the masjid was clean.
Also the environment at large on an administrative basis. This ranged from
actually doing the cleaning to supervising.

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Knowledge, skills and values acquired during the internship

The attachment was able to bring out my leadership and administrative skills. I
was given various tasks around the masjid and its various offices. For instance, I
supervised the cleanliness of the masjid and the library. I also lead a team that
cataloged and arranged books and journals at the masjid library. As a result I
gained important and relevant knowledge as well as skills.

It also enhanced my communication skills as I was able to stand in front of large

crowds and among my peers. From organizing and assembling staff every

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morning and evening to practical demonstration of what was expected of them, I
was able to sharpen my communication skills and speak without stage fright. I
was also able to interact with the people at the organization regardless of their
age, backgrounds and positions.

I was able to improve on my time management skills as I was supposed to report

to the Masjid on time despite the crazy traffic in the morning. Also, I was
required to complete the daily tasks on their stipulated time.

I was able to improve my ability to work under pressure as I was able to solve
different problems often considering a tight schedule and a deadline. Usually, this
involved taking up tasks in times of crisis i.e., in case one of my peers never
showed up for work. On most days, I worked in this way, often working extra
hours and meeting strict deadlines set by my supervisors.

Challenges encountered & how they were solved (key)

During my attachment I did experience work overload most days. The technical
staff in the institution are quite few and this posed a challenge especially in
getting work done. This challenge was also compounded by the preparations for
the holy month of ramadan. I did let my supervisor know this and I was
encouraged to take a break if necessary. I was also encouraged to plan my time
well and complete difficult tasks first. I also began taking note of my mental
health and this enabled me to know when enough was enough.

I also struggled with working with some of my peers interning at the masjid.

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Since I was their team leader, I often collided with the lazy ones among us.
Particularly those who never showed up on work days and/or those who showed
up late. There were also power struggles that I had to address among the team
members and nip in the bud- thankfully from experience as a student leader in
high school this was something that I was able to handle in a professional
manner.

There were also challenges in offering free tuition to KCSE candidates. Initially
there was a lot of time wasting on their part, especially students not showing up
prepared to learn. At times also there was a struggle in cooperating with the
students on how we divided time to work on subjects. A common occurrence
would be spending more time than allocated on a particular subject or not
touching all subjects in a particular day. These issues were solved by involving
teachers who the students brought to the library to work alongside to help the
candidates.

Finally, through the process of arranging books and journals in the library, I got a
flu from all the dust in those books. I was down for a day but fortunately it was
not serious. I quickly got medication and going forward I dressed with caution. I
did this by using face masks and latex gloves. I was also equipped with a working
lab coat.

These were the challenges I faced during my internship, nonetheless they were
minor bumps and never affected my work.

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Areas of personal improvement
Before starting my volunteering work at Masjid Salaam , my interpersonal skills
were at their lowest level. With the pandemic suspending learning activities at the
campus and having to learn online, this deteriorated my interpersonal skills even
further. While doing all communications behind the keyboard, there was room for
interpersonal communication. All this changed immediately when I set foot at the
Masjid. The world was lively again. I could finally interact with real people and
not the ones behind the keyboard. I could engage in discussions endlessly, voice
out my opinions, motivate and support the students and help the administration
whenever possible. This was a moral boosting activity.

My attachment period has enabled me to reduce any cultural stereotyping I might

have. This was achieved successfully as I was able to interact with people from
various ethnicities, cultures and educational backgrounds. Volunteering at a

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social setting different from mine was a startling experience. I got to learn many
things across many subjects ranging from religion to various cultures. This has
been a major boost to my life as I learnt to respect everyone’s culture and that
every culture is beautiful. Now, I do feel that my attachment was a breakthrough
and that I can be able to work/live amongst people who are different from me and
be a team builder.

My confidence levels were amplified during the attachment. As opposed to

before where I would be shy to stand in front of a crowd and voice out opinions, I
was able to stand in front of my peers, engage them in discussions, at times
confront them, talk about emerging issues in the society without fear and many
more. My stage fright was eliminated and now I am able to talk with large crowds
without fearing the reaction or judgment from my audience.

4. STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY AND SERVICE BASED LEARNING

ATTACHMENT.

My experience working at Masjid As-Salaam was eye-opening. It is in my

moments of serving at the Zakat(charity) office that I came to the realization of
how fortunate I am to have the things I have, and to look out for the less
fortunate in the community. I came to appreciate the simple things in this life. I
learnt to be thankful for the smallest things and understood that true happiness
comes from the very things we take for granted.

The work ethic of the staff at Masjid As-Salaam was beyond commendable. The
institution was well organized such that all workers were fully utilized. Since
punctuality was crucial I was expected to report to work on time and to
complete my tasks on time. I have definitely become better at time
management.

The organization held high regard for good values. I observed spiritual growth

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among the staff, which was fuelled by constant prayers and their complete
devotion to the Almighty. They showed complete understanding when I made
mistakes, were willing to teach me and answered any questions I had. This
display of kindness and patience was inspiring and taught me to do the same to
others.

I faced a bit of a challenge handling the demanding workload, but with the
patience and help of the other workers I slowly got used to the work and even
enjoyed it.

In those five weeks I had come to see life from a very different perspective. I
understood the true meaning of service. My expectations were definitely
exceeded. I met people from various walks of life and religions during my
tenure. This has motivated me to continue being in service, in whatever form,
and hopefully I’ll inspire others to do so. I also learnt how organizations are run,
which is a bonus for me if I ever want to start one in the future. In my opinion, I
don’t think that it was correlated with classroom knowledge, rather it was a
combination of virtues taught in the home and those that you learn as you grow.

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5. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the community based attachment is something that I would

advise all students to take positively. The experience is a life changing one
depending on the attitude the student chooses. You get to grow and mature in
how you see life because service allows you to see it through the eyes of the
needy in our society. I also urge students of all religions studying at the
University to take up this institution for a service based attachment- It will open
your eyes to offering service in the community and a switch in perspective.

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