AMA’s Aman School Finetown brings hope to a new generation in Johannesburg

Alhamdulillah, Africa Muslims Agency is extremely excited to begin the year by announcing the launch of the Aman School of Excellence based in Finetown, Johannesburg, in January 2024.

Building schools and universities and providing bursaries have always been central to AMA’s work across Africa and the world, as AMA understands that education is the only sustainable means of breaking cycles of poverty.

AMA has received huge support for the Aman School in Lebanon, and it was only fitting to roll out the model in South Africa, where so many local children are in need of high quality education, which will open a future of opportunities for them, insha’Allah.

The Aman School in Finetown will cater for Grades 1 to 3, and beautiful facilities, including a library, computer room and play area, have been prepared for the children.  Experienced teachers will take these bright young minds on a journey of learning and discovery and we cannot wait to watch the school grow and prosper in years to come.

The school is situated at the historic Al Furqaan Islamic Centre in the South of Johannesburg, which has been a beacon of learning since the establishment of the organisation in the 80’s.  The centre has assisted the community of Finetown with education, food, da’wah and more for over 30 years.

Ashraf Gangraker, AMA’s Head of International Relations and principal of the Oracle Academy in Cape Town, has played an integral role in the establishment of the school, and had this to say at the school’s registration day:

“The Aman school is all about family.  The school is based on relationships that the staff must have with parents, the teachers with children and the staff with the home. The community needs this…they are desperate for a good quality of education which can make a meaningful impact in the future of the entire family.”

Finetown is a community that finds itself entrenched in the heart of socio-economic problems faced across South Africa. As a result of the high rate of unemployment and the number of single mothers, the community cannot afford the basic right to a sound education. Children’s lives a re about survival, rather than growth and development.

The Aman School Finetown is a child-centred school, focused on nurturing young minds and creating a world-class institution committed to empowering them.

According to Gangkraker, the school will provide “an environment of love and care focused on nurturing the mind, body and soul of students; this will be achieved through small classes, committed teachers and a management that is there to serve the needs of the students and parents.”

The school caters to children of various backgrounds, and also offers Islamic Studies as part of the curriculum, fulfilling a critical need for the Muslim children in the area, and also serving as a means of Da’wah, a historic mission of the centre, inviting families to the peace and joy of Islam.

Mohammed Tahir Hamid, Operations Manager at the Al Furqaan Centre which houses the school, had this to say about the establishment of Aman:

“Al Furqaan has always been a centre close to my heart for the simple reason that it has given me the opportunity to carry on the great work of our predecessors who worked their lives for the upliftment of the less fortunate and giving them hope to a better future. When the decision to start the AMAN School of Finetown was announced, it gave me great joy to be part of AMA milestone deliverable in establishing yet another sustainable project which will earn every single individual in the process the opportunity of perpetual reward thus offering our creator gratitude for the immense blessing he has bestowed upon us.”

In South Africa, every child that receives an education and becomes employable assists not just their nuclear family, but often, extended families, and so the impact of educating a single child has far-reaching effects that change multiple lives.

We look forward to watching the growth of the school, and working with our loyal donors and volunteers to ensure that this school becomes the essence of quality education and the heart of the community.