Hidaya Foundation strongly believes in helping
people become financially independent and self sufficient, instead of
providing them perpetual assistance.
This self-employment philosophy is derived from
the following incident during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him):
A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (peace
be upon him) and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked: Have you
nothing in your house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of
which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a
wooden bowl from which we drink water. He said: Bring them to me. He
then brought these articles to him, and he (the Prophet) took them in
his hands and asked: Who will buy these? A man said: I shall offer to
buy them for one dirham. He said twice or thrice: Who will offer more
than one dirham? Another man said: I shall buy them for offered and
bought them for two dirhams. He gave the two dirhams to him and took the
two dirhams and, giving them to the owner Ansari, he and said: Buy food
with one dirham for your family, and buy an axe with the second dirham,
and bring it to me. The Ansar brought the axe to the Apostle of Allah
(peace be upon him), who fixed a handle on it with his own hands and
said: Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a
fortnight. The man went away, and gathered firewood and sold it. When he
had earned ten dirhams, he came to the prophet and told him that he had
bought a garment with some of them and food with his earnings the
others. (Abu Dawud, Hadith 1637)
This incident illustrates an important
distinction between simply providing relief as opposed to making someone
self sufficient. Relief is generally a short term solution to a long
term problem. Self Employment through economic and social change is a
long-term solution, which is why Hidaya Foundation focuses on projects
that promote self-employment.
Examples of projects that promote
self-employment and their costs:
Poultry Farming: Five chickens & one
rooster, or a flock of 25 chicks are given to a family (all come with
feeding supplies). It costs $50 to start-up a small poultry farm. DONATE
Goat Farming: Goats are given to the poor
in rural areas for milk and goat farming. It costs $200 for a pair of
goats for a family to get started. DONATE
Sewing Machines to Women: Widows and poor
women are provided sewing machines for in-home tailoring businesses. It
costs $75 to provide an individual with a sewing machine DONATE
Start a Business: People are provided
assistance in the form of push-carts and supplies for selling vegetables
or other items as street vendors, or cash is given for setting up
retail shops. Also under this project, tools and equipment are given
for various professions for starting businesses. It costs just $200 for
a push-cart and supplies to start a street vending business, it costs
approximately $200 - $500 to set up a retail shop, and tools vary in
costs based on each profession. DONATE
Self employment projects such as the ones
mentioned above are permanent solutions and contribute to the
confidence, integrity and dignity of those engaged in these programs.
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Programs 
