Hussain Almoubayed has been accessing Community Gateway services for the last year. Through our Programs and support, he has gained valuable social, cooking and driving skills – in fact, last year with the help of his Support Coordinator, Hussain gained his Provisional P1 driver’s licence!
Hussain is happy with the progress he is making, “Community Gateway have been so good to me. I’m a safe driver and have a lot more independence now. I come to cooking class twice a week and also go to Weekend Warriors on Saturdays.”
Today, Monday 12 April 2021, marks the beginning of the Islamic Holy Month, otherwise known as Ramadan. Hussain and his family practice Ramadan each year, “We basically don’t eat or drink when the sun is up. We have something in the morning before sunrise and then wait to eat again when the sun goes down at night.” For Muslims, fasting is a sign of devotion to their faith, “It can be hard, especially coming to the cooking classes at the Hub, but if I come in I will take my food home with me for later.”
Community Gateway Manager Mid-North Coast, Tash Kesby is a keen supporter of spiritual wellbeing and encourages our clients to bring their whole selves to our Hubs, “Spirituality can be religion, but it can also be things such as connection to nature, life-meaning or what gives someone purpose. In Hussain’s case, his faith and religion are key components of his identity and bring him a sense of pride, so we want to encourage and support that through our services.”
Tash added, “Respect is key in everything we do, not just at Community Gateway, but in the Disability and Aged Care space as a whole. So, as well as respecting people like Hussain’s faith and religious practices, we also want to encourage our other participants to listen and learn from the people they meet through us.”
For more information about the Services and Programs Community Gateway offers, call our friendly team on 1300 657 473.
To learn more about Ramadan, you can find information on the Islamic Council of Victoria’s website.
