Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

23 October 2025

2-minute read

Roshnee — a place where ordinary individuals are stepping up to do extraordinary work. In an area where municipal and local government services have fallen short, residents have taken matters into their own hands, their efforts are a true testament to what can be achieved when people come together for the greater good.

Raeesa Pochee, an active citizen who is part of the Roshnee Feeding Scheme is an ambassador for community spirit that is driving positive change in her hometown.

Growing up with the values of the founders of Roshnee, undertaking school field trips where she remembers being encouraged to serve, and witnessing the elder members giving back to their community was what shaped the course of Raeesa’s life. “It’s sort of like a culture in Roshnee to give back,” she emphasizes.

“Real change starts with ordinary people who choose to act,” says Raeesa. Noticing that Roshnee, among other areas in the Vaal region, receives little to no support from the local municipality, she and her team of “like-minded people” took on the initiative to tackle pressing issues such as irregular refuse collection, lights that are not working, and potholes on roads that need repairs.

The Roshnee Feeding Scheme, the initiative that Raeesa is involved in, has been running for several years and feeds the underprivileged communities in the Vaal region. During COVID, the scheme expanded from providing 1000 meals to 8500 meals daily, distributed in a 9km radius of Roshnee. Queues of people wait for the food that is handed out, people who have nothing on their tables and are in desperate need of just one meal a day.

While sustaining dedication and maintaining consistency is only achievable by listening to the needs and advice of the community, their team puts in “relentless effort,” always willing to “get their hands dirty” and wanting to be a part of the “energy of giving back” to make a positive change. Their intention is clear – to do for the pleasure of Allah alone, and to show gratitude for all that they have been given. As Raeesa puts it: “That purpose as an ummah is what drives us to want to give back.”

Raeesa’s parting advice on community work is that once you start an initiative with people who have a similar vision to your own, you plant a seed, and you will be amazed at the barakah in that seed.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Raeesa Pochee here.