At the present time, associations from different regions of the country play a major role in maintaining social solidarity initiatives to remain a title for solidarity among Algerians, especially with regard to carrying out charitable work, helping the needy, building a mosque or a house, in addition to harvesting in wheat fields and olive trees.
On the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, which falls on December 5 of each year, several events were organized in Algeria, with the aim of shedding light on “Twiza” and organizing exhibitions summarizing the activities of many associations to highlight their efforts in volunteer work.
A vivid example from the “Al Qarara” area
In this context, several associations stand out inside the country, including the Sheikh Bin Ali Taleb Mubarak Cultural Association in the municipality of Qarara in the Ghradia governorate (600 km south of Algiers). She was known to focus her activities on “Twiza”, given that this region of the Algerian desert has been known since ancient times for collective voluntary work.
The head of the same association, Ben Ali Muhammad al-Amin, says that “Twiza is a social custom rooted in society in Ghradia, especially Qarara, as it is part of the social heritage that must be preserved from extinction.”
And bin Ali Muhammad al-Amin asserts, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, that “voluntary collective work among the people of Qarara is a habit and a popular heritage by carrying out harvest work, maintenance of wells in the Badia, harvesting dates in orchards, building mosques, even repairing and maintaining cemeteries, and also with women through Washing and spinning wool and the process of dyeing in which all the women of the neighborhood gather.”
The same spokesman stated that the last activity carried out by the association was on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, December 5, with the participation of school students and people of determination, as they carried out a cleaning campaign, noting that this activity aims to consolidate and preserve the principles of volunteer collective work in the hearts of children.
“Twiza” with a modern touch
In the province of Bejaia, east of Algiers, the “Thafsut” association (meaning springtime in the Berber language), active in the village of Taourirt Wednesday in the municipality of “Oued Ghir”, is carrying out several social initiatives through which it seeks social cooperation among the population.
The “Twiza” organization has been adapted to the material and technological development, as it has known a modern touch through the reliance of some associations on social networking sites in order to launch their initiatives aimed at mobilizing social solidarity among the villagers on certain occasions, especially in some mountain villages.
In this context, the head of the “Thafsut Association”, Abdel Qader Ghanem, told “Sky News Arabia” that he has become dependent on the association’s page on Facebook when carrying out a specific social initiative, as they did last Eid al-Adha by inviting them to buy sacrifices for the needy.
On the other hand, Ghanem confirmed that there are some associations in the Kabylie region (northeast of Algeria), especially in the province of Tizi Ouzou, that still adhere to some traditional methods of organizing “Twiza”, giving the example of “Al-Barah”, a man carrying a bander (percussion instrument) in his hands and ascending To the large villages at the top of the mountain, calling on them to hurry to lend a helping hand in a charitable project.
Helping those in need
In the Algerian west, like the rest of the country, many associations race against time, as they roam remote areas in cooperation with benefactors in search of those who need a helping hand from different groups, and this is throughout the year.
The “Sawaed Al Ihsan” association is one of the leading national associations in this field, and the association’s branch in Sidi Boubacar, Saida governorate (west of Algeria) is one of the active and contributing branches in the voluntary charitable field in that region.
In an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Khaled Charfaoui, head of the Sidi Boubacar-Saeeda Association, Sawaed Al-Ihsan, highlighted that “the association is considered a mediator between the needy and the benefactors, and it sees a great response from the citizens when it carries out its symbiotic activity.”
This association has recently worked on distributing winter clothes to 50 needy families, in addition to gabions equipped with foodstuffs. It also contributed to organizing a group marriage for young people.
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