Zohra Ismail Sooliman, the wife of Gift of the Givers co-founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, recently graduated with a Masters in Social Sciences from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The university announced on its Facebook page that the 57-year-old’s research examined the lived experiences of Muslim women in a polygamous marriage in Durban and the surrounding areas.
“Throughout her life, Ismail Sooliman has been an advocate for women’s empowerment, independence and education. She continuously encourages women to pursue their talents and abilities,” said the university in a statement.
After seeing women in polygamous marriages distraught and broken by their husbands taking on a second or subsequent wife, she started a counseling service called the Gift of the Givers Careline Counselling Service.
It now extends to the public free of charge through telephone and face-to-face counselling.
The university said: “She hopes that by gathering the experience of women who are in such situations for her master’s research, it will create awareness in society, particularly amongst men and religious leaders.”
About her research, she said: “People will understand and be compassionate towards women who are going through such relationships. It will provide education to them and the communities they come from.”
Sooliman has been at the forefront of the foundation with her husband since its inception in 1992. “Very early in their marriage, she raised her four daughters and only son while her husband flew off to war zones delivering aid to those who needed it the most. She remains the anchor to the family and is still quite active in the foundation,” said the university.
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