24-year-old Saudi philanthropist Lina Badr Tahlawi’s life revolves around volunteerism and giving back to her community. She founded a non-profit charity initiative called Bassmat Al-Badr upon her father’s death in 2010, as a tribute to him. The initiative offers educational opportunities for underprivileged female students at Dar Al-Hekma University by funding their undergraduate studies.
“I think it runs in the family,” says Tahlawi. “My grandfather Hassan Abbas Sharbatly was a poor man once but he ended up becoming the founder of Sharbatly.” Tahlawi says that her grandfather was always so keen about giving back to his community and would always encourage the family members to give out what they had, even if it was a little bit of food.
The idea of Bassmat Al-Badr struck a teenage Tahlawi at Qur’an classes one fine day when she didn’t have much knowledge of fundraising. She decided to purchase a few copies of the Qur’an, prayer mats and prayer beads which she sold at fund-raising events. “That was how we started, very small. All the money we raised was sent to the Bassmat Al-Badr scholarship account in Dar Al-Hekma. ” says Tahlawi.
Afterwards, she took to researching fund raising tips and attending more of the similar causes in order to learn more. She started at her university and would plan a fund raising event every year at Dar Al-Hekma.
To Tahlawi, her university has always been her greatest pillar of strength and support. She goes beyond her first priorities, as we would call it, to call it her first and most comfortable home. “It is like a child running back to her mother,” she explains.
“Being one of the main donors at Dar Al-Hekma, I feel proud to give back to my own school,” says Tahlawi.
Tahlawi has been recognized for her efforts in empowering women’s education and for the highest community work by Rotana Khaleeji, Sayidaty and Dar Al-Hekma University. Some of the big names Bassmat Al-Badr has collaborated with include the Hassan Sharbatly Foundation, Al-Badr Hotel, Sharbatly Fruit and Movenpick Icecream.
Bassmat Al-Badr is no ordinary charity initiative that helps raise funds, according to Tahlawi. “As much as it is important to collect donations, it is as important to raise awareness in people. We are teaching even young children to participate in our campaigns. We are doing this to educate the youth so that when we are done, they can continue and take it ahead.”
Iftar Sae’m is an annual campaign run by Bassmat Al-Badr, where the team distributes food items and clothes to the underprivileged. Other entertainment activities organized by Tahlawi’s initiative, in order to raise funds for underprivileged scholarship students at her university, were the largest balloon-popping event, the largest fruit basket event and an event to recognize the maintenance team of Dar Al-Hekma.
Horse-manity was another fun event organized by Bassmat Al-Badr for orphan children, where they were allowed to ride horses and study the communication between human and horses. “The highest we were able to collect was around two hundred thousand Saudi riyals,” confesses Tahlawi.
“At Bassmat Al-Badr, we are a team of twelve,” says Tahlawi. “The biggest challenge of being the leader is that you have to protect your name, your team and its vision, just like a king protects his kingdom.”
“You need to keep a lookout for the haters,” says Tahlawi. “Sometimes they are from your own circle.” Lina explains that people reacted negatively when she initially introduced the idea of starting a non-profit charity initiative. “They wanted me to do something that would benefit me in monetary terms, without realizing that what makes me happy is to give without taking back. You have to believe in your work. Money doesn’t define success. I only care about putting a smile on people’s face.”
Tahlawi believes she is successful in her work because although there were many obstacles in her way, she was a good leader. “I would never force anyone to join me. I only present my idea to them and it is really up to them to decide if they want to do it. Why miss an opportunity to earn a reward in the eyes of Allah?” asks Tahlawi. “It is for a good cause after all.”
Tahlawi was always a daddy’s girl, coddled and cosseted, nevertheless brought up in a very strict and disciplined home. She reminisces about living a very carefree life once upon a time because whatever she wanted she had. Although she confesses she never owned a mobile phone in her teenage years, she was not allowed to hang out with friends outside the home or meet them at coffee shops either. “I was basically a Cinderella girl,” she calls it. “I had to be home before 9 pm.”
The death of her father dealt her a terrible blow. But without allowing it to weaken her she decided to take a stand in life and initiate this non-profit charity initiative Bassmat Al-Badr, for her father.
“My logo symbolizes a circle because my father’s name is Badr which mean full moon in Arabic and Bassmat which is the name of my foundation means fingerprint,” says Tahlawi explaining her foundation’s logo. “People often call me ‘Bint Badr.’ So my logo incorporates a full moon, a fingerprint, a Ba, Noon and a Tha. In short, which says I am the fingerprint of my father- Badr.” She designed the logo as her final graphic design project upon graduating from Dar Al-Hekma in 2014.
At a very young age, Tahlawi knew that giving charity was a wonderful thing to do and her family’s own giving helped her grow to realize that it was both a great privilege and brought about a sense of happiness.
“Volunteering is not a hard thing to do if you really have it in your heart,” advises Tahlawi. “You don’t have to pay a hundred riyals at once. Whenever I go to the supermarket, I make it a point to buy some extra food and drink for just six riyals which I give to the poor. Six riyals every day is not much from your pocket.”
“My father always believed that women can make a change,” says Tahlawi. “If he was alive today, he would be proud to see the success of women in the society.” Just as much as her father was keen on her education, Tahlawi is a big supporter of women’s education too.
Tahlawi believes that her society’s actions are what cause the West to stereotype Saudi women on a whole.
“Women can really make a change if they try. They deserve to be educated and it is equally important that their goals be met,” says Tahlawi. “But ultimately it is in their hands to think out of the box. If the older generation of women in our society is able to contemplate on the same level, then the young women have the support they need.”
During her leisure, Tahlawi likes to go horse-back riding, train dogs or teach English to adult women who have trouble finding a job without the skill. “I am also a very professional painter, although I have stopped painting ever since my father died,” she says. Tahlawi writes daily journals about her everyday life activities and incidents because she feels like she is talking to her father by doing so.
Tahlawi volunteered to model for King Abdullah thobes in 2013. She continues to freelance as a graphic designer and event planner on a non-profit basis. “It just makes me happy to help people,” she says. “I may have to admit that people offering me money for the work I do quite insult me.”
“My advice to youth would be to keep trying even if you fail the first times,” advises Tahlawi. “Volunteering and giving back to your community can change your life. It can change the way you look at things and it also motivates to help you be a better you. The more you give back, the more you learn to appreciate the gift of giving.”
Speaking on the topic of social media, Tahlawi feels it is a very useful platform to gain supporters and for people to get to know more about the initiative. “We are very active with our followers on social media,” says Tahlawi. “We post all our campaigns online in order for them to see and be encouraged to join the cause. It has really helped make difference.”
While Bassmat Al-Badr continues to reach its goal of promoting the volunteer work among youth, they also leave a message. As Tahlawi puts it, “In order to make a difference, it is not only about what you give but what you do to give that matters.”
