The owner of HA. Ihavandhoo's "Noah" dhoni has opened an opportunity to win an Umrah trip by fishing on the vessel.
Speaking to "Keyolha" regarding the Umrah trip, the boat owner Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir stated that the decision to offer the Umrah opportunity was made because fishermen earn their income based on their catch, making it difficult for some who wish to go for Umrah or Hajj to afford it. He added that the opportunity was specifically intended to give such individuals a chance and to encourage Maldivians to enter the fishing industry.
"Fishermen are not people who work for a fixed salary. They rely on what they catch. They have the intention to go for Hajj or Umrah but are unable to. Therefore, the primary thought was to provide an opportunity to those who hold such intentions. The main purpose of this is to encourage Maldivians to go fishing, as the number of Maldivians going fishing is currently low. Fishing is an industry that Maldivians rely on. However, recently Maldivians have distanced themselves from fishing, and it is now reliant on foreigners. The goal is to stop this and bring fishing back into the hands of Maldivians. And to make Maldivians interested in fishing," Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir said.
Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir stated that the Umrah trip opportunity is open to those acting as crew members on the "Noah" dhoni. The lucky winner of the Umrah trip will be selected through a draw among crew members who continuously engage in fishing on the "Noah" dhoni for a period of one year starting from February 1st of this year. Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir mentioned that this is just the beginning, and he intends to send one crew member from the dhoni to Umrah once a year in the future as well.
"The lucky winner will be sent to Umrah through a group with good arrangements for taking Maldivians to Umrah. The crew member selected this year will be sent to Umrah during the first 6 months of next year. God willing, this is a start. The intention is to give one opportunity to the crew members of this dhoni every year in the coming years as well," Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir said.
Haleem stated that only Maldivian crew members can participate in the Umrah trip draw, and the crew member must be hardworking and sincere in their work. He also requested anyone interested in this trip to contact him to proceed. Haleem's mobile number is 9666699.
Abdul Haleem Abdul Nasir belongs to a family in HA. Ihavandhoo that has been involved in building vessels, operating vessels, installing engines in vessels, and repairing them. The family currently runs a boatyard on the island. The "Noah" dhoni is a vessel built there and brought out for fishing. It has been 4 years since the vessel started fishing. Currently, 13 crew members regularly go fishing on the vessel.
