St Albans college officer heads off to The Gambia on relief mission

An urge to ‘fill your life with good deeds’ will see a St Albans man travel to one of Africa’s smallest countries to donate much-needed items.

Khaled Hassan, 30, who was born and raised in St Albans, is travelling to The Gambia at the end of this month to help provide food, bedding, clothes, medicine, school equipment and other items to needy causes in this impoverished West African nation.

It is not the first trip to the country for Khaled, who works as an events, community and school liaison officer at Oaklands College’s Smallford campus.

He has travelled to about 80 countries – visiting every continent apart from Antarctica.

Khaled said: “Trips that have been based on voluntary work have included Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, The Gambia, China, Kashmir, Indonesia and Bosnia.

“My most memorable experience was to live in shacks with the Maasai Warrior tribe in a remote part of Kenya with no running water or electricity and plenty of wild animals around!”

Donations collected from St Albans Mosque as well as from fellow Oaklands employees are being taken overseas.

Khaled said: “I became motivated to do voluntary work in St Albans and abroad when I became a practising Muslim about eight years ago. It was when I read the Quran that I noticed two repetitive messages, which were, to worship one God and to fill your life with good deeds.

“The world is an incredible place full of beautiful people doing amazing things. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to help those in need and appreciate the support I have had from the community.”