A charity champion, known as a ‘Baba Khalil’ – the ‘father figure’ of hundreds of young orphans living in the kingdom – has vowed to continue his charitable endeavours until the day he dies.
The normally media-shy architect agreed to a rare interview to speak about his passionate involvement as chairman of the Tree of Life Charity Society, and call on the community to continue supporting the worthy cause.
“I am happy that the society, which was previously known only to Bahrainis, is now popular among expatriates and even people living abroad,” said Khalial Daylami. “This is good, because we need donations, and publicity has helped us in that regard.”
He first rose to public attention when he was featured on Bahrain TV as part of a Ramadan-focused series celebrating people making a positive contribution to society. He was surprised and a little bit shaken by the reaction it caused.
“I was always there – and so was the charity organisation – we were going about our business quietly and this show came as a surprise. Honestly, it caught me off guard,” Mr Daylami explained.
“Now, wherever I go, people ask me if I am ‘Baba Khalil’ and want to take pictures with me.”
He added that his inbox was inundated with congratulatory emails and invitations to events following the show, all of which he politely declined for cultural and religious reasons.
Mr Daylami is one of five Bahrainis, along with his late father, who founded the Tree of Life Charity Society in 2012.
Every month, it provides food, clothing, medicines and other necessities to 1,250 needy families and takes care of all the needs of 780 orphans.
Mr Daylami became emotional as he narrated his personal experience of assuming the name and title of ‘Baba Khalil’. “We treat these children as if they were our own; every weekend, for example, each of us takes five children to parks, gardens or restaurants.
“Some years ago, a child in my group of about five years of age asked who I was, and I told him my name was Khalil.
“Then he asked, “Can I call you Baba? I hugged him and said, ‘yes, of course’. It broke my heart.
Whenever he spotted me, he hugged me and told everyone that I was his Baba. He is all grown up now, and I am still his Baba, and I am also the Baba of all the other children in our care.”
The registered families under the umbrella of the society, which is licensed by the Social Development Ministry, are divided into categories based on their income and the number of family members.
“There are families, seven to 10 strong, surviving on one person’s salary – ranging from BD250 to BD300 – they are poor,” Mr Daylami explained.
“There are some who require assistance on special occasions such as Eid, school re-openings, and marriages.
“We always have around 780 orphans who are supported by society – we take care of all their needs until they go to university.
“According to Islam, the father is the foundation of a family, though the mother is three times more important – so a child without a father is an orphan. But we have children on our rolls who don’t have mothers too – they are all considered orphans and are often living with distant relatives. There are some heart-breaking situations.”
He cited the case of two children, ages four and five, who lost their parents to Covid-19; the father died three days after the mother’s passed away. We are looking after them.”
Mr Daylami, the youngest of eight children, was born in Manama to Ahmed Daylami and Phoran.
He married Jameela, a former Bapco employee, and the two of them have four children and two grandchildren and live in Saar. He owns and operates Daylami Consulting Engineers with the support of family members.
“I grew up seeing my father involved in social work and charity initiatives – he took me with him wherever he went. He was a very hardworking person and we all learned so many things from him that we will never forget.”
He reflected on his college days, when he insisted on studying architecture despite being accepted on a marine engineering course.
“I knew I wanted to do this, so I went to all the relevant classes even when I wasn’t in that particular class, and I went to the Dean’s office every day and waited for an appointment to present my request.
“Finally, he gave me time and was impressed to see that I was attending the architecture classes – he saw the passion in me and gave me admission.
“This taught me the lesson that if you need something you have to fight for it and if you fight for something, God will help you.
“My vision is to fully dedicate the rest of my life for charity – I’ve finished three quarters of my life, and the little bit that is left I want to return it as a gift to my creator,” Mr Khalil added.
raji@gdnmedia.bh
n Editor’s note: In appreciation of Mr Daylami’s community spirit, we have awarded him the second GDN Media Gold Medal of Appreciation. If you know of any other worthy candidates, let us know by contacting our newsroom, email the News Editor: sandy@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))