Celebrating 100 Years of the Ismaili Volunteer Corps

Jamats across the United States joined in the centenary celebrations of the Ismaili Volunteer Corps (IVC), established in 1919 in Bombay, British India.

At a ceremony held in every Jamatkhana in the US in December 2019, each uniformed volunteer was presented with the IVC 100 commemorative pin, featuring a blue and white design. It depicts ten squares that overlap and rotate around the ethic of exemplary service, which symbolizes the continuation of this ethic from past, present, and into the future. The numerous angles created by the squares signify the diversity and evolution of service in various forms by Ismaili volunteers to serve the Jamat and the communities in which they live.

“IVC allows youth engagement early on with our long-standing tradition of service. It also offers them a platform to start developing leadership and organizational skills, along with encouraging empathy and discipline, which should serve them well in their academic pursuits, and their adult lives generally, including as they transition into becoming future leaders of our Jamat,” says Celina Charania Shariff, Vice President of the Ismaili Council for the USA.

Volunteers and their families enjoyed a viewing of a documentary dedicated to the Ismaili Volunteer Corps in the United States. A formalized Ismaili Volunteer Corps was instituted in the US in the late 1970s and has grown to include thousands of volunteers ages eight and up, serving not only inside Jamatkhanas but also the broader community.

“Uniformed volunteers are the lifeblood of our community and the IVC 100 pin ceremony was an unprecedented way to commemorate the centenary of uniformed volunteers. The commemorative pin is an affirmation of our unconditional loyalty to carry forward the tradition of exemplary service as uniformed or nonuniformed volunteers,” said Aftab Khowaja, lead of the Ismaili Volunteer Corps of the Central United States.

Akbar Makhani of Miami reflected on the pinning ceremony, saying, “IVC 100 marked a historic milestone in our community’s tradition of providing voluntary service. As the IVC 100 documentary was played, just trying to imagine the scale of service rendered was overwhelming. The entire event provided me and everyone around me with a wave of pride and a renewed sense of purpose.”

Inspired by the spirit of 100 years of service, a new initiative called, Project LEAD, was launched, aimed at enhancing the experience, training, and impact of the youth volunteers. The objective of Project LEAD is to foster holistic youth development through Leadership, Empowerment, and Development. The Project will develop the youth’s leadership skills that are essential in service, but also in their academic, professional, and social lives, through age-appropriate training, leadership retreats, service activities, and many more initiatives.

A student at Georgia State University, Zeba Panjwani, serves as a volunteer in Atlanta. The skills she has acquired as a youth volunteer have helped her excel as a student and will continue to serve her well outside of the classroom. “Volunteering has helped me in my life (outside of Jamatkhana) by improving my leadership skills, my public speaking skills, and my team-building skills,” she said.

Youth facilitator, Guharrez Rahmatulleova from Sacramento, California, and originally from Tajikistan, said, "As a youth team leader, receiving the IVC 100 pin made me feel appreciated and reminded me of our beautiful tradition and deep-rooted community. It made me think about all the past and present volunteers. It is my wish that I will be able to pass on this tradition to our future volunteers and they will also experience a celebration of the IVC 200 pin."