After finding out he had cancer, Banat immediately sold his business and travelled to Togo, Africa, a country where more than half of the population live below the poverty line.

Moved by his journey and what he saw in the country, Banat, who is Muslim, decided to use his money to build a Masjid (a place of religious worship) as well as a school for local children.

Ali then established a project called Muslims Around The World (MATW), a non-profit organisation who provide financial assistance and outreach to underprivileged Muslims.

The project’s GoFundMe page reads:

" What started as a personal project has turned into a long term vision to bring joy to the smiles of children all over the world.

Muslims Around the World aims to build a village which will be home to over 200 widows, a masjid for the local community and a school to house 600 orphans. A mini hospital/medical centre and businesses to support the local community are also going to be established.

You can watch an interview with Banat, produced by OnePath Network, here:

Speaking in the film, Banat said:

I have been gifted Alhamdulillah by Allah, with cancer throughout my body and I have changed my whole life to helping people.

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