Believers United for Progress, a 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 2004 and incorporated in 2007, for the purpose of strengthening the community. We are mainly active in the Durham, North Carolina area, with strong ties to the Hayti neighborhood. By utilizing grants and donations we provide basic necessities like food through the CACFP and SFSP programs to the people of the community. We have a strong focus on at-risk children and their families which provides us with a lot of opportunities for new programs. With our ability to provide food and books we also provide for people in the community to come together and to have a place to give back, thus reinvesting in the communities themselves.
We work with people, especially the leaders of, and children in, communities. Leaders and children know what each community needs, because they are in it everyday. By incorporating children in the process to help solve problems themselves, we feel it helps to develop the community toward self sufficiency. The work that we do also incorporates different churches, synagogues, mosques, religious organizations, persons of faith and humanity as a whole to help and support the progression of society. We maintain ongoing relationships with several local, regional and national organizations and agencies with stakes in the Hayti and Durham communities, such as, The Food Bank of North Carolina, United Way, Urban Ministries, Department of Human Health and Services, etc. We consistently look to form partnerships in order to provide services we don’t yet offer.
The organization is comprised of a board of directors with Mr. Abdullah acting as the Executive Director, who has established an office in the Southern Durham area. BUFP came about through local community members’ 5 year efforts, centered at New Visions of Africa, a business located in the Hayti community.
The organizers are comprised of dedicated people of varying race, color, religion, sex, etc., all coming together for the goal of making the community stronger. We aim to change the mindset of the community by providing services with a positive attitude. We believe people will be more apt to strengthen themselves and thus the community.
Whatever belief system a person may have, we all have one, we need to tap into it. We want people to start to think, we want to help people to elevate their thinking give people something to think about, something bigger than themselves. Most change, in terms of mindset, is done through casual conversation. If a person is not engaged in a conversation, we simply ask, “What do you think?”