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From One Idea, Many Toys — And Many Smiles
Two weeks ago, on Eid, trucks headed out across the country, filled to the brim with colorful gifts packaged at Islamic Relief offices—making Eid brighter for thousands of children. Islamic Relief USA’s fourth annual toy drive brought together close to 150 volunteers in 16 cities to organize events collecting more than 3,000 toys for children who might not receive gifts otherwise … and it all stemmed from the initiative of one 11-year-old boy, just three years ago. Rauf’s family was sitting together one night in their brightly decorated living room, enjoying the Ramadan atmosphere and looking forward to Eid. The subject turned to the many new refugees in their community…
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Water Wells Help Keep Peace, Improve Living in South Sudan Villages
Nada Shawish Communications Specialist for Islamic Relief USA Reports from Tigili Village. “Your responsibility is cleanliness,” reads a sign posted to a tree that an Islamic Relief hygiene and water source management session is being held under. The teacher is local Islamic Relief staff, who has good working knowledge of Tigili village in South Sudan, and a good relationship with the people here–because he’s from the area himself. Nadu Hamney is one of the village elders and he described some of what they’re learned in the free education sessions. “We learned hygiene training, we learned how to keep the water point clean, and how to solve disputes between us concerning…
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Positive Community Centers Invigorate Inner City Youth in Addis Ababa
Nada Shawish, Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA, reports from Ethiopia. Graduating from higher education is a great accomplishment and should be a milestone for a young person. But like many of my friends in the United States who were not able to get jobs after graduation during the last economic downturn, youth in Ethiopia have had to deal with this reality since they were born. Tawfiq Dandeir is 24 years old and he worked hard to get his education. But like many other students, there were no jobs to be found when he was done. When he got the opportunity to become manager of the Lidita Youth Center in…
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A Change of Plans: Ramadan Packages for Yemeni Refugees in Hargeisa
Nada Shawish, Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA, reports from Somaliland. A woman grabs my arm to get my attention. Behind her niqab her voice elevates, “I have something to say.” She pulls me in and turns to Ridwan Adhami, Creative Director of Islamic Relief USA, who is holding the camera. “I would like to speak to you,” she says sternly into the barrel, unwavering. I am Samia …” she said, “I am 24 years old.” And she presses her abaya down to reveal a fully formed stomach. She’s pregnant. Hargeisa, a town in Somaliland, the region north of Somalia, has become a refuge from war nearly overnight for Yemeni…
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IRUSA Bus Tour distributes food for Ramadan
Islamic Relief USA has long distributed food for Ramadan around the world. This year, for the first time, the program is bringing food to Americans in need. Volunteers packaged 3,000 boxes full of food in the two weekends before Ramadan, and these packages are now being delivered around the country. The first boxes were handed out on the first day of Ramadan in Virginia. “It felt very good to give the boxes to people, seeing thåe smile on their faces and hearing them say thank you in many languages,” said Naeem Muhammad. “We had people from many backgrounds and faiths.” Nicole was at the first distribution, picking up food to…
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From the Heart: Loving the Yateem
Islamic Relief USA’s Lina Hashem reports how one dedicated Islamic Relief USA donor has dedicated a significant part of his life to helping orphans in Afghanistan. Ahmad Sohail Ayam has an extra motivation to get to work every morning. Well, more like 41 extra motivations. They’re the orphans he sponsors. Ayam is from Afghanistan and so are his orphans, but that’s not why he sponsors them. It’s because he’s seen how the poor are living there, right now in the 21st century, after decades of war. Especially the yateem—the orphans. “There are people living in the 10th century,” he said. “I saw them last year when I was there. Poor…
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‘Finding a Way’: IRUSA Team Reports From Nepal
When the Islamic Relief USA team landed in Kathmandu, Nepal, four days after the earthquake in April, they were surprised to see that only one out of 10 or 20 houses showed signs of damage. Then they got into a car to drive closer to the epicenter. As the winding roads became steeper and more treacherous, the rubble piled higher on each side. There, they found deep gashes in the Earth, and entire villages flattened. “The saddest thing is that those affected the worst are usually the poorest people,” said IRUSA’s Ridwan Adhami. “They don’t have much to lose, and they still lost it all.” What they didn’t lose was…
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Islamic Relief USA Joins CARE to Show Human Face of Syrian Conflict
Sharif Aly is Advocacy Counsel at Islamic Relief USA There are close to 4 million Syrians living as refugees. 4 million. The number is staggering and it continues to grow. The United Nations has called the Syrian conflict, the biggest humanitarian crisis of this generation. With no end in sight and most of the media’s attention focused on military and political issues, Syrians caught in the midst of this crisis are being forgotten. Individual stories that create empathy between people are being lost. On Friday, March 27, Islamic Relief USA participated in “Life in Refuge” an event at Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C., organized by CARE and with other NGO partners…
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IRUSA Makes Education for Syrian Children a Priority
Enas was nine years old when her and her family fled Syria more than a year ago in January 2014. Their home is now a simple tent in eastern Lebanon in one of the more than four hundred informal settlements that are scattered throughout the country.
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In A Wealthy World, It’s Wrong That So Many Women Live in Poverty
Christina Tobias-Nahi is Director of Public Affairs at Islamic Relief USA. Boston, MA – Oxfam America invited some of their regional “Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors” to participate in the 2015 International Women’s Day Right the Wrong workshop held in and around Harvard University’s Campus on March 6 and 7. This is one of many workshops in a series that was held around the United States. The training and advocacy event was focused on Protecting Resources and Rights in extractive industries in the developing world. More than 50 countries in the world are considered “resource-rich”, meaning they have significant oil, gas or mineral reserves. Yet in many of these countries, a large…
