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5 Step Remedy for Ramadan Prep
A few select methods to win the month of mercy Yusuf Azmi Ramadan is only a few weeks away. Aside from preparing the iftar menu, it’s crucial that we prepare ourselves mentally and physically as well. To make the most of this month and do things the right way, here are some Ramadan preparation tips you ought to consider. 1. Work on Fasting The initial two or three days of Ramadan are the most challenging, both on our bodies and willpower. It takes time for our bodies to become acclimated to the long fasting hours, along with the appetite and exhaustion that accompanies them. So, an ideal way to beat…
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The Power of Water
A dispatch for World Water Day By Nabeeha Shah Water makes the world go round World Water Day focuses on the importance of clean water for all. According to the United Nations, 2.2 billion people around the world are living without access to safe water. This year, the focus is on groundwater – water we use for drinking, sanitation, food production, and industrial processes. Some areas in the world rely entirely on groundwater for their livelihoods. Safe water allows a mother to feed her child. To quench their thirst. It could mean the difference between life and death. To quench their thirst. It could mean the difference between life and…
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Cyclone Batsirai Carves Through Madagascar and Zambia
Sudden natural disaster claims lives and cues immediate response By Iqra Abid Hasan “We saw only desolation: uprooted trees, fallen electric poles, roofs torn off by the wind, the city completely under water.” – Survivor An island rocked Cyclone Batsirai has devastated Madagascar after barreling into the Eastern coastline of the island, bringing winds of up to 100 mph. So far, 20 people have been confirmed dead and 48,000 people have been displaced. However, the UN World Food Program estimates as many as 150,000 people may have lost their homes. The city of Mananjary, just north of where the cyclone hit land, has been left in ruins with electricity unavailable…
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Yemen in the Crosshairs
Airstrikes blanket communities and leave fatalities By Syrah Rahman The civil war that continues to devastate the people of Yemen has once more hit the headlines. Air raids in the cities of Hodaida and Sa’ada have killed over 70 people and left hundreds more wounded. This attack, the deadliest in the region in over two years, has left aid agencies horrified at the disregard for civilian lives and infrastructure in a crisis that has been dubbed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. An escalation in the crisis A recent escalation in the conflict that has been going on for more than six years resulted in the strike on January 21. Amongst…
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MLK Now
Four passages that power IRUSA for a day “On” In cities across America, IRUSA Blueshirts have joined hands with neighbors, advocates, community servants, and partners who hold the timeless legacy of civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a part of the lifeblood of their mission. His commitment to championing the forgotten, honoring the oppressed is a reminder to those in power, that they spend every day entrusted to help others become self-determined. As the people we serve gather resources, food parcels, and many other essential items, we are reminded that Dr. King was constantly pushing every one of us to connect to a higher ideal, a higher…
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We’re #GivingTuesday to Refugees.
This #GivingTuesday we want refugees to have a safe winter Many of us saw the tears roll down the faces of Ethiopian mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters while they exited their homes to escape certain persecution. The droves of people that left on foot with whatever they could grab deserve a fighting chance to survive and rebuild. Over 1.5 million Ethiopians We also saw in Afghanistan, a regime change so concerning to thousands of communities that men were willing to stand in front of planes that were evacuating refugees. For those who are still displaced within Afghanistan, they now face a winter notorious for its brutality. We think of these…
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Day of Dignity is Back
Resources, food, and clothing for our neighbors in 2021 Familiar As volunteers filed in and out of Masjids, community centers, and parking lots turned into full on warehouses for resources, the buzz of IRUSA’s Day of Dignity left an aroma in the air. We’d been longing to get the feeling back that COVID-19 interrupted. That feeling was community. It was the feeling of service. And most of all it was the feeling of working together for a better world. Our very own Interim Director of Programs Araif Yusuff mentioned just weeks ago,”They say the happiest people are the people who are in service to others. And when you’re there, all…
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IRUSA Rep Send Dispatch from the IFG20
IFG20 conference features triumphs and challenges recorded by IRUSA staff By Director Public Affairs Christina Tobias-Nahi WATCH WHAT A RELIEF POD INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS CHRISTINA TOBIAS-NAHI HERE NOW The Interfaith G20 Summit “Time to Heal: Peace among Cultures, Understanding between Religions” took place in mid September in Bologna, Italy and IRUSA was proud to have not only been an advisor to the local organizer of this event FSCIRE (a research institution that publishes, trains, serves, organizes, welcomes and communicates research in the field of religious sciences, with particular regard to Christianity, Islam and the religions with which they have been in contact) but also an active participant…
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Volunteers Help Fight Hunger in Haiti
Hear firsthand how one of largest food packs went down By Volunteer Zeba Haseeb How many of us begin dreaming at a young age of all the things we want to achieve when we’re older? Some of us dream about careers and others about traveling all around the world and immense in different cultures. But how many of us can visualize a future for ourselves when the next meal we are having is uncertain. IRUSA has made it their top priority to not only help communities in need of meals, but also help the youth achieve their goals for a prosperous future. The school feeding programs specifically encourage children to…
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Hot Meals and Hearts
Chicago and NYC feeding programs blast off Ready, set, go We may never know what a “post-covid” world looks like or how the affects this mass interruption of what the world called normal. In the face of all of these new developments of how we live life some sobering facts remain. Hunger in the U.S. is still one of the most daunting challenges we face as a country. According to feeding America, In 2019, 34 million people lived in poverty in America. For a family of four, that means earning just $25,000 per year and before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 35 million people faced hunger in the United States, including more than…
