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Behind the Blueshirts
A candid conversation with one of IRUSA’s prized volunteers, Wafa Omran-Elhindi 1. At a young age, or while growing up, did you have someone in your life who inspired you to volunteer or to be generous? My parents were exceptionally generous people. Not only with their money, but more with their affection, kindness, and time. They had this extraordinary ability to make every single person they know feel loved. At the root of this effusive affection was my parents’ inability to be selfish. My dad in particular, grew up dirt-poor in a tent in a refugee camp. His mother had to sell her only possessions, to pay for his education.…
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MLK Day of Service Brings Hope to Hearts
2021 is off to the races to bring relief to neighbors The great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said the problem of hunger hardly stems from not having the tools to address it. “There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is in human will.” Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) refuses to let complacency and inertia fester around the issue of hunger. It addresses the problem head-on, especially on Dr. King’s birthday every January. For several years now, IRUSA has conducted a Day of Service on Martin Luther King Day, holding food distributions in many urban centers around the country. Ready to Respond The need for…
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Thousands Seek Refuge from Syria Floods
Refugee camps battle with winter and flooding Guest contributor Aishah C. 2021 Brings a Call to Action on Behalf of Syrian RefugeesAs we enter into this new year, many of us are relieved that the collectively traumatic events of 2020 are moving into hindsight. Global resources are being pooled to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and the overall outlook for this year seems to be improving. However, there are many people and families for whom 2020 brought additional complications to already devastating circumstances which are long from over. The tragedies that have been faced by the people of Syria throughout the past decade have been incomprehensibly dire, and instead of hopeful…
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Racism as a Public Health Crisis
Health experts weigh-in structural racism’s brutal effects The disproportionate number of people from racial minority groups who’re suffering –and dying–from the coronavirus pandemic is hardly a surprise. In fact, accoriding to one expert, Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad of the Muslim Foundation, the health care disparities experienced by them are linked to systemic racism. “They are always intertwined,” she said. Simply put, it’s a pandemic within a pandemic. That was just one of the revelations expressed during Islamic Relief USA’s webinar “Racism as a Public Health Crisis,” on Jan. 19. Along with Rashad, the 80-minute session featured Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan-based epidemiologist who has frequently appeared on CNN. ‘Cumulative Deprioritization’ More…
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A Partner Tribute to Remember
Healing for Hope Event Warms Hearts Islamic Relief USA held its 4th Annual Partnership event Monday evening, showcasing the organization’s accomplishments in addressing the challenges brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic. Healing was the theme for this year’s event, which was entirely virtual and livestreamed through various social media platforms. While healing from Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is among the biggest challenges facing society, the event speakers — a cross-section of leaders of nonprofit, faith-based, and governmental organizations– said there are many other problems in conjunction with the virus that rise to pandemic levels. They include hunger, racial injustice, lack of health care for millions, and…
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For You, Palestine!
Hearts combine to support the people of Palestine Islamic Relief USA’s National Event team hosted a live online event on the 13th December 2020 to raise awareness and funds for IRUSA’s projects in Palestine. IRUSA’s Sanat Karkat & Said Durrah presented the event titled: For You, Palestine! World-renowned religious leaders, athletes, and talent gathered to support the people of Palestine. The hosts Karkat and Durrah kicked off the show with somber reflections from the past year. As the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world in 2020, attention diverted from Palestine to other urgent causes. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the impact of Palestine’s funding crisis and left already struggling Palestinian refugees vulnerable…
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Serving in a Year of Uncertainty
A look back on humanitarian efforts in 2020 When we take account of all the twist and turns the world took this year it can paint a bleak picture in many of our minds. Billions of people were jolted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 2 million people fatally contracted the virus. It was during these uncertain times the community of supporters of Islamic Relief USA stood tall. Your contributions of time, effort, resources made light shine in the darkness of 2020. As we look back at the challenges of this year we’re reminded that it took massive hearts to pull through. Pushing through a Pandemic Medical aid has been top…
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Blueshirts Shine Bright in 2020
Volunteers show inspiring resilience all year Hitting the Ground Running for MLK Day of Service 2020 For MLK Day 2020, more than 400 Islamic Relief USA volunteers spent a day packaging an outstanding 100k meals that were distributed domestically to various food banks and shelters. The interwoven fabric of love and legacy that day was the eternal flame, the burning stone that sealed the opportunity and helped capture the importance of service and empowerment. Our volunteers painted the moving picture that a few hundred hearts are capable of going above and beyond. That’s what gives our mission its energy to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of…
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Ethiopian Refugees Driven into Sudan
Thousands of people in need after fleeing conflict in Ethiopia When torrential rains lashed Sudan in recent months, the Nile River burst its banks. Sudan’s government declared a State of emergency, as the river reached 17.43 meters — the highest level in 100 years. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in the middle of the night. The ferocious rains and subsequent floods killed over 100 people, destroyed 175,000 homes, and left almost 900,000 people homeless. The widespread impact wreaked havoc on the local community with families cut off or displaced. Our response The Islamic Relief (IR), team on the ground provided life-saving assistance to 435 families affected…
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Day of Dignity 2020 is a Success
Day of Dignity helps thousands during coronavirus pandemic As one of Islamic Relief USA’s most well-known programs, Day of Dignity took place in several locations this year, despite the present coronavirus pandemic that has altered much of daily life. It was able to hold these events by adapting to public health guidelines, which includes mask wearing, practicing social distancing of at least 6 feet, and slightly altering its set-up by implementing a drive-thru or drive-in format. Between Oct. 3 and Nov. 15, a total of 19 Day of Dignity events took place in 17 cities nationwide. Among them were Baltimore, Md., Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester, N.Y., Toledo, Ohio, and…
