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For Myanmar Refugees in Bangladesh, Dignity Matters
The following first-hand account is written by an Islamic Relief USA staff member who visited IRUSA relief projects for refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh. During a visit to Kutapalong camp in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh, I sat in a shelter made of straw and bamboo that housed multiple families. Everyone there had fled violence and conflict in Myanmar a year earlier, leaving behind their homes, possessions, and family members. Everyone had lost a spouse, a child, parents, or siblings. The trauma and pain each refugee now lives with is unthinkable: acts of genocide took place before their own eyes, destroying everything they held dear. Everyday, they are reminded of this devastating…
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A Day Off for Eid and a Special Meal — It’s a Luxury
In the U.S., most families try to take the day off of work and school for Eid to make it more special. This Eid, think about what a luxury that is. Because for Saleha, taking off would make the day less special. Saleha, in Bangladesh, goes to work on Eid like she does any other day. If she were to take off, the family would celebrate by having even less to eat. Saleha’s husband is too old and sick to work, and her son-in-law passed away, so she supports her family of seven all alone by working as a maid. They need the money she earns each day—about $1.85 to…
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Calling on Our Collective Conscience This Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share a story about a truly innovative project that Islamic Relief pioneered this year — it quite literally transformed the environment and changed lives, so it seemed fitting. But first, indulge me for a moment of reflection. Being a new member of a humanitarian organization that does relief work in some of the poorest pockets of the world has got me thinking a little differently about Earth Day this year. Amidst all the holiday slogans cycling through my feed and the clever planet-themed marketing, I can’t help but compare the environmentalism in America with the environment in slums scattered around the world’s…
