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On World Poverty Day, Let’s Do All We Can to Mitigate Suffering
At Islamic Relief USA, every waking hour is devoted to reducing poverty. That’s why it was unusual when I learned there was a particular day dedicated to this cause. According to the United Nations, October 17 is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (also known as World Poverty Day). The UN first declared this day back in 1992. While much progress has been made in the standard of living for many people in many nations around the world, poverty, if not extreme poverty, unfortunately remain common. In the United States alone, there are some 38 million people living in impoverished conditions. To combat this, Islamic Relief USA conducts many…
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Sharing Meat with Families in Need: Worship and Service Join on Eid
One-quarter of the world’s population is anemic, according to the World Health Organization. That includes nearly half of all preschool-age children. In that age group, almost half of all deaths are due to undernutrition—that’s about 3 million children every year. For many impoverished families, one major factor in their poor health is their inability to buy meat. On Eid al-Adha, IRUSA donors will turn worship a blessing for many of those families by sending them a gift of meat. Qurbani—also known as Udhiyah—is IRUSA’s biggest food program. This fresh, halal meat donors share is often the only meat the recipients eat all year. It’s both a rare holiday treat and…
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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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Wish You Were Here: On MLK Day of Service
Nada Shawish is a communications specialist at Islamic Relief USA. I will start by saying this: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is for everyone. It’s not just an African-American holiday. It’s not just meant for those who have faced discrimination in this country. It’s for everyone. What that means is that it’s everyone’s responsibility to uphold Dr. King’s magnificent words. It’s everyone’s job to protect civil liberties and move our country in the right direction—away from social injustice and toward equality—away from discrimination and toward respect for each other. We do this by working together for a better world. At Islamic Relief USA, that’s what happened on MLK…
