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Visitors from IR Kenya Highlight Transformative Impact of US Support
Islamic Relief partner offices visit Capitol Hill Donations from Islamic Relief USA supporters, as well as US government funding, play a vital role in programs that are overcoming interfaith conflict and lifting people out of poverty in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous places. That was the message of representatives from Islamic Relief Kenya and Islamic Relief Worldwide as they visited the United States in mid-July 2019 to meet representatives of USAID, the Kenyan embassy, and various officials on Capitol Hill. The visiting delegation included Naser Haghamed, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide, Obaid Rahman, Country Director of Islamic Relief Kenya, and Gloria Kivuva, Communications Officer for Islamic Relief…
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100 Kilometers through the Desert
I thought the desert was just sand dunes, but fast realized that it was rocky, mountainous, flat, hilly, vast, and much more. Our trek was challenging, no doubt. We covered a lot of ground within a short amount of time and camped along the way. We lived in the desert for four days, away from the comfort of our daily lives. And, surprisingly, being detached from the world made me more physically, spiritually, and emotionally connected. I journeyed physically through the desert understanding the capacity of my own body and pushing myself to my limits. I journeyed emotionally understanding my own self, my limitations, my presence, my weaknesses, and my…
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World Water Day 2019: Humanity Behind Water
Bacteria washing up on they beaches (Say word?) Don't drink the water, son they can't wash they feet with it (Let em' know) Young babies in perpetual neediness (Say word?) Epidemics hopping up off the Petri dish (Let em' know) - Hip-hop artist Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) My friend Victor tapped me with his burly hand and said, “Look out the window.” I struggled for a moment and finally climbed across my bed, placed my hands on the sill, and dipped my head a bit to see the full view. My stomach dropped and rose to my ears all in an instant. There was a mountain range flush green with…
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70% of the World Is Water — But So Often, There’s Not a Drop to Drink
When you think of places where girls have to walk for hours to carry back water, you might tend to think of hot, dry regions of Africa. But water shortages can happen anywhere in the world—from remote villages in Albania to cities right here in the United States. Schoolchildren learn that water covers 70% of the planet—it sounds so plentiful. But the fresh water we drink and use in our homes and on our farms only makes up 3% of the world’s water. And most of that is unavailable—locked up in frozen glaciers or otherwise inaccessible. So providing clean water is more difficult than it might sound at first glance.…
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Turning the Water Back on in Detroit
Fareeha Amir is a Media Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. I had my preconceptions about Detroit, as many others do: Detroit was a once great thriving city that’s rundown now and yearning for life again. But I found out quickly that the people who live in Detroit don’t feel that way about their city—it’s a place with a lot of potential and high spirits, citizens just need help from the rest of the United States to get where they want to be. I was fortunate enough to be part of one such effort with Islamic Relief USA to present two checks to the Wayne Metro Community Council and the United…
