A Note from Regional Director Naazish YarKhan:

As the New Year begins, I’m writing to thank you for your generosity with your time, cash, in-kind donations and patience. We are very, very pleased to welcome Br. Moinuddin who will be our new treasurer and Madiha Haroon who will handle our food vouchers.Madiha came by way of Talat Aalia, so inshallah every good that Madiha does, Aalia inshallah will get a share of the reward. Ameen. Farzana has been a great help as Treasurer, and also came by way of Aalia. She will be in touch with RAP, though not in a formal capacity. Jazak Allah Farzana for everything. Sarah Husain who has managed our website so far is due to have her baby any day now. I am looking forward to hearing whether it’s a girl or a boy. Please keep Sarah in your duas.

As We Sow, So Shall We Reap
This week I had the pleasure of working with two Iraqi families – one of whom wants to set up a business fixing garage doors and the other who wants to drive a taxi. It was so good to see them find out  details – whether for taxi driving, or links to the items the garage door man needed to start his business.  It is a HUGE blessing that RAP today has the money to help these people. Secondly, those things cost so much less than rent payments but will have so much more impact.
I was only too happy to introduce the garage door man to www.Vistaprints for free biz cards andblogspot.com, facebook, wordpress.com to make a free website. Even better, within hours, he had made his business card which RAP will sponsor ( shipping). His high school aged daughter is helping him with all this, and that too is such a rewarding thing to witness.
The person who wanted to be a taxi driver, originally wanted to be a security man. Since he’s had a knee operation, I told him to check whether that would be an issue.Alhamdollilhah, he and his wife did and they discovered he’d have to stand for long hours. So instead he decided to go the taxi driver training route. His wife is a civil engineer and is currently working at O’Hare with handicapped passengers who need help getting around. Please pray for her. Her husband speaks little English and she is his main pillar of support. She is looking into a nursing program.
Kiran has sent out a check to a Dentist who is doing his Kaplan program, so as to enter dental school here. We also sent out his CTA pass bus, this week. Alhamdollilah. Similarly, we’re paying for college for another man who had to make up the difference that his school loan didn’t cover.
Another lady we’d sponsored has now completed Part 2 of her coursework to be a dental assistant. I am going to be in touch with her to see what her next steps are.
Fatima Hindi and the lady with cancer who have been collaborating on a sewing business since 2011. We were able to find an Iraqi (coincidentally) store owner in Chicago who sells used industrial sewing machines who has promised to help these ladies.  Fatima Hindi has been doing good things – and not just for herself but for other widows and single moms, as a caterer and with the sewing. We are looking to support her with a car once our $5000 from Zakat Chicago materials, inshallah.
Alhamdollilah, it feels so good to see that we are making a difference in these lives. And to actually now have the time to talk to these people, I am realizing that half of one’s strength in life comes from just feeling heard and understood. Listening is an act of Ibadath, really.
For every time these families make dua for me and thank me, I remind them that it’s not just me but all of you, that have helped make this happen.
Jazak Allah everyone. RAP is what it is because of you.
On that note, onward, stronger, better. Ameen.
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0 Responses to Update from World Faith Chicago: Refugee Assistance Programs

  1. is there any philanthropic organization involved in helping refugees? In and my own community has been living in the refuge in burundi,where 164 members of our ethnic has been killed just because of how they look like-Cfr the massacre of banyamulenge in Burundi-gatumba in 2004.
    Until now the wounded are still wholding their wounds without appropriate treatment. Just come and see yourself-compassionis

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