"Sometimes the immediate need of people cannot wait for the correct political or environmental change," said Rodwan Saleh, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. "The people of Africa are waiting for us to be more concerned about the immediate need of Africa and to direct our hearts toward that need," he added.
Saleh was the guest speaker at Islamic Relief’s fundraising event on April 21. The event, which took place in Garden Grove, was designed to bring awareness to the devastating situation in many African countries where the lives of many are much different from others around the world.
Islamic Relief is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who suffer from disease, hunger and disaster around the world. For the fourth time in a row, Islamic Relief has been awarded a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the United States. Only 4% of the charities evaluated have received four consecutive 4-star evaluations.
Though Islamic Relief continues to help thousands of people around the world, it is now turning its efforts to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Africa. "We’ve done fundraising events for many years for war zones and for areas of famine, and now we’re trying to focus our attention on Africa. We’re helping orphans, victims of AIDS in South Africa, and the victims in Darfur," said Anwar Khan, national development director for the Islamic Relief Fund.
Saleh spoke of the stark contrast in what the children of Africa are experiencing versus many children around the world.
If the loss of a child every 30 seconds isn’t enough, maybe the fact that the mere cents that 93 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa live on might convey a picture of the crises in Africa. And if that’s not enough, 200 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from hunger each day.
"Children are crying to death in times of famine and nobody is responding," Khan said. "We don’t want to respond when it’s too late."
Many came out to support the event and contribute as little or as much as they could.
Maybe the situation isn’t hopeless when learning that even $10 can help.
Every 30 seconds a child’s life is lost. Are you counting?
