Success Stories

Islamic Association of Collin County

Five and six-year-olds Raise $7500 for Orphans During Ramadan

In Ramadan of 2004, Fozia Fazal sponsored an orphan through a college student participating in the Drive to Save Lives orphan sponsorship drive by Islamic Relief, USA.

Upon receiving the biodata of her sponsored orphan, Fozia was touched and wanted to encourage her community to help these orphans. Knowing that it had great potential, she soon became involved in the local Sunday school.

“How could we make a difference? How could I make a difference in the mind of a child here to help them understand about the less fortunate?”

In Ramadan of 2006, with Foiza’s encouragement, the students and staff at the IACC Sunday school were able to raise $2,500 for orphans. This was great, but Fozia felt a tug in her heart that they had to do more. She contacted the teaching staff asking them to help her push the orphan sponsorship program. The teachers agreed and began explaining to the students that while they were getting Eid clothes ready and enjoying iftar parties, there were children the same age as they were that had nothing. They had no parent or parents to buy them new clothes, or cook a meal.

“I wanted our children here to understand that other children don’t even know what a play station, iPod, or cell phone is, let alone get the latest gadgets that we take for granted here.”

Every Ramadan the teachers shift their lesson plans to focus on the importance of fasting and charity. This year, five and six-year-olds joined with college students in the Drive to Save Lives.

On the first Sunday of Ramadan, students decorated colorful “Zakat Boxes” as they learned the importance of zakat, the fourth pillar of Islam. Children walked home that Sunday afternoon with one focus - giving the gift of hope as Eid presents to orphans around the world.

On the second Sunday in Ramadan, the children came back to school with their Zakat boxes bobbing up and down in their hands. They were able to collect $3,500 in the first week. As the work spread in universities, it was the children who motivated the older students to push harder. As Ramadan ended, the staff and students were able to collect over $7,500.00. With the commitment and dedication from teachers, children and parents, the IACC school was able to sponsor 20 orphans – one orphan from each of the countries available by Islamic Relief.

Fozia plans to hold this drive again next Ramadan, but this time pushing it to a new level.

Testimonials

"I think the Orphan Drive is an amazing life-changing opportunity for both the sponsor and the orphan! Whether you're sponsoring an orphan or getting others to sponsor an orphan, the reward of bringing happiness to an orphan somewhere in the world is immensely rewarding and admirable.

Bringing the Orphan Drive to college campuses is just one way to capture the activism and determination the youth have at taking those little steps to making a big difference in the world!"

- Nawal Elnashar
Universtiy of Texas at Dallas

"The orphan drive gave us at TCU the opportunity to truly make a difference in these children´s lives. Islamic Relief helped us help them."

-Saddyna Belmashkan
Texas Christian University