Al Amaanah – Reliever of the Believers

Written by AlAmaanah http://www.alamaanah.com Posted by Haytham Soliman

Happiness, joy, glee… none of these words do justice to the radiance emitted from the eyes and upturned lips of little Anas, age 4, as he bounced alongside his older brothers, the blood brothers from Iraq and the brothers that came into his life when he arrived in Houston, Texas and crossed paths with Al Amaanah. Anas and his brothers, Ibrahim and Hasan, ages 9 and 12 respectively, are just a few of many children and their families whose lives Al Amaanah has shown a new light of relief into through its constant labors.

ADOPTING A DUTY

Al Amaanah, or “a trust” when translated in Arabic, was founded by a group of students in Houston in 2007. The organization started out on the same path it is on now, providing a service to the Houston community. The students first began by collecting and distributing zakah through a network, but in doing so they uncovered a more dire need amongst Muslims in Houston. Muslim refugees, flocking from Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and various other countries across the world, were living in the depths of Houston, in need of financial, social, developmental, nutritional, medical, and educational services and more. At this realization, Al Amaanah embraced the responsibility in its hands and committed to establishing a system of aid for these refugees.

PASSION IN ACTION

Despite hardships in getting launched, such as earning the trust and respect of the community, Al Amaanah held on strong keeping their vision in mind, to provide services to the refugees so that they may integrate into and benefit their communities through the most effective and largest organization to succeed in this task. Al Amaanah fulfills its mission by providing basic support services as well as focusing on special social, developmental, and educational projects.

Support Services

Al Amaanah offers support by helping at the foundation of basic needs, such as temporary assistance with rent, food, clothing, household equipment, transportation, communication, and school registration. The Al Amaanah team also familiarizes the refugees with their surroundings by introducing them to their neighbors and showing them around the area where they live.

Social Projects

Al Amaanah continues to support these families through its various projects. For example, the “We Are Family” project offers environmental support to the refugee family through the help and close bond with a local family. There is also a mentoring project called “1-on-1” where the refugee youth match up with another brother or sister in the community who will offer companionship and guidance to the youth.

Developmental Projects

Developmental projects are still in the works which will assist refugees gain proper work skills to help able employees to become financially stable. Some of these projects will teach communication and computer skills. Also, another project workshop will illustrate financial planning methods for refugees to utilize.

Education Department

Al Amaanah’s doors are opening to providing educational benefits to the youth as well. A new tutoring program is about to launch, through which Al Amaanah will assist the young refugees integrate into their schools and excel in their studies. This after school program will help the youth through ESL classes, math tutoring, English tutoring, and assistance with homework.

The special ingredient in Al Amaanah is the organization’s compassion and understanding for the refugee brothers and sisters it assists. Every manager in the organization is also a frontline volunteer, resulting in many of the refugees knowing the Al Amaanah team by name, emphasizing the personal approach Al Amaanah takes in helping the refugees become strong, self-sufficient, and beneficial community members.

HELPING HANDS

No doubt the work Al Amaanah does is a team effort. It is integral every member of the organization work in tune with the continuous need for help. Any fall in the organization’s efforts and a widow goes hungry, a man lacks transportation, or a child struggles with school. The refugees Al Amaanah helps come from a variety of backgrounds, most of hardship and loss. Some families are here while other members are still overseas; some have lost loved ones in a war that was chosen for them. Many refugees, young and old, are learning English as a second language or have never used a computer. It is a chilling feeling to realize without the help of Al Amaanah, after that of Allah, these brothers and sisters may have no place to turn for help, and the beautiful smiles of boys like Anas may not exist.

It is important to remember that such an organization as Al Amaanah is not only a blessing to those it helps but also to those who can help others. As outlined throughout this article, Al Amaanah offers a variety of services and can use the help of more volunteering hands.

Remember, no deed goes unseen by Allah in this life and it remains in His knowledge until the Hereafter. As the beloved Prophet Muhammed (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam) once said, “Whoever relieves a believer of distress in this world, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easy for those who are in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the next. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim in this world, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help the slave so long as the slave helps his brother.” [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/71, hadith no. 204]

To learn more about Al Amaanah, please visit the website. Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities or click here to learn how to donate to Al Amaanah. For any questions, feel free to email info@alamaanah.com.