MuslimKidsMatter | Helping Orphans This Ramadan

Ramadan Mubarak!  Four days of this awesome month have already gone by.  What have we done to gain the blessings of Ramadan?  It’s true that it’s summer vacation, and most of us can just lie back and relax throughout the month, playing video games, watching movies, and doing other typical summer vacation activities.  However, we have to remember what Ramadan is really about.  Allah gave us Ramadan to get closer to Him and to do good deeds.  It’s like, by letting us live during Ramadan, Allah is giving us a key to the coolest treasures ever.  We have the chance to do small good deeds and get enormous rewards.  So why not take this chance?  Why don’t we all try to benefit from the blessings of this month?

Ramadan is a key to unlock enormous rewards from Allah.

A group of kids in Delaware are trying to do just that.  Earlier in the year, a few dedicated youth took the initiative to help orphans in the world.  They knew how much kids without parents are suffering, and decided to start a project to help these orphans.  With a goal to help 99 orphans in 2013, the kids ranging from ages 9-17 created the 99 Orphans Project.  With the help and support of the Zakat Foundation of America and their parents, the kids have expanded their project to include dedicated youth all around the US.  Groups in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Texas have also joined the 99 Orphans Project and have begun raising money for orphans.  All together, they have raised money to help 45 orphans so far.  This is a sum of over $17,000.

These are ordinary kids just like you.  They like to play video games and games on their i-pods, they enjoy hanging out with their friends, and they love carefree summer days.  However,  they know the importance of helping others and want to gain lots of reward from Allah.  Now that it is Ramadan, the 99 Orphan team members know it will be more difficult to raise money for orphans.  They will be fasting long days and staying up late for Tarawih prayers.  But they are determined to get huge rewards from Allah and aim to work harder than ever to help the kids less fortunate than them.

But don’t worry.  The 99 Orphan team members don’t want to keep all the rewards to themselves; they’re willing to share!  You can help raise money for orphans, too, this Ramadan.  The team members have organized and planned everything you will need to start your own team.  All you have to do is start it!

Check out the photo gallery below to see some of the things the 99 Orphan members have done.

(Attention, writers!  Muslim Kids Matter is a regular feature at Muslim Matters.  New articles for kids are posted every other Sunday.  You’re welcome to send in your entries to muslimkidsmatter@muslimmatters.org.)

Don’t forget to participate in MKM’s Ramadan competition for kids of ages 4-15!  You can begin submitting entries from Monday, July 1st.  The first two kids who submit their entries in the competition will get a free copy of a book from the STAIRS series, signed by the author.