To support Orphan’s and poor families in Yemen, ICRD launched the first virtual funding on April 24, 2021. We had six main speakers: Mrs. Debbie Dingell, a member of the USA Congress, Mr. Ibraham Ayyash, a member of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mesmari, Imam West Bloomfield Islamic Center and President the Imams Association in MI , Mrs. Horea Alroaini, Executive Director of the Yemeni American Media Network in California and the founder of the Yemeni American Feminist Society, Dr. Adnan Hammad the President and Executive Director of the Global Health Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees of World Medical Relief WMR, Dr. Muhammad Alhajjaji, the founder and director of the Pure Hands Charitable Organization, and a number of interlocutors, including Mrs. Suzan Dabajeh, President of the Municipal Council in Dearborn City, Mr. Sam Baydoun, Commissioner of Wayne County, and Dr. Abdel-Wahab Alawneh from the Life USA for Relief Organization, the candidate for the Dearborn Municipal Council Mr. Khalil Othman, Mr. Bandar Bawazir and Chairman of the Yemeni American Chamber of Commerce, and others. The event was moderated by Dr. Khaled Shajrah, Chairman of ICRD Advisory Council.
Speakers addressed the current situation in Yemen especially childhood in Yemen, due to war, famine, displacement, the spread of epidemics and diseases, and the need to cooperate with the ICRD in collecting donations for the afflicted in Yemen, especially children. They expressed their admiration for the accurate, balanced and dedicated performance of the ICRD since its establishment in 2014, especially its team consisting of 100% volunteers and transferring all donations for the benefit of the beneficiaries without any administrative expenses or overhead. The total of paid and unpaid donations amounted to a hundred thousand dollars, almost 50% of the amount for the benefit of food baskets for poor families and 50% for the benefit of orphans. It is worth noting that the campaign will continue until the end of Ramadan. It is known that the ICRD adopts about 300 orphans under the age of 13 for a full year, where the orphan and his family receive a monthly food basket and a clothes suit on big holidays as well as an whole school package. In case the family has more than four orphans in the family, more than one monthly food basket is provided in addition to all other items. ICRD plans to accommodate only 160 orphans annually, but as a result of increased number of orphans, ICRD now sponsored 300 orphans, and we still looking to secure funds for more than 150 orphans on the waiting list.