We need your help to provide financial support to 60 Rohingya families (6 facing urgent needs like eviction) who have lost their source of income during this crisis, and to provide food during Ramadan for families who cannot rely on the Rohingya Culture Center to host their daily community-wide iftars.

1. 60 Families Have Lost Their Source of Income Due to COVID-19 Layoffs

According to Nasir Zakaria, Director of the Rohingya Cultural Center, "Around 60 families have lost their source of income from some 50 individuals who lost their jobs this month due to coronavirus layoffs, of those families 6 are facing severe troubles -- including eviction threats, lack of medicare, and little food.

Due to budget constraints, the RCC is unable to provide financial support to individual families. As such, it is up to us — the greater community — to provide financial relief for our Rohingya community members who already face immense economic and social pressures. 

Some of these individuals were working low paying restaurant jobs and have been without a job due to restaurant closures. Many community members also work at the airport or drive for Uber of Lyft — all of which have faced immense layoffs and lack of income.

We are incredibly worried about the level of vulnerability in this community. As the Assistant Director, Laura Toffenetti explains, "Many in the community  have high rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. They are living in one of the hot zones of Chicago. Most have to leave their homes to do laundry at the laundromat."

We are looking to preliminarily set up a $5,000 fund that families can tap into to ease some of the financial pressures, particularly going into Ramadan. We hope that we can increase this fund depending on support, and work with national community leaders to bring much needed aid to these families. Most families pay around $1000 per month in rent, and their paychecks were usually about $2000 (though, unfortunately, most made much less).

2. Families Cannot Rely on the RCC for Food During Ramadan — So we need to raise money to provide food cards for community members' iftars.

The Rohingya Cultural Center has been a safe-haven for hundreds of Rohingya refugee families in the greater Chicago area — offering year-round support, educational services, and food for iftar every day of Ramadan. 

Unfortunately, this year, as dozens of Rohinya refugees suffer employment layoffs as a result of the COVID-19 crisis — and unable to look towards the Rohingya Center for food during this Ramadan — families are worried they may not be able to put food on the table for their children to break fast. Once we are able to set up a fund for the most urgent family needs outlined in part #1 above, we will spend the rest of the money on food cards — like grocery store gift cards, such as Aldi for example — for community members.

Some 500 families in the Rohingya Community are struggling right now, and the food cards will be distributed on a need-basis for families to purchase groceries and other important things. We will also work to create a group of volunteers to help purchase these groceries, should the family lack transportation or ability.

As the government starts distributing stimulus checks for those eligible, and as we work to support our own families through these difficult times, any amount to support this initiative — even just sharing widely — would be an incredible help (and multiplied blessings). Thank you!