15 Years of SMILES

• SMILE supports close to 500 families in Canada
• 70% of SMILE families are in financial need
• 30% are refugees (majority from Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan)
• 46% of families have more than one child with a disability
• 20% of families are single-mothers with children
• 4% of families live in shelters

2023 marks SMILE's 15th year in providing essential support to Muslim children and youth with disabilities and critical illness and their families. While this year marks '15 chapters', it is just the beginning of our SMILE story.

This year we celebrate numerous inclusive programs, financial support given to those most in need, and the growing awareness in communities on accessibility and inclusion.

But we would be dishonest if we did not tell you about the ongoing stories of pain, trauma, exclusion and neglect. 

This Ramadan … Help us rewrite these stories. 

The numbers are dire. 54% of SMILE families are failing to meet their basic needs. Many families are put in situations where they must choose to forsake therapy sessions such as speech and language to help their child learn how to communicate, or postpone necessary equipment purchases in order to pay for rent or buy groceries. 

In Canada, government benefits only account for less than 6% of out-of-pocket expenses for families. 

On top of this, government funding waitlists are 1-2 years, and refugee and newcomer families often do not qualify for these supports. That’s years of no resources and support for Muslim children and youth with disabilities. Years of these children and youth getting left behind and seeing a regression in skills.

This Ramadan, please help us in authoring a story where the needs of families of children and youth with disabilities are met. A story of inclusive and welcoming societies. A story fitting of our name, one filled with lots of smiles!

Join SMILE in our mission to ensure that all children can be first and foremost children. The demand for our services is rising, and we need to achieve our funding goal of $300,000. Since March 2020, SMILE has seen a 42% increase in registration now supporting nearly 600 families. Every day, we are on the front lines supporting children with disabilities and their families. 

This Ramadan, please consider giving your Zakat locally to SMILE. Let's make our 15th year our best year yet.