I counseled a few ladies yesterday who were having financial problems. They’re single moms, and the city does very little provide any kind of financial help. Ironcially, the cases were the same - they had all just gotten jobs and were able to pay the next month’s rent and bills, but they didn’t have enough for the current month. They’re all facing eviction notices.
I felt so horrible for them. How do these ladies manage in the world, only God knows. There are very few agencies specifically meant to help single-moms. And the shelters are overflowing with these ladies.
Their men left them, or are in jail.
I just can’t even imagine myself in their shoes.
I wish our masjids were more supportive of the community. Just as churches keep funds on the side to provide for such ladies if they come to beg, masjids too should be keeping funds on the side for ladies in community. Great way to do dawah and support the mothers in our society.
Re: Single Moms
what the hell is wrong with you. You have nothing better to do?
Re: Single Moms
:o
Well, not today, actually. Well, actually, I do, but I am not in the mood to do it.
Re: Single Moms
Salvation Army helps out people for a full month for families in need, may want to refer them.
Gamma - you were so nice to me in giving me a hanky and spreading lub - what's all this anger?
Re: Single Moms
Gamma is alway angry.... its just that he's trying to pretend to be a man.
Re: Single Moms
One thing that could be done is that people in the community should start paying their Zakah and Sadaqah to thier local masjids. Masjids should set up an administration that would be responsible for funds, and then distribute them in their respective society. Plenty of homeless and needy people over here.
And after all needs are met, and if there are left overs, the extra money should be sent to the various muslim charity organizations working in Africa and other places.
Re: Single Moms
Sharaabi - and where does this model of Muslim enterprise exist? I think PCG was speaking US and to my knowledge, if I go with the example of our local Mosque which my family attends, very little.... ok, nothing trickles to the public community. Mosque money has strings usually. At least with Salvation Army the criteria is only to be poor.
I also very much doubt single parents and their problems blip on their radar at all as an issue they would throw money at either.
Not bashing, just stating.
Re: Single Moms
Yeah or like our local mosque which took most of the donations muslim gave to it (Sadaqa, etc) and spent it on the legal fees of lawyers representing the various mullahs fighting over its control as it was constructing a new wing to the masjid.
And I think masjids in general don't believe in giving finances to non-muslims over muslims. If it was a muslim family, they are supported. But there should be some sort of separate community fund that is meant for everyone in the community who needs money for legit reasons.
Re: Single Moms
Minah, i know what most masjids are like, and i would'nt disagree with you. But they are our masjids, we can change things around if only we started started taking part in our masjid activities.
May be this model i suggested wont come into effect now, but could be in about 15, 20 years, when the next generation arrives at the stage. But that will only happen...if we instill the values and virtues in them.
Re: Single Moms
what kind of financial help do these women get?
in the uk they'd get
rent paid
council tax paid
payment for themselves approxe £70
family allowance £30
an amount for each child
child benefit of 20ish per child(this is deducted from above amount.)
its a fairly good amount to live on.
Re: Single Moms
GRRRrRRRrrRRRrr anger sharks are swimming in my cheese head ..GRRrRRrrr
Re: Single Moms
^^^ what typeof cheese.... gorgonzola?
Re: Single Moms
desi cheese made from buffalo milk 
Re: Single Moms
Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto is an exceptional organization that tries to help the needy. They have a foodbank that they use to give out food to the needy. They also have a women’s shelter where the needy women (or homeless) are allowed to stay for a certain period of time (not sure about the details). They have been working hard towards establishing a senior citizens home in the area. They also have schools running kacchi-abadi in Karachi to help educate kids who cannot afford to go to school. They have child sponsorship programs and have many other on-going projects that I’m not fully aware of.
They truly do their best to help out the community and do not discriminate between Muslims and non-Muslims.
http://www.muslimwelfarecentre.com/
On the other hand the mosques in my area are too busy competing against each other for funding for a whole bunch of things. Similarly, other Muslim organizations are busy trying outdo each other for funding and creating dabba schools and offering other useless programs.
Re: Single Moms
On the other hand the mosques in my area are too busy competing against each other for funding for a whole bunch of things. Similarly, other Muslim organizations are busy trying outdo each other for funding and creating dabba schools and offering other useless programs.
I've noticed that here too.
There is one masjid however, in Miami, that I think has done an exceptional job. Its run mostly by African American muslims (those guys actually make sense when they practice Islam), and the masjid is in a very low-lying area. With their community outreach programs (oriented around providiing relief to families, not to necessarily convert them), so many people have actually converted just because this one masjid is giving them attention when the rest of the community and gov't has abandoned them.
Its amazing to hear the storeis of those converts. Even people who wish not to convert (which is fine), have a great deal of respect for the mosque.
The rest of the mosques, here too, unfortunately are busy competing for each other.
Re: Single Moms
PCG - the Mosque here helps families within it's doors already, no community outreach at all, which is sad. Christians use community outreach to convert because it is a powerful tool and they have learned a lot earlier what that Mosque you quoted as doing, helping without trying to convert actually creates more converts in the long run. Hence, Salvation Army (which tries converting only after you ask about it) and it's success, among others.
Sadiyah - my kids raise funds (only a few dollars) by selling things they bake and yardwork around the community that they specify for certain causes. They raise as part of the charity work as a Muslim they must do, but usually do not give it all to the Mosque, mostly they give to christian charities because if they ask it to go to a specific cause they know it will, which is frustrating to myself and my husband. It's too bad because they are raising the money as Muslims and donating as directed as Muslims, but can't really find credible local Muslim charities to donate to and the Mosque is no help that way.
Anyway..
Re: Single Moms
can i ask again
why doesnt the state help?
Re: Single Moms
Why doesn't the US government give the poor and disadvantaged the same kind of benefits and financial support that they get in the UK?
More to the point, why do US voters not elect parties into power who would?
Re: Single Moms
minah_pa, the only trustworthy place that I know of in my area is this organization that I mentioned. I had to volunteer there for a while and got to know them very well. Great organization with great people.
I also feel a bit uneasy when making donations or doing anything for places that I do not know much about.
This one organization that I know most likely does good work. However, when I went there to volunteer, all the owner did was BS another mosque whom he had worked for. All it did was turn me away and I never returned to volunteer there, or to donate or anything else.
I guess there's a strong need for open policy and transparency at the mosques and other such organizations that is sadly missing.
Oh well... their own loss.