For years, students at Loyola University Chicago have come together to visit the Rohingya Cultural Center on weeknight evenings to tutor young refugee children with their homework. This Ramadan, in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, LUC students are coming together to gather support for these same children and their families. 

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Prior to COVID-19, many of the families the Rohingya Cultural Center serves were working in factories or airports, industries that have now laid off many workers or currently deem them nonessential. This has left many families struggling to pay rent and to obtain basic needs such as food and medicine. Due to their refugee status, a great number of these individuals are not even eligible for government stimulus checks and are having great difficulty with receiving social services. In this tumultuous time, the Rohingya Cultural Center is itself as the risk of shutting down and is thus unable to fully respond to the increase in need. 

(photo courtesy of Ali Lapetina)

Ramadan is a month of great blessings and a time when supporting others is of the utmost importance. During these last ten days of Ramadan, we ask that you support our Rohingya refugee neighbors by donating to this zakat-eligible fundraiser. Donations will be distributed to families to be used towards groceries, rent, and other necessities.

Even if you are not able to donate, please share and spread the word. Here are some links to articles about the Rohingya Cultural Center and the community they serve:

https://rccchicago.org/

http://www.alilapetina.com/rohingya-in-chicago

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/coronavirus-shutdown-threatens-chicago-rohingya-cultural-centre-200511203143922.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/rohingya-refugees-rebuilding-lives-chicago-190124140954080.html