yourDIL Celebrates Ramadan by Giving, Promoting Education in South Asia

Organizers of the event line up, from left: Madiha Haque, Aysha Soomro, Janey-Ali Rizvi, Ammar Nomani, and Azam Zariff.                 Photos: Parth Dwivedi

Organizers of the event line up, from left: Madiha Haque, Aysha Soomro, Janey-Ali Rizvi, Ammar Nomani, and Azam Zariff. Photos: Parth Dwivedi

By Parth Dwivedi

HOUSTON: Iftaar on Thursday, July 18, held in the hall of Mezban Restaurant was marked by celebration of more than the usual practices of salat, prayer, and sawm, fasting. Zakat, alms-giving, was aptly celebrated by yourDIL, the youth outreach arm of the secular, L.A.-based 501(c)(3) charity, Developments in Literacy, or DIL for short.

Raising more than $21000 on Thursday, yourDIL comfortably exceeded their goal for the evening. With the education of a single child in Pakistan for one year costing around $100, yourDIL estimates that it will educate more than 210 children in the next year, from the proceeds from Thursday evening alone. Syed Zafar, and attendee, explained his reason for donating, “Helping with education grants someone the freedom of choice to live their life how they want.”

Charity-goers enjoy a chance to network, as per yourDIL’s mission.

Charity-goers enjoy a chance to network, as per yourDIL’s mission.

Janey-Ali Rizvi, Treasurer for the Houston chapter of yourDIL was especially pleased with the dinner, “We got a lot of positive feedback from attendees who were encouraged and want to participate more. This says a lot about the young professionals of Houston.” And it should, as one of the organization’s stated goals is to nurture charity in coming generations by serving as a social platform for like-minded young people.

The packed room could be expected from the sold-out attendance, “We had to turn down people at the door. I felt bad, but we are just going to have to increase the scale for our next fundraiser,” said Ammar Nomani, the sincere young man serving as President. Nomani cited literacy as being close to his heart, owing to his brother’s and mother’s vocations as teachers, and beamed with happiness as he spoke of the work yourDIL does overseas.

Salat before the evening kicks off.

Salat before the evening kicks off.

Azhan opened the night, which was followed with a performance by slam poet Imaad Khan, who referenced spirituality, humanity and identity in his rhymes, his passionate stage-presence captivating those in attendance.

Presentations given expounded upon the work that DIL does, a video introducing viewers to a woman in Pakistan trained by the charity as a nurse, who, feeling empowered, gained a newfound confidence in her abilities. Nomani points out DIL’s work in female education, since about 70% of their students are girls. “We focus on improving conditions within existing schools and on sustained teacher training,” as Nomani distinguished DIL from other charities that underemphasize operational efficiency.

It was also revealed that yourDIL holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator (its maximum score) and is also ranked in the top six percept of American charities. According to Charity Navigator, this ranking is given on the basis of transparency (releasing crucial data); accountability (explaining that data); financial health (89% of yourDIL’s donations go directly to their cause); and results (DIL students beat the national average in Pakistan by several fold in Math, English, and Urdu proficiency). Nomani added that DIL programs have a dropout rate of merely 0.6%.

Malala Yousafzai openly endorses DIL, as a video of her speaking to DIL students in Pakistan was shown. Yousafzai spoke vicariously to the attendees of the import of working with honesty, imandari, and the right of people to learn, haq. Rizvi echoed these themes as he spoke of DIL’s central organizational concerns being accountability and integrity.