The Zakat Foundation of America successfully held its first, coast to coast, 9 city Garden of Poetry Mushaira Tour to raise awareness and support for orphans. Close to 2,000 guests came together for evenings of enlightenment and compassion with 1,105 orphans securing sponsorships. Mushaira, a traditional gathering of poets of the Urdu language, is an expression of literary talent, cultural pride, and communal harmony. This lost art form was brought to life by the esteemed poets Waseem Barelvi, Rajesh Reddy, Popular Meeruthi, Khalid Masood, and Aqeel Nomani.
The tour received widespread global media coverage across networks in Pakistan including Pakistan Chronicle, Pakistan Times, Pakistan News, Urdu Times, and Pakistan Television (PTV). Zakat Foundation of America’s Executive Director and Founder Mr. Khalil Demir expressed his joyful sentiments at the culmination of the tour by sharing, “I’m grateful to our guests for bringing the American Muslim community together by giving us a taste of the beauty and aesthetics of their poetry for a worthwhile cause.”
The Zakat Foundation of America’s Orphan Sponsorship Program supports over 5,300 orphans monthly around the world, including in the war-ravaged region of Gaza as well as in countries like Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan, and Turkey, among others. It provides essentials to children who have lost at least one parent including food security, clothing, household support, educational supplies and fees, clean water access, and special holiday gifts. As a flagship program, the Zakat Foundation of America uses 100% of every dollar given to this program on essentials for orphaned children and their families.
Though the Mushaira Tour has ended, rallying support for orphans continues.
