Rashida in hiding

NZF was notified about Rashida’s case by sister met her at the Masjid, where Rashida was explaining her situation to the local Imam.

Unfortunately, the Imam was not offering any support or guidance to Rashida’s request for a divorce.

The sister called up NZF to check if we are able to help.

When our case officer got in touch with Rashida, she told us about her struggles in explaining how abusive her husband was towards her and her kids, and how all the Imams she approached would not assist her in getting a divorce. She was not sure where to go and was desperate since the Muslim community was not being supportive.

One of her friends notified DOCS who in term worked with FCC to put her into a refuge temporarily to protect her from her husband. In spite of getting a restraining order, her husband would send his friends to watch her as she picked up the kids from school and make threats towards her, to the point that she pulled her kids out of school and moved neighbourhoods.

While Rashida was not in immediate need for emergency funding, at NZF we recognised the need to help Rashida stabilise her young family and ensure that the children were receiving the right support they needed at this age, especially around Islamic Education.

Our case officer started following up closely with FCC and DOCS until they found Rashida a suitable home for her and her children. NZF then expedited assistance for the following items

Set up of initial furnishings, utensils and appliances for home

Working with local Islamic schools on discounted fees and funding the fees to allow her kids to go back to Islamic schools

Introducing her to a new community circle so she could make new friends as she was forced to move away from her known social circle to reduce the likelihood of her husband knowing her whereabouts.

We received Rashida’s case first in July 2017.

And it was only in January 2019 that Rashida was finally relatively stable. This is how NZF assists those in need. We don’t give a one time hand out and expect those in need to figure out how to turn their lives around. Rather we will work with them over however long it takes, in Rashida’s case 1.5 years, to ensure that their family is protected and they are able to stand up on their own feet.

We have no doubt that with her new life, Rashida will find a job and will become completely self-sufficient; that she will move from being a Zakat receiver to a Zakat payer insha Allah.

This is how your Zakat is transforming lives, right here in Australia.