A Friend in Need … NAAMA Indeed

I received a call yesterday from a Libyan American colleague asking if NAAMA knows of or if we are planning medical relief efforts to Libya.  Such a call was neither surprising nor unique, since many of you have also contacted the office or I with similar questions.

It is customary for our members to call upon us whenever a natural disaster or war strikes a region in the world.  But over the years, it became more common for the general community as well to look at NAAMA in times of need.

Whether it is a war in Gaza or an Earthquake in Pakistan, 9/11 in New York or Katrina in New Orleans, NAAMA is immediately sought as the main organizer and the first responder for humanitarian efforts. Even with the abundance of Arab American organizations nationwide and in Michigan specifically, many look for NAAMA as a partner or a conduit for their efforts.

Several years ago when the Arab American community was outraged in response to the War on Lebanon, the sentiment was “we want to see what NAAMA is planning and join them”.  Similarly two years ago when plans for a major concert in Las Vegas to benefit Children in the Arab World, NAAMA Foundation was chosen as the credible entity that can handle such projects.

This testifies to NAAMA’s accountability and to the Foundation’s track record and credentials when it comes to efficacy and efficiency in planning and executing humanitarian projects. It also creates huge liability for NAAMA to ensure that any funds raised and spent on any project are used for the right purpose and donated to the right entity. 

Not only planning and executing such efforts takes long time, but fact finding and researching and for the perfect vehicle and the right local entity is even more time consuming and sometimes frustrating when the need is dire and immediate, but the situation is fluid and ever-changing such as in Libya currently.  But NAAMA and the Foundation and our members never shy away from such task.

The call that I received from our Libyan colleague was not surprising as I mentioned, but what was so special about it is that it came from a NAAMA chapter past president who used to be an involved member in the past, whom we lost contact of and could not reach for the past several years.  When I asked him about it, he said “life can get in your way, and the routine sucks you in, but I always knew deep inside me that NAAMA is always there when we need it”.

Mouhanad

P.S. NAAMA Foundation has called for an emergency meeting to discuss plans for Libya.  An update with a call for action is expected to follow shortly.  For donations and contributions to NAAMA Foundation please click here.