Western US
How Soccer is Making a Difference for Girls in Chitral
26 April 2020
One lonely girl’s passion and determination to play soccer is changing the lives of so many in Northern Pakistan
Healthcare Hero - Shamsah Malik
13 April 2020
As a part of the movement to acknowledge healthcare workers, we are featuring healthcare workers from the Ismaili community in a series entitled Healthcare Heroes. Read more about our next featured Hero, Shamsah Malik, who is a nurse on the designated Covid team at the hospital where she works.
Reaching the Top of the Nursing Profession
9 March 2020
2020 is the Year of the Nurse and The Ismaili USA is featuring several nurses during the year to celebrate their contributions to their communities.
Recognizing Los Angeles First Responders
27 February 2020
“Our endless gratitude extends to all of the brave firefighters who fought with their lives to ensure we would have a home to return to,” Farida Makhani, San Fernando Valley resident.
Volunteering with the Sikh Community
16 February 2020
Thirty volunteers from the Torrance Jamatkhana (Greater Los Angeles Area) participated in an interfaith exploration and outreach event sponsored by the Sikh Center of Orange County and organized by the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for the Western United States in January 2020. This was part of the Aging Gracefully Intergenerational program and Jamati members learned about the similarities between the Sikh and Ismaili communities – the shared ethics of volunteerism and service to the community, as well as of their focus on spirituality and equality. They assisted the Gurdwara’s (Sikh place of learning and worship) volunteers in serving breakfast and prasad to the congregation.
Receiving the Embrace Civility Award
1 February 2020
In the eight short months, Sharmin Barolia has lived in the United States, she has already begun to leave a significant impact in the various communities of which she is a part. Sharmin is an active member of Los Angeles Headquarters Jamatkhana, her community of the greater Los Angeles area, and her workplace, the City of Beverly Hills.
Three Seattle girls teach English to students in Hunza
14 December 2019
My extended stay in Pakistan began with a family vacation from our home in Seattle, to Karachi, in February of 2019. We had gone to visit family and see where our parents had grown up, and in the process had visited some community schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods. Seeing the situations in which people were living -- conditions filled with need and poverty -- made me realize I needed to do something to help. Thus, we approached the Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB) in Pakistan to see if they could use our assistance.
Two Ismailis chose the path less traveled – a career in sports journalism
20 November 2019
Two young Ismailis, Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant, are now in the forefront of reporting for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
There are twenty seconds left and you are at the edge of your seat. It could be anyone's match and suddenly there is a power outage. You suddenly remember that you follow Shams Charania and Sabreena Merchant on Twitter, among the most-followed and high-profiled NBA-reporters in the business. And as you realize that your team has won, you get the satisfaction of being the first to message your friends as you heard it directly from the best in the industry.
California Ismailis and Civic Leaders Exhibit American Value of Service
2 November 2019
As the nation observed the anniversary of 9/11, Ismaili volunteers and their communities sought to honor the victims of the unforgettable event through charity and peaceful congregation. The 9/11 Day of Service hosted by L.A. Works has become among the nation’s largest annual charitable engagements with participation from over 1,000 volunteers. Ismaili volunteers participated in packaging over 300,000 meals to be distributed to children, families, seniors, and military veterans in the Los Angeles area who are at risk of hunger.
Bicycling on the California coast for a cause
2 November 2019
A very hilly bike ride that covered either 100, 62, 30, or 15 miles of the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, heading south and ending at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, was truly a grueling challenge for all riders. Among them were five Ismaili riders.
Council for the Western US hosts Egyptian Leaders
26 October 2019
In an interview with La Cohorte earlier this year, Mawlana Hazar Imam said, “I have always taken the view that civil society must play a fundamental role in the future of all populations. So, we have to consolidate and strengthen it. And that means taking the most important institutions of civil society and giving them support and encouragement wherever we can perhaps help them do things differently from anything we have known up till now.”
Despite Personal Struggles, Helping Others Struggling
12 October 2019
Dr. Aliya Sheriff is as an agent of social change. Since childhood, she understood that an education was earned to serve humankind. Her older brother, who passed when she was 17-years-old always teased her for her unrelenting vision, and her parents encouraged her to pursue her passion to help the most vulnerable.
