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![\"JOHN](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4042190_web1_Azeem-Bamiygose-volunteering-at-the-March-8-Grand-Iftar.jpeg\")
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JOHN LONGHURST \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Azeem Bamiygose volunteers at the grand iftar.<\/p>\n
This is the fifth time Islamic Relief Canada has held a Grand Iftar during Ramadan in Winnipeg. About $100,000 was raised last year.<\/p>\n
The purpose of Sunday\u2019s event was to remember the \u201cmillions breaking their Ramadan fast in unimaginable conditions\u201d in Sudan and Gaza, said Iqra Tariq, a fundraising specialist with Islamic Relief in Manitoba.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are searching for food, clean water and safety,\u201d she said, adding \u201cour ummah (community) is suffering. We have hearts that care and can give.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramadan, Tariq went on to say, is a time of generosity that \u201cteaches us that our blessings are a trust from God\u2026 through our charity we can restore their hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those at the iftar was a group of young people who are part of the Winnipeg Ethiopian Canadian Muslim Community Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here to show our support for people in Gaza and Sudan,\u201d said Hadeed Ismael. \u201cWe are doing it because they are human beings who need help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN LONGHURST \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it is like to face hardship and need help,\u201d said Najib Warsame, who was among the volunteers at the iftar.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a time to give back,\u201d said Nabihan Imame. \u201cWe have a role to play.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for us to show up for something like this,\u201d added Heba Ismael. \u201cThis cause is so important, especially since Sudan gets so little attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Azeem Bamiygose is a volunteer with Islamic Relief Canada who was helping to collect donations at the iftar.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to help people in other countries,\u201d said Bamiygose, a student at Pembina Trails Collegiate. \u201cTheir lives are really hard in Gaza and Sudan. I want to help them any way I can.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Also volunteering at the iftar was Najib Warsame, who came to Canada from Uganda as a refugee in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it is like to face hardship and need help,\u201d said Warsame, who is originally from Somalia and who studied medicine in Uganda before coming to Canada.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN LONGHURST \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Youth from the Winnipeg Ethiopian Canadian Muslim Community Association attend the March 8 grand iftar.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my way to give back, to help others,\u201d he said, noting he now has a \u201cbetter life\u201d in Manitoba. \u201cI know the challenges they face.\u201d<\/p>\n Islamic Relief Canada was founded in 2005. In addition to its humanitarian aid and development programs in the developing world, it responds to poverty and hunger in Canada. In February, volunteers with the organization in Winnipeg packed 300 hampers for refugee and newcomer families in Manitoba.<\/p>\n faith@freepress.mb.ca<\/a><\/p>\n \n \t\t\t\t\t\tThe Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks!<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t John Longhurst John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg’s faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.<\/p>\n
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