Ongoing
For generations the Navajo Nation, along with practically all of the surviving Native American tribes, have been remanded to secluded areas on reservation land where their grandfathers’ grandfathers were displaced by European settlers. As the Westward expansion of the United States progressed, the Navajo people were decimated so that by the late 1800s only about 8,000 Navajos had survived. Through the 20th century efforts had been made by various government organizations and private organizations to assist these people.
The Zakat Foundation sees these people as no different from other refugees in the world; their plight is largely overlooked and often neglected. While the Navajo Nation is the most developed and well-established of all existing tribal nations in the US, 56% of the Navajo people live in poverty (according to the US Dept. Indian Affairs). The perpetual cycle of oppression and a lack of real opportunity for Tribe members to have full access to benefits, education and employment has settled many people into a mode of despair. There is little commerce within the Nation and most Navajo funds leave the community through the course of daily business. With little internal economy and few opportunities to have a gainful life the Navajo people often turn to alcoholism, gambling and drug addiction.
Hope has left the First Nation tribes of America and it is our duty to help return it to them. By bringing aid to the Navajo people (and perhaps other tribes in the future) we can restore hope and bring a new chance for people to thrive and create a new future.
What are the key problems?
- As of the 2000 Indian Affairs census; 32% of Navajo homes did not have internal plumbing, 28% did not have kitchen facilities and 60% had no telephone access.
- There is a severe lack of access to water, electricity, telephone service and easily passable roads.
- Many homes are in terrible states of repair, leading to young children and elderly being exposed to harsh elements which they cannot withstand.
- Acute poverty has led to poor health conditions resulting from both the inability to have easy access to medical facilities and the inability to pay for services.
- Agriculture is difficult, leading to a dependency on external food sources.
What can be done to help?
- Major housing repair and upgrades would improve the overall living conditions for the Navajo people.
- Temporary Health clinics could be established to address vaccinations and most basic health needs.
- Food aid as a temporary alleviation to poverty has proven successful in helping people redirect funds toward other needed causes.
- Agricultural training improvements to help Navajos learn new methods of cultivating food for themselves rather than relying on external crops.
Zakat Foundation Response to the Need
In 2002 The Zakat Foundation rushed to the dire need of food supplies and our December distribution helped over 200 families with immediate food aid. Our continued efforts provided for 500 additional families and distributed winter clothing and blankets. The Navajo were in such desperate need that families came from as far as 90 miles away from the distribution site to receive some help.
The gratitude of the Navajo people has been underscored in multiple communications of thanks and praise of respect. So great was their appreciation to The Zakat Foundation, that a council of elders made our direc
tor Halil Demir an honorary member of their tribe and gave him the Navajo name “Nixáte Xilnahiýa” (meaning “man of wisdom, provider of good services”). This symbol of gratitude is rarely seen and is highly regarded.
Our ongoing efforts require more direct attention to long-term solutions for the problems facing the Navajo people and to complete those efforts we need your support. Help us today in rebuilding homes and providing running water for these proud, yet impoverished people of the First Nation of America.
