“I want to be satisfied at the end of the day with what I do,” said Nafessa Jalal, a community activist who has worked for a number of charitable organizations including Heart and Stroke Foundation.

People have lost some trust in charitable organizations because of news stories about their administrative costs that are cut off of every dollar that is donated to them. However, energetic Ms. Jalal, has committed herself to work with the charitable organizations where the cost is minimal and spending is transparent and open to public to review its spending.

nafeesa with IDRF volunteers

Post 9/11 Muslims organizations have come under scrutiny. Ms. Jalal says “it does make our job difficult. People question [Muslim] principles..but it is not a Muslim cause only..it is an international cause..it makes people think of Islam as a fair and peaceful religion.” Another challenge in bringing together to community is divisions within South Asian and Muslim community. Like many South Asian youth, Ms. Jalal says “it does make me sad.”

nafeesa at IDRF BBQ and Walkathon for Disabled Children of Gaza

Ms. Jalal has been inspired by her father’s work at United Nations. “Even though I am South Asian, I have an international background,” Ms. Jalal said, and this brings an understanding of broader Canadian and international community to IDRF, and to organizations and people it deals with.

She came to Canada in 2000 and has gone to University of Toronto to study International Development Studies, political science and anthropology.

Ms. Jalal lost half of her family in the liberation war of 1971. She can comprehend Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, French, Arabic, some African dialects and English of course.

Living in Africa has given her first hand experience of feeling the pain and misery of those who are in need of support of blessed individuals in the rich countries. What remains discouraging is that South Asian youth is still more prone to medical and engineering fields rather than fields in development and relief.