More Books

       Hi everyone! We made $85 earlier this month from money from donors in DE and OH. We are making slow progress, but I'm sure we will reach our goal eventually. I'm kind of having a hard time thinking of things to write on the blog and other fundraisers. If you have any ideas please comment!! I'd love to hear what you'd like to see on our blog or what kind of fundraiser you'd attend. Also....if you know anyone who would like to join, just email me (sabzzz1315@gmail.com) or any of the other members :D 

Richshaw Girl Books!

Salaam,
Great news! We have received 9 books, and sold all 9! Alhamdulillah we have raised $90! We are slowly reaching our goal. Great job guys!

Baby Steps

 Hello everyone! Sorry I forgot to write yesterday! I feel so bad. My uncle was at my house so I didn't have time. He's still here, but today I have no homework...yay! Anyways, I'm here to talk about The Rickshaw Girl book. A generous doner from DE decided to contribute $10 to buy the book. I know it's not a lot, but everything won't come easy.  Honestly at the beginning of the Rickshaw Project I thought that we wouldn't really progress. Although we haven't progressed drastically, we have progressed a fair amount and I feel that even with small steps we will eventually reach our goal. Plus, before any baby starts running they have to walk, right? Please continue to spread the word and if you'd like to donate or buy a book please contact any of the members of the Rickshaw Project.

How Rickshaws can impact people's lives

Rickshaw can really impact people's lives. People in Bangladesh drive rickshaws for a living. They get money buy driving a rickshaw. But some drivers don't own the rickshaws they drive, they rent them out. By renting the rickshaws they spend most of their money they earn on the rickshaws and then they don't have that much to spend on their families. So, it is really important for drivers to have their own rickshaws. The really good part about helping this important cause is that sponsoring one rickshaw is only $150. Help these drivers that don't have their own rickshaws get one.

Why I joined the 101 Rickshaw Project

Throughout the course of the past few years I have taken part in many humanitarian project.  However the 101 Rickshaw project stands out in two main ways.  Firstly giving a family a Rickshaw doesn't just provide a family with food, clothing, or shelter for a specific amount of time.  It empowers a family to provide for themselves.  In addition to this its only 150 dollars.  150 dollars can provide for a family and make their life sooo much easier.  There are many significant problems in the world today and I can`t do much about some of them. I joined the the 101 Rickshaw project because it enables myself and others to make a lasting positive impact on the world around us.


-Furkan

Experiment to Try

Hi everyone,
So on this fine Monday I am here to talk about an experiment with rickshaws. Well to be honest, it doesn't have a rickshaw involved, but you'll understand what the experiment is as I go on. And all the credit goes out to my mom who actually thought of the idea. People (including myself) don't quite understand what struggles rickshaw drivers go through. With this experiment you can start to relate and sympathize. You will need a bike, a friend or two, and preferably hot weather. Imagine it being the hottest day of the summer, the sun scorching your back and your legs tired from constant peddling. Get on your bike and just drive around for a bit. After that imagine seeing a possible costumer (your friend in your case) and wave them over. Try to drive your friend around in the hot sun and not break a sweat! Think of having two people at your back. Doing this helps you feel for the rickshaw drivers. They do this for a living and it isn't fair to do so much work, just to have most of it be taken from you. That's why we need to ensure that rickshaw drivers get to keep all their money. By donating to the 101 Rickshaw Project YOU and all your friends and family will make a huge difference. Then 101 rickshaw drivers won't have to give up so much valuable energy.

Hello everyone,

The 101 rickshaw project is to help people own there own rickshaw. If you did not know barely anyone has a rickshaw of their own. They rent their rickshaw from somebody. Then they do all the hard work to carry people around and take them to places for few amounts of money. Then by the end of the day you might think they earned a least a few dollars (or what ever their currency is), but no they have to pay the rent which takes a lot of the money they earned to the owner, for all we know could have been sleeping all day. Most drivers are very poor, like they barely pay there own self's and  their family. They wake up early in the morning and come late in the evening. When are they going to spend time with there family? Your dad\mom are home during the weekend instead of at work. Your family makes good money, taken the fact that you are reading this on a computer. They can't afford a computer. They can't even get a nice, comfortable house. So please donate generously for the family of the rickshaw drivers. And if you need more facts read the book Rickshaw Girl which has first-hand account of a family of a Rickshaw driver.

Why This Project is Worth It

Hey everyone,
I just joined 101 Rickshaws this week, and so I am going to write about why. I went to Bangladesh this summer, and I saw many people riding their Rickshaws. Looking at them, I always felt sympathetic. First of all, most Rickshaw drivers do not own their Rickshaws, but rent them due to an inability to afford one. These people have to wake up early in the morning and stay up very late into the night, just so they can give people rides and earn desperately needed money. Many of the Rickshaw drivers are frail, and driving the Rickshaw everywhere during the long, hot days is a terrible burden and very exhaustive. And after the long hours of driving around a rickshaw for meager pay, they have to spend most of their money paying the person they rented for the Rickshaw from. So at the end of the day, with all their work, they earn barely enough to support their families, and maybe not even that. If we donated a free Rickshaw to a driver, he would be able to keep all his profit, and the extra money would mean the world to the drivers. These people need the money, and one way we can help them is by completing this drive successfully.
Thank you,
Aunindya Jyoti

A worthy cause

I'm a new member of the 101 Rickshaw Project, and I was shocked to hear about the rickshaw situation. In Bangladesh, many families rent rickshaws to provide rides to the public as their main source of income. Often, they need to give 75% or more of their profit to their boss, or whoever they are renting the rickshaw from, and only keeping 25% for themselves and their family. Everyday they strive to raise a reasonable sum of money, only to fork over the majority of their sales to their boss.

No one should have to live like that, giving away most of the money that they make. However, with your support and donations, we can turn around the lives of these hard-working civilians and provide them with their very own rickshaw! $150 is all it takes to provide a rickshaw to a family, so please open your heart and spare some money for this cause.

Building a mini rickshaw

Make your own rickshaw and share your pictures!!!

   A few days ago I started making a mini rickshaw.  I am making it because I thought it would be interesting to build one.  

First I looked all around the house for something that looks like wheels.  I found some duck tape that was finished and I decided to make the wheels out of them.  After that I found two more wheels . Then I got some paper and covered the duck tape/wheel with it.  I traced the duck tape on some paper and drew lines and taped it to the duck tape.  To make it look more prettier I colored it with some markers.  

Then to connected the wheels together with straws and taped them to each side.  I also used straws to make the handle where you can hold it.  Then I made the seat for the driver with cardboard and connected it with the handle.  

Now I'm trying to make the seat for the passengers.  Sr.Barbara gave me an idea and I am trying to do that.  If you have any other ideas on how I can make the seat, please comment on this post! 

Rickshaws are a Big Part of Families

      Rickshaws are a big part of families. Especially in Bangladesh. When drivers rent rickshaws they are giving up there money on their family to spend on the rickshaw. We are asking for your help to fix this problem. Drivers need to be able to own a rickshaw for themselves. By owning a rickshaw drivers don't have to spend that much money on their rickshaw. The money that the use on their rickshaw can be used on their families, food, clothes, and other things. So please help this important cause by donating. Every penny counts!!!

The Books Arrived!!!!

I'm so excited to start selling these books
 during our next event!!

Alhamdullilah, the books, "The Rickshaw Girl" have arrived yesterday!! We now have 120 books to sell! Thanks to Ms. Perkins, the "Rickshaw Girl" author, we were able to have a great discount for the books. Now I can't wait to start selling them. We also have 3 new members added to our project from NC, Furkan, Aunindya, and Aurindom. If we all work hard, we can raise a lot more money!

The Rickshaw Girl Update

            (SORRY FOR THE WEIRD WHITE BACKGROUND, IT WON'T GO AWAY D;) 

    Asalamwalikum everyone! So we recently have acquired 36 rickshaws, which helps 36 different Bangladeshi families! This blog post is about the book, Rickshaw Girl. Meryem and Huda Kose from NC told us earlier that they had received this book as a present. They contacted the author and it looks like Mitali Perkins has offered to give us the books at a discount and we will be selling them for the Rickshaw Project. 

             I  found a summary of what the book is about and it seems to target exactly why we are trying to raise awareness for the rickshaw drivers in Bangladesh. The book is about a ten year old named Naima from Bangladesh who is struggling to get money for her poor family. She tries to raise money with her paintings, but it's not use. Naima wants to dress up as a boy and start to drive her father's rickshaw. When she goes to execute her plan something goes wrong, and I won't say anymore in case you would like to purchase the book!

        The entire rickshaw team has decided to buy the books and we are planning to sell them. (If any of the other states are please planning on buying the books, please contact me at @sabzzz1315@gmail.com and Huda's email.) 

The Difference : Renting a Rickshaw vs. Owning A Rickshaw

The Difference :

Renting a Rickshaw vs.

Owning A Rickshaw

Raiyana Zainab Alam

In Bangladesh, there already aren’t many normal-paying jobs. People there have to work extremely hard to just earn a few taka. There is a big difference in renting a rickshaw and working for someone, than owning your own rickshaw. First of all, renting a rickshaw and having a boss probably would make you feel like you are a servant or a slave (unless you enjoy it). Having a boss, you will probably have to reach a certain amount of money everyday, which some days it can be easy, but some days it can be extremely hard. On hot days, many people might want to escape the heat and quickly get home, but on colder cooler days, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t as many people wanting to ride on a rickshaw, unless they want to ride it for fun!

Owning your own rickshaw would make feel like you have so many more possibilities! And you actually will have more! Owning your own rickshaw will make you realize, you don’t have a goal to reach, except support your family! It will also help you gain a lot more money than before. Before you had to pay the old grouchy boss 75% of your earnings. And you come home with a measly 25% of that. No! Now, you get to skip the extra ride to your boss’s house, and ride home with 100% of your earnings! 100% profit is included!

So, that is what we are trying to accomplish, the second option! We are trying to provide 101 lucky rickshaw drivers their very own rickshaws to help them in economic growth. Lucky for us, we have already collected enough for 36 rickshaws!

Keep up the good work, guys!!!

Why Rickshaw Drivers should have their own Rickshaw

     My name is Adeeba Allimulla and I live in Newark, Delaware. I am 11 years old. I am new to the ZF Rickshaw project. I believe rickshaw drivers should have their own rickshaw instead of renting a rickshaw. When drivers rent the rickshaws they have to keep spending money to use the rickshaws. But when they have their own they will spend less money on rickshaws and will get to spend more money on their family and their needs. So please help this important cause. DONATE!!!!!

$600

Only $50 to finish the next rickshaw!!

Alhamdullilah, a family friend donated enough money for 4 rickshaws! Inshallah we will be able to reach our goal with more generous donors. We currently have $100 dollars for our 36th rickshaw! We only need $50 more to make one more family in Bangladesh have his own rickshaw. Come on and donate! 

We Raised $80

            We have raised $80 towards the next rickshaw alhamdulilah. Please keep donating for the rickshaw drivers in Bangladesh. Also keep spreading the word.

The Rickshaw Girl

  A few months ago my cousin mailed us a book that was called The Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins.  Then my mom read it to me and it was about a girl who's dad had a rickshaw.  He had borrowed money to buy the rickshaw and he had to work really hard to pay it back.  I learned that rickshaw drivers and their families have very hard lives.  This book made me want to help rickshaw drivers and their families more.  So please help us help rickshaw drivers.  

-Meryem from Cary, NC 

31 Rickshaws!!

Organize a bake sale! How can anybody say no to desserts?
Especially when it is for a good cause!

Alhamdllilah, we raised a total amount of $4670. Thanks to Umar, we are now finished with our 31st rickshaw. He raised enough money $320 by selling many different desserts. He even made a really cool poster that explained our project. If every group in the 7 states organize events like this, we will reach our goal in no time, inshallah. Keep in mind that there is only $130 left for our 32nd rickshaw! 

BBQ Sale!

About 2 weeks a go we had a BBQ. in the BBQ We had a table .We had the BBQ in our musjid . We sold cupcakes , ice cream , chocolate strawberries  .We raised    $320 alhamdulilah . That is 2 rikshaws  alhamdulilah .

Umar, Dallas

Movie Night on Oct 31st!

Come join us at Zakat Foundation at 6:00 pm! We will be watching a movie, eating food, and most importantly...having fun! (and who doesn't like those things, right?) The event is to help reach our goal of 101 Rickshaws.  $10 per person for movie and food.

Address - 1501 Casho Mill Rd. Suite 13 Newark, Delaware 19713 

1 More Rickshaw !

Assalamualaikum!


                I just started the Rickshaw project. My parents started me out with $150. So we now have one more rickshaw. I hope we make our goal for the project!

l

                                                                                    BY : NASI

$100 Donation

Alhamdullilah we recently received a donation of 100 dollars for a rickshaw.  It was from a med school student who just passed a really hard exam.  The student felt so good after passing the exam that he decided to donate to this worthy cause. As we are getting more and more donations from generous donors,, inshallah we will reach our goal in no time! Go donate and be one of those donors! Remember, every dollar counts!!

27 Rickshaws!!

Alhamdulilah, we raised enough money to help 27 families! We are almost 1/3 done with our goal. Be part of our rickshaw team by helping us reach our goal. Remember it is only $150 to help one family!

4 Rickshaws Earned!

A generous family here in West Lafayette, IN donated $600. That is 4 more rickshaws!!

3 more rickshaws!

I raised for three rickshaws alhamdulillah – 2 from Texas and 1 from New York. I love how we are doing this project. Alhamdulillah we have 23 rickshaws now because 20 plus 3 is equal to 23. 

At a bbq picnic my friend and I sold treats and lemonade and we made 31 dollars. I already made chocolate lollipops and one day I’m going to sell them at an event and see how much money I can raise again and combine it with the 31 dollars. I hope I can make another rickshaw soon in sha Allah. 

~Umar, Texas

1 More Rickshaw/ Other News!

 Alhamdulilah, another generous donor in Indiana has donated one full rickshaw! Also the Ohio team has raised $50, would anyone like finish our 21st rickshaw?

3 More Rickshaws!

Alhamdulilah 3 more generous families from Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania have helped us reach 19 rickshaws! We are now on our 20th rickshaw :) This Ramadan has been so great and I hope more people keep donating so that we can reach our goal, and 101 people in Bangladesh can have a means of getting livelihood!

16 Rickshaws are Finshed!!

Alhamdullilah now we have 16 ricshaws and we need $55 more for our 17th rickshaw. Our 16th rickshaw weas genreously donated by someone in Long Island. I hope we continue raising enough money to reach our goal.

another rickshaw!

Today, Alhamdulillah, we have received one more rickshaw from one of my mom's friends!

contribute to another rickshaw

2 of my mom's friends donated 95 dollars in all. If someone could donate another 55 dollars, we will earn another rickshaw!

3 more rickshaws

My uncle and aunt have sponsored 3 rickshaws, Alhamdulillah.

Ramadan Update

        Asalumwalikum everyone!
Hope everyone is having a great Ramadan so far :) We have just been given enough money for our 10th rickshaw by an awesome donor in Rockland County, New York! Don't forget that when you give charity, your blessings increase. Also, since it's Ramadan, if you donate now it will give you even more blessings. We still have 20 more days left, and it's never to late to donate.

1 New Rickshaw Coming Right Up!

Alhamdulillah, we have received $150 dollars from my grandparents! :)

YAY! We Are Now On Our 9th Rickshaw

Please donate to help more men and their families!

One very generous DE donor donated enough money for 2 rickshaws! Now Alhamdullilah, our ZF Rickshaw team is benefiting 8 whole families thanks to all of our kind donors. We are now starting to raise money for our 9th rickshaw. So feel free to donate!

Our 6th Rickshaw!

We have received $150 from a generous donor in Greencastle, IN!

5th Rickshaw!

       A thoughtful donar has decided to help us with our 5th rickshaw and donate $40! :D

Some More Money Towards Rickshaws!

Alhamdulilah, a family from Rockland County, NY has decided to donate $100!
We only need $40 more until we get to our 5th rickshaw :) Also could Huda update our thermometer?

1 More Rickshaw From The West Lafayette, IN Team

            Today, we earned $160 from a generous donor. I don't have access to the thermometer, so could someone add it up?

ZF 101 Rickshaw Intro Video

Our DE rickshaw group has made an intro video describing our project.

Volunteer fair

My friends and I went to Brandywine library volunteer fair and set up a booth. We talked about many projects that ZF does. I had drawn a rickshaw and put it on the poster.  Huda and I talked about the Rickshaw project. People would come up to the booth, look at the pictures and posters, and ask us about our project. We explained what a Rickshaw is and we told them it is mostly run by youth. We told them how Rickshaws provide a job for people in Bangaldesh. I had a fun experiance and I hope to do another one again.

Why Rickshaws?

    Sometimes I think rickshaws are even better than cars! I have been to Bangladesh once (and I really want to go again) and traveled in a rickshaw before. When we were stuck in traffic jams it was usually when we were in cars, when you travel by a rickshaw you are more likely to get out of congested areas faster. Also, they are basically bikes, so therefore that would make them a lot more energy conservative. Countries and states with rickshaws are more likely to be less polluted than countries with more cars. And not to mention, they provide a kind of shield from the sun on your head, with the little hood at the top. That way you won't become hot. One last reason that rickshaws are a great mode of transportation is that in tourist areas they can produce a lot of money. I mean who wouldn't want to ride in a colorful hooded bike contraption? It's only natural for it to trigger curiosity. So overall, rickshaws should be more in number throughout the world, and with this project that cane happen! Please donate :D

-Sabriya Zaman

This is one well our DE team raised money for.

When I think of 101 rickshaws I think that is a lot of rickshaws to raise money for! But then I remember the project I particpiated a few years ago. We were raising money for wells. One well was $2,500. When we heard that it was that much money we didn't think we could raise enough money for 1 well. Then with hard work, peoples donations, and Allah's help we raised money for one well. after that we realized with a lot of effort we could raise money for more wells. In the end of the year we raised enough money for 23 wells, which is about $57,500! That was a lot of money. So when I think of how many rickshaws we are hoping to raise I know that with Allah's help we can raise that much money, inshallah.

What $150 Could Do

                        Asa everyone! It's Sabriya Zaman from the PA/DE group. Already we have raised $450  which means 3 rickshaws. Yay! It's super exciting to see how in just a week or two people have already started to take notice of our project. Anyways, I'm going to be talking about how 150 dollars is all we need to give (for this project) in order to change someone's life. This awesome idea was inspired by Huda Kose also from the DE team. I was having some serious writers block so, shout out to HUDA ;D

                     So imagine that you are going to the mall. You have a budget of 150 dollars. What are you going to spend it on? A pair of shoes that will only last for a little while? A video game that is actually way overrated? A rickshaw driver just needs 150 for something they need forever. Without their transportation vehicle they wouldn't have their job and wouldn't be able to provide for their families. Therefore, before you go to the mall and spend that money you should try to also consider what would happen if you gave $150 to someone truly in need. It'll make you feel as good as, or even better than you would have felt if you bought the shoes.

The History of the Rickshaw

The Rickshaw started as a two - three wheeled passenger cart, starting with one man caring one person. Pulling Rickshaws became a popular form of transportation in the 19th century. It became less popular when cars were invented. People still use it, mostly in Bangladesh. Its also a popular job there too. We are doing this project so people in Bangladesh have more jobs.

Why rickshaw drivers are important in Bangladesh

Hi my name is Tanawar Mim and I am from the Ohio group. I am in sixth grade. I am here to tell you why rickshaw drivers are important in Bangladesh. As you all know there is more that one city in a country, just like Bangladesh. Bangladesh has about 64 cities in Bangladesh, and in these cities people need some kind of transportation to travel from places to places. So this is when rickshaw drivers comes in handy. They take you from places to places without sweating in the sun and getting wet in the rain. They are also important because if you want to go somewhere you don’t have to walk. They take you. They are important in even more ways. When rickshaw drivers are there you don’t have to rent a car to go somewhere. They take you. That's why rickshaws drivers are so important in Bangladesh, and we should always respect them by giving them more money.

Indiana Team

Assalamualaikum,
My name is Sabriya Alam and I am 16 years old.  I love volunteering and helping others as much as I can, which is why I decided to be a part of this wonderful project.  My family is from Bangladesh, and when we visit every couple of years, we often see rickshaws on the street and have even ridden them a couple of times.  It's amazing to see how hard these people work to support their families, even if they don't make a lot of money.  Through this project, I am happy to be able to help some of them become more self-reliant.  Today our team received a donation of $150 for one rickshaw, and we hope to keep raising money for this great cause!

Flyer for the Masjid

Here is the link to my flyer. I am planning to put it up in the Masjid. I am open to suggestions. :)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JpzXIGR223LTbGarHc5eDOh1Ml63wjnkUoEYTK5TT0c/edit?usp=sharing

From West Lafayette, Indiana

Assalaamu Alaikum everyone!
My name is Raiyana Alam, and I am in 6th grade. I am participating on the Indiana team. Helping people is what I love most. When I go to Bangladesh to see my grandparents, I see so many people out on the streets. I have always wanted to do everything I could to help them. The rickshaw drivers fall in that category, too. Sometimes we would ride a rickshaw just for fun, and I noticed how hard they worked just to earn a few takas a day. This is my opportunity to help everyone in need and I'm excited to be able to contribute to this project.

Progress

During yesterday's meeting we discussed many things. One important thing is that we are planning to have a brunch in April. Also someone has donated money for our first rickshaw!! To see how much money we raised just look at the thermometer in the right. We are also thinking of making a model of a rickshaw and how we could make one. So far we have groups in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas. We are still wondering who our second donor will be!

Facts about the Daily Rickshaw Driver's Life

          Hello everyone my name is Sabriya Zaman, and I am on the Delaware/Pennsylvania team.
I want to explain to everyone what the daily life of a rickshaw driver looks like. My everyday schedule is nothing compared to what they have to go through everyday, that's why I feel lucky that I have the life I have. Anyways, going back to the information....I warn ahead of time that some of this information is a tad outdated, and if you have any questions just comment and I'll try to figured something out!

                 On an average, a rickshaw puller works for about 12 hours a day! Of course they most likely have bathroom breaks and lunch breaks like we do in school or work, but that's still very tiring! Imagine if you had to go to school for 12 hours and then come back and try to finish your chores and possibly other extracurricular activities. Likewise, the rickshaw driver might have a family that he needs to see and spend time with as well. Also, on average the pay for pulling each person is only 100 rps, which is equivalent to $1.60 {again like I said, some of this is outdated, and on different sights it says different things!}. You might be thinking 'That's a lot since there are soooo many people in Bangladesh.', But that's not necessarily true. They are in competition with a lot of other workers who have the same job. It's like Apple and Samsung. They have similar product, yet they try to sell over top one another. It's COMPETITION. And anyways, even if the rickshaw pullers do get a decent amount of money, most of it is just going back to the people they are renting rickshaws from! That's not fair, right? So that's why everyone in the 101 Rickshaw Project wants to help this cause.

Rickshaw Project

My name is Yusuf Kose and I am part of the Delaware group. I joined the group because I like helping people. Im going to tell you where the Rickshaw was created. It was made in Japan by an American missionary back in 1869. He made it to carry his family around Yokohama. But it soon changed for other reasons. 

We started to have a rickshaw project. We are trying to get enough money for 101 rickshaws. I think it is really hard to ride a rickshaw and it is really heavy because theres someone behind them that the rider is pulling. Even though it is hard pulling the rickshaw, it helps take care of many families.  I hope girls like me have a better life because of our rickshaw project.

-Meryem from DE

A Message from the Dallas Team

My name is Umar Ahmad Syed. I love this project because I like to help poor people in getting rickshaws. Then they will get more money for a clean house or clean veggies or clean clothes and other stuff. I like this project also because if you do this project you get many rewards from Allah.

A Message from the Delaware Team

My name is Reahaam Almoraisi and I'm excited to join the 101 Rickshaws project. I like helping people. I can just see the expressions of the fathers who hears that ZF just bought them a new rickshaw all for themselves. From now on all the hard work required for driving a rickshaw will give them so much more money. I want to be part of the reason of their happiness. Join us so you too can be apart of this.

101 Rickshaw Project

We have started a new group called 101 Rickshaws. We are starting to raise money for rickshaws for families in Bangladesh. A rickshaw is a vehicle that is a like a three wheeled bicycle with a few seats for passengers behind the driver. One rickshaw is $150. So we are trying to raise total $15,150. By providing a rickshaw to a famliy you ar ehelping them earn their livelihood. I am excited to hold many events to raise money for this worthy cause and to continue to help others.