SOUTHFIELD — The heartfelt smile of a little refugee girl as she hugs her new doll in delight could be one of the happiest moments in someone’s life, just as the gratitude from thousands who struggle with deprivation is felt by a legion of volunteers.

As Arab American immigrants ached for their war-struck homelands in the early 90’s, some formed community coalitions aimed at assisting their neighbors, both locally and abroad.

Khaled Turaani, a man with an unwavering connection to the region and a passion about charity, was one of those newcomers. Along with his colleagues, Turaani watched the devastation in Iraq because of economic sanctions created by the 1991 Gulf War.

A year later, they formed Life for Relief and Development, a humanitarian charity organization dedicated to providing aid to Iraqi families whose homes were destroyed and who needed medical care.

From Iraq to Haiti

If helping support a devastated population from more than six thousand miles away was tough enough, try feeding hundreds, building schools and clinics and providing medicine for countless of orphans and families in dozens of countries worldwide.

That wasn’t Turaani’s intention, but more than two decades later, Life has distributed more than $300 million in aid to countries including Afghanistan, Ghana, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Haiti, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Palestine – and of course, Michigan.

Life’s expansion in relief to counties outside Iraq emerged when an earthquake wreaked havoc on Haiti in 2010. Business as usual, Life began sending aid to the country. 

Turaani then noticed a group of orphans, who had nobody to claim. He said they could not turn their backs.

So they built an orphanage, which houses 54 children. 

In Sierra Leone, a largely struggling West African country, a similar situation occurred.

“You start to do humanitarian aid in other areas and you find yourself getting deeper and deeper into that community,” Turaani said. “And you don’t want to leave it alone.”

Fortunately, a generous number of monetary and in-kind donations started pouring in. The demand to give pushed Life to diversify the areas it serves.

With an annual budget of $60 million, the humanitarian foundation receives donations globally, most from those who happen to be of Arab background.

Life also has been granted a consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, which has vetted it for transparency and financial auditing.

The charity group boasts a three-star (out of four) Charity Navigator rating, graded on the amount of aid it provides, and the ratio of expenditures to the total donations it receives.

“Nature of the beast”

Contributing food, clothes and furniture to households in need may be altruistic, but entrusting Life to deliver them in war zones is no walk in the park.

Last week, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouse and an aid convoy carrying food and medicine were bombed in Aleppo. The U.S. blamed Russian airstrikes.

Turaani said sectarianism and political hurdles have made it increasingly difficult to transport supplies in regions of conflict.

He added that Iraq “has become nearly impossible to work in.”

Recently, a shipment of a couple millions of dollars’ worth of medical supplies took four months to reach Yemen, because of “politics and lawlessness” in the stricken area.

In Damascus, an hour before they arrived at the scene to begin distributing aid, Life volunteers were stunned to find bomb shells embedded in the ground surrounding relief carrying vans that had been parked there overnight. Two civilians were killed.

However, as an apolitical organization, Life seeks to commit to humanitarian effort regardless of the recipients’ sect, religion or geographic region.

Turaani said that at the end of the day, the person making it difficult for Life to bring in a container of medicine might be the recipient of that medication at a time when it is not available.

Orphans

The astonishment of a young boy who is able hear for the first time is difficult to describe. Yet, about 35 volunteers, 20 audiologists and a couple of ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialists who traveled to the Middle East probably can.

“Heartbreaking, but empowering” is how one volunteer said she felt in a video produced by Life.

With the help of medical equipment manufacturers, Life gave children in the region the gift of sound by installing 600,000 hearing aids.

“It was God’s will,” Turaani said, explaining the attitude of a father of four, who barely makes $1,000 a month, about the cost of one hearing aid.

While Life helped thousands gain the ability to hear, it also provided shelter and education for thousands more – about 5,500 to be exact.

Local charity groups in Iraq, Jordan, Libya and Yemen have made it possible for Life to erect health clinics, orphanages and schools. In Iraq, more than 600 children receive shelter, food, clean water, education and healthcare.

The group often furnishes clinics with items such as x-ray machines, chairs, tables and diagnostic tools.

Turaani said Life keeps an extensive database of the orphans, many of whom have sponsors. 

He added the sponsors have options to connect with the orphans in a “useful way” by sending monthly funds or sending gifts or extra money during holidays or for school supplies.

While the children are saved from imminent demise, many endure far from acceptable standards of living.

Turaani said students in the troubled areas suffer from malnutrition; some can hardly stand because of a lack of sufficient food. During winter, they have little clothing to keep them warm.

He added that Life tries to deliver diesel for some schools. The fuel is used for antiquated heaters that provide a bare minimum warmth in a classroom. It costs around $1,000 for one school when it gets cold.

 Turaani recalled a story he heard from a teacher about a student continuously scolded for not doing his homework. One day, the boy brought his assignment to class written on a paper bag. 

He could not afford a notebook.

“It is just heart wrenching when you see how families live and the circumstances under which they endure,” Turaani said.

Michigan’s refugee influx

Early in September, the U.S. accepted its 100,000th Syrian refugee. The AANews published a story showcasing local charity organizations’ efforts to keep up with the high demand of aid families’ needs.

While most of Life’s philanthropy ends up overseas, Turaani said it is one of the foundations scrambling for donations locally.

The government provides an allowance to the refugees, including food and shelter, for up to three months. After that, they are expected to be self-sufficient.

An immigrant himself, Turaani arrived in the States at age 20. He recalled the difficulty in learning English, let alone being able to sustain himself.

He added that finding work and transportation is “a very serious struggle for the Syrian refugees in Michigan.”

That’s why Life has given 20 cars to those who fit the criteria.

Local charity

Among the numerous local efforts Life has undertaken, the Flint water crisis has been one of its most significant.

Recently, the group distributed about 220,000 water bottles, primarily in underserved African American and Latino communities in that city.

In recent years during Eid, Life has partnered with local mosques to pass out food, as well winter jackets in Detroit.

A recent women’s empowerment program it sponsored in Virginia trained women in need for six months to become seamstresses, among other skills.

“We try to go beyond what is so conventional and typical in terms of supporting communities,” Turaani said.

Setbacks

Despite Life’s charity efforts, its Bank of America account was abruptly closed in 2012, for no known reason.

Life’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against the bank last month in U.S. District Court in Detroit, citing the Arab names of Life’s leadership and the xenophobic rhetoric surrounding Arab and Muslims in the country, which they say has resulted in the closures of hundreds of Arab Americans’ accounts by several banks over the decades.

A six-member jury decided in the bank’s favor.

Turaani criticized the federal government’s harsh restrictions on charities that make it challenging for them to do work internationally.

Echoing a report by civil rights organizations, called “Same Hate, New Target: Islamophobia and Its Impact on the United States”, Turaani said there is an Islamophobia industry spending more than $100 million a year on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab propaganda.

“It makes it so frustrating to do the work, because you know that there so much more that you can do,” he said.

Undeterred, Turaani said the answer to the legal defeat is to continue and expand Life’s philanthropic operations, aiming to uplift lives in underserved communities.