October 31, 2007

Assalamu Alaikum (May Peace Be Upon You),

Last night, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay Area. Alhamdulillah, Allah (SWT) was very merciful - there was no major damage in the area including Hidaya Foundation’s (www.hidaya.org) headquarters, located in Santa Clara, CA.

The world is witnessing an increasing frequency of natural disasters; hence we should not be complacent, we need to better prepare ourselves to help our families, friends, neighbors, and those affected by these calamities around the world. Most importantly, we must improve our character and guide our families and friends towards righteousness.  (For a reference in Al-Quran regarding disasters please click here).

A key lesson that Hidaya Foundation learned from Hurricane Katrina relief work, was that we must better prepare our own organization and the community to quickly respond to natural disasters. Hidaya Foundation initiated the “Disaster Preparedness Team Project” in 2005 and has been collaborating with several agencies, to train community members to be ready to help themselves, their families and communities when a disaster should strike.  As of today 43 community members in the bay area have undergone this training and the number continues to grow. Much work still needs to be done.

For more information on how to get trained for “Disaster Preparedness” and information on how to make a Disaster Preparedness Kit, please click the following link: Http://www.hidaya.org/educational/disaster-preparedness-team/

While we are executing the “Disaster Preparedness” pilot program in the San Francisco Bay Area, we believe that the project is fully scalable at national and international levels; Hidaya has plans in place for this natural expansion in the near future, Insha’Allah.  If you are interested in being a part of Hidaya Foundation’s Disaster Preparedness Team and want your community to be ready for major disasters, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 408 244-3282.

Jazaak Allahu Khair,

Osman Ergene

Hidaya Foundation

408 244 3282 (office)

Hidaya Foundation is a US based non-profit 501(C)(3) charitable organization, with Tax ID # 77-0502583. Its mission is to implement charitable projects in economically depressed areas of the world.