Author Archives: Michael Barber

Wonderful News from Anisha

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SD USA has supported Anisha since 1999 when it was just an idea that teaching children how to grow organic and healthy foods in kitchen gardens would improve the lives of struggling and landless families.

With the help of Subud USA members and the Guru Krupa Foundation this dream has become a reality. Details below in a letter from founder and director Valli.

“Finally, we successfully met the district education officer Deputy Director of Public Instruction today and handed over our Kitchen Garden (KG) manual.

The Education Department called Anisha for implementing KG in the schools of our district and also requested our KG manual to distribute to all schools each school one manual, so 750 manuals given to the education department. And requested us to conduct KG training for science teachers in June 2022 for our district teachers, which we accepted and yet to finalize the date.

We were waiting for this call and it happened today. We are very happy to inform you of this the good news.

Regards,
Valli
For Anisha”

Valli (center) handing over Anisha’s Kitchen Garden manual to the Deputy Director of Public Instruction

To learn more about Anisha visit susiladharmausa.org/anisha/

Update from A Child’s Garden of Peace

Did you know that a view of trees outside a school window has been shown to increase academic achievement and improve child health outcomes of low income children? Illene Pevec, founder and director of A Child’s Garden of Peace, knew this and decided to do something about it. In February 2022 SD USA granted $800.00 to help plant trees around area schools where trees are needed. Below is a report from Illene.

“We planted 9 trees on Arbor Day at Crystal River Elementary. The SD funding and donations from senior citizens funded 5 trees and Aspen Tree Company funded 4 and planted all of them. They are big trees that took a backhoe to unload them and put them in the place.”

SD USA donations and ICDP (International Child Development Program)

Ukrainian trainers your donations supported

ICDP in Ukraine:

Thanks to your donations to the Ukrainian Relief fund SD USA was able to send $2,000 to support ICDP trainers in Ukraine who continue their work under very difficult situations. Some of the facilitators had to escape the destruction of their hometowns and found refuge in other cities. Some conduct classes with children in a bomb shelter (the bomb shelter is in the subway).

The emotional help this program provides will have lasting effects as they recover from the trauma this war has caused.

To learn more about ICDP please open the attached annual report.

Zakat Report

Donations of $7,190 have been distributed to 8 SD projects. Thank you for your donations have arisen from the sincerity of your fast.

Ramadan Greetings

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“Indeed, generosity and charity go hand-in-hand with the worship of God. Why is that? It is because the fruit that comes from human beings worshiping God is generosity.”                                                                                                 Bapak Muhammad Subuh (63 WAS 2)

We pray that everyone observing the Ramadan fast receives God’s grace and blessings. For those wishing to give Zakat* donations this year will be split between Anisah Center in Malaysia and Beautiful Portland in the USA.

Anisah Center

Anisah Center provides free education for the Rohingya refugees in Northern Malaysia who are not permitted to attend public school. The school was founded by Subud member Nadya Holland who was touched by the plight of these children who arrive traumatized after fleeing genocide.

Besides providing an education, the school offers a safe place where students learn and heal from the events they have witnessed. The school supports 25 students, but more are waiting to attend. Your donations will allow more children to receive the education that is so important for their lives.

With the end of Ramadan the school provides extra food to the families it serves. To learn more about this project, please visit www.subudwinstonsalem.org/anisah.

Beautiful Portland

Beautiful Portland was founded by Jennifer Skyler in 2018. Currently the project distributes approximately 1,000 pounds of food a week to families experiencing food insecurity, the elderly, the disabled and houseless individuals.

Around 400 people are impacted by this outreach. Your donations will be used to sustain the work they are doing and also help support an urban neighborhood model of “Gleaming Growing & Giving,” a prototype to begin to empower urban neighborhoods to become more food self-sufficient.

*Zakat is a charitable donation traditionally given at the end of Ramadan. Unlike regular donations to SD USA during the rest of the year (disbursed annually as grants to projects), zakat donations are passed on immediately to the projects. As always, if you wish to earmark your zakat donation for a different project indicate your preference with your payment.

Editor’s note: Our last newsletter incorrectly spelled the last name of Melinda Wallis. The correct spelling is Wallis.

Greeting Cards

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Check out these beautiful greeting cards, featuring photos by Benedict Herrman, which are available for purchase – with all profits going to Susila Dharma USA.

For the infinitesimally small cost of $5.00 each – or a box of 10 cards for just $40 – we will send the card(s) of your choice, including an envelope, direct to your door. You get beautiful cards and the pleasure of knowing you supported wonderful humanitarian projects!

All the cards are blank inside except card #10 which has the greeting, “May the love and joy of the holidays be with you throughout the year!”  

You can find the number of each card by hovering on the image in the Photo Gallery below. To view a full-size image of the card just left-click or tap. To return from a full-size image to the Photo Gallery, click or tap the X in the upper right corner.

To order, just email Rifka Several at: main.office@susiladharmausa.org

Tell us which cards you want – by number – and how many of each and the full mailing address where you would like them sent.

Anisah Center – Rohingya Refugee Education

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Anisah Center – Rohingya Refugee Education, is a school to uplift the plight of Rohingya refugees from genocide. It is run by Subud member Nadya Holland, daughter of the late Muhtar and his widow, Nuraisjah Holland. Nadya is a Subud member living near a Rohingya refugee community in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia where she serves some sixty refugee families. The primary mission of the Anisah Center is to teach Malay, English and Arabic languages – the most necessary tools for success in Malaysia. Additionally, the Center assists the community with basic needs including transportation to/from classes, clinics, and prenatal checkups, etc.

Students in their new school uniforms

As of 2019, Anisah Center  held classes in a leased space which Ms Holland remodeled and equipped with her own hands and the assistance of her students’ parents. Twenty-five students attended daily classes taught by Ms Holland and a volunteer teacher. Government covid policies then prevented classes from being held at school temporarily but as a work-around, Ms Holland set up tutoring services in individual homes and outdoor spaces.

Nadya Holland in white

From December 2021 classes resumed at the Anisah Center with new school uniforms for the students which really made them proud and happy. A new teacher, also a Rohingya refugee, a nice man with a “disability” (what Nadya prefers to call “otherwise enabled”) has begun to teach the refugee students.

Rohingya fathers working on the new school house

In 2022, Anisah Center became a newly funded project of Susila Dharma USA. Anisah Center is also supported by Hasnah Endowment Fund, a charitable project of Subud Winston-Salem, USA, as well as by contributions from individual Subud members. Currently all students receive a full-tuition scholarship.

school house building after the mortar has been spread over the brick

“Anisah” means “friend”. Ms Holland began this project in 2017 with limited funds but great faith that she could make a difference. She wishes to thank the many friends who have supported her befriending these refugees over the years. Already there are more than a hundred children wishing to learn at Anisah Center. In an effort to provide more space to accommodate this interest Rohingya fathers are currently in the process of building more classrooms. It is hoped that with continued and increased funding there will be the ability to meet the demand.


The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions by the Myanmar military of the Muslim Rohingya people. The first was a military crackdown that occurred from October 2016 to January 2017, and the second has been occurring since August 2017. The crisis forced over a million Rohingya to flee to other countries. Most fled to Bangladesh resulting in the creation of the world’s largest refugee camp, “Cox’s Bazar”, while others escaped to India, Thailand and Malaysia and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. Malaysia has over 150,000 Rohingya refugees.

To read more about this project go to www.subudwinstonsalem.org/anisah

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