Thanks to your help, we have met and surpassed our goal. More than $10,000 was raised for Susila Dharma projects, giving us a good boost towards meeting granting needs for 2022. Thank you for your support.

New Melinda Wallace Grant

SD USA has awarded a Melinda Wallace Memorial Fund grant of $500 to the Winston-Salem Subud group. The group became aware of a Subud member in Malaysia, Nadya Holland, who is helping Rohingya refugees receive education and health services. They were moved to establish an endowment fund to support Nadya in her efforts. The grant will be used to set up a website explaining this wonderful project. Please read the story about how the Subud Winston-Salem group is expressing the feeling of Susila by helping others who are less fortunate:

“The Hasnah Endowment Fund is established under the 501(c)(3) umbrella of Subud USA, Winston-Salem. The endowment is currently worth $15,000 which was donated in the form of equity in “Manara” enterprise. At the moment the endowment is able to very minimally support one project – the Anisah Center for Refugee Education – but our goal is to be able to send enough to this project so that it may really truly take off and turn into something wonderful. One day, God Willing, the endowment will be strong enough to be able to support other Subud-led charitable projects”.

Anisah Center — Subud Winston-Salem

News from I Protect Me

The seed money contributed several years ago from SD USA and other nationals has made a huge difference for this project. They are now at a point where they are attracting funds from larger non-profits. Read the note below from Randall, project director.

“A lot of good things also happened during this very challenging time. The department of social care has invited us again to apply for a grant for victim empowerment. We are having capacity building sessions with Nelson Mandela University. IPM is very present in the various communities and even more local partners are reaching out to us to share our knowledge with them on GBV (Gender based violence) and the resistance to abuse. We have a final draft of our independent research report, which we will be sharing very soon. Simone (Subud member living in the Netherland) offered to help us write our grant applications…and a lot more.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. This really means a lot to us all. It is because of you and all the individuals in SDIA that makes our journey possible.

Randall”

Read the full letter.

Tijuana Family Outreach

For these young children school supplies mean they can attend school. Parents send hugs to SD USA members; proud children send smiles and share certificates for making the honor roll.

Now is the time to do the most good from your donation!

The Portland match has been extended to September 1st. We need $1,323 to reach our goal of $5,000, which means $10,000 to support SD projects throughout the world.

But wait, there’s more! Besides the Portland Match we also have a match opportunity from Borneo Football.

Borneo Football is constructing a Sports Center on the land next to Rungan Sari. The goal for completing this project is December 2023 just in time for the World Congress.

This complex will be the first of its kind in Central Kalimantan and will provide an income to support the charitable work now supported through grants and donations.

The project will expand their infrastructure at a cost of $350,000. They’ve already found donors to cover $290,000, and another donor has offered to match remaining donations until they reach the last $60,000!

Click here to view the Sports Complex.

What this means for those wishing to contribute to both SD USA and Borneo Football:

Donate to SD USA today and Subud Portland will double your donation.
Earmark your donation for Borneo Football and their matching donor will double your donation — again!

BCU School Update

SD USA received a wonderful update from the BCU School in Kalimantan that we would like to share with our members. They are grateful for the single desks, the projectors and the laptops that were procured from our donations. They are planning to reopen in person instruction as soon as the government allows.

Click here to see the full report.

Unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted some of the families who really value the education the school provides. BCU has a scholarship program to these help families.

If you or your Subud group would like to sponsor a child or contribute to this fund please visit www.bcuschool.org/scholarship-fund/. Every dollar will help.

As the great pandemic opening unfolds across the country, Subud Portland is emerging from its Covid cocoon with its annual Matching Fund for SD USA ready to go. Without in-person groups of members to appeal to, it wasn’t easy to raise the seed money needed for our Match! Our coffers were empty as the pandemic forced all of us inside and onto screens. We had to come up with a new plan, and the idea of creating a cookbook was born. We reached out to our local Subud members and the cohort of past Menucha gathering attendees to ask them to send us one or two of their favorite recipes. The response was amazing, and we are calling it: Quarantine Cuisine/A Virtual Cookbook.

Take a peek into the pandemic kitchens of our Subud sisters and brothers and see what they especially liked to cook up to help connect with lovely memories and delicious nutritious meals while life was so restricted. All donors to the Subud Portland/SD USA Matching Fund for 2021 will receive a free virtual copy of the Cookbook on line.

Despite the fundraising challenges of the past year described above, Subud Portland has been able to raise $5,000 to fund the Subud Portland/SD USA Matching Fund for 2021. We are proud to announce that we will match any one-time donations made to Susila Dharma USA by August 15 up to our total of $5,000. This is a great opportunity for donors to double their impact in helping support the close to 20 inspiring projects founded by or with the major support of Subud founders from all over the world, with emphasis right here in the United States. We hope that you will respond as generously as possible to this matching opportunity. Your free virtual cookbook will be emailed to you before September.

How to donate:

Please make your check out to Susila Dharma USA) and mail to:

Rifka Several
1196 Holmes Court,
Livermore, CA 94550

You can also donate on-line at: www.susiladharmausa.org/donate.

As always, we are forever grateful to all of our incredibly generous donors.
Blessings and deepest thanks to you all.

Friends of Susila Dharma at Subud Portland

“Indeed, generosity and charity always 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.” (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 Beautiful Portland in the USA and YUM (Yayasan Usaha Mulia) Stunting Prevention Project in Indonesia. These projects provide essential services to individuals and families in dire need. Read updates below.

Beautiful Portland update from Jennifer:

Beautiful Portland is more active than ever. I am continuing as Executive Director while I have a new helper with all of the daily physical operations. My focus as Director is on fundraising and expansion.

Right now we are distributing around 2,000 lbs of food a week through my helper and our volunteers. Our monthly expenses for the two stipends and operations are currently $2.5 K a month, and will increase once we have a mini warehouse built out, where we will have food storage and food “shopping” capabilities.

The board of Beautiful Portland and I would also like to expand by way of providing more micro grants to Portland grassroots groups that do not have the resources to become non-profits. I am in a unique position to understand the needs of often the most active in helping others on the streets – the grassroots groups, as that was my personal beginning in humanitarian work. Often, the expense or complication of complex paperwork, keeps groups from becoming 501 C 3’s, and so they are doing a lot of “boots on the ground” work with limited support.

I am also working with a former Oregon senator regarding changing legislation on how food “waste” (too close to expiration but not spoiled) is managed by industrial food companies. Industrial food waste creates 1/4 of greenhouse gas emissions. About 80% of the food distributed by Beautiful Portland is technically considered “waste” but is not expired and feeds hundreds weekly.

YUM Stunting Prevention Program:

YUM is working to reach:

24 integrated health centres in 11 villages in West Java & 15 integrated health centres in 7 villages in Central Kalimantan. They are training 120 volunteer health workers in West Java and 30 volunteer health workers in Central Kalimantan.
A total of 400 pregnant women will be receiving healthcare support during their pregnancy in both areas.

*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.