w rd 2 the woss
The Voice of the Wildcats
Woss’ We Activists Club Raises Over $700 for Rohingya Crisis at the Annual Coffee House.
By Desiree Nikfardjam
Woss had their 7th annual Coffee House on December 6th, 2017. The event is held every year in the North Cafeteria by We Activists, a non-profit club at woss that holds events to raise money for local and global foundations and charities. Locals citizens, as well as the families of students at woss, joined together to watch live performances from students, drink coffee, and raise money to support the Rohingya crisis.This year's turnout was exceptional with over 70 people.
Every year the club picks a different foundation or crisis to support for Coffee House, for example, the Haitian Refugees, and the use of reinforced water bottles in our school, as in the past, traces of lead have been found in the drinking fountains at White Oaks. This year, the club chose to support the Minhaj Welfare Foundation Canada and help raise money for the Rohingya Crisis.
The Rohingya Crisis refers to the massacre of the Rohingya people. In 2015, the Rohingya people were forced to leave their homes in Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority in Myanmar, and because of their different religious beliefs than most of the country (Theravada Buddhism). The Rohingya people have been deprived of legal protection from Myanmar, thus they are thought of as refugees from Bangladesh. Many refugees are living in tent villages on the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Not only did the club raise over $500 from an entry cost, but inside the event, they served a variety of sweets from different Countries and cultures; as well as coffee. The club decided to put a theme on Coffee House this year, making each table a different Country. The reason for this was to show unity and “one world coming together, supporting each other”, said by Ms. Beck, the teacher supervising the event. The tables included Bangladesh, Korea, India, Brazil, Palestine, Italy, Burma, Sweden, and Pakistan.
When asked why the club decided to choose the Rohingya Crisis, club member Roya Adel said, “this one of the most active crises at the moment and not many people know about it, therefore the crisis and the people aren’t getting any support”. The event was held in the North Cafeteria because members of We Activists felt it was a more intimate setting for people to come together for a great cause. In other words, “to chill for charity”.
The goal of the night was $700, which will be donated towards multiple relief packages including an emergency, medical, and a food kits. One package is able to support one tent of over thousands of tents in the village. The club ended up raising over $700 and will be making a monetary donation with the rest of the money raised.
The Rohingya people are short of many supplies and resources, any donation can help. If you wish to aid Rohingya people the you can do so by going to the following website: