When entering Dr. Sameera Rentia’s pediatric clinic in Bailey’s crossroads on a busy September morning, the cries of children receiving vaccinations can be heard, while others laugh and play on an activity bench waiting for their appointments.
As she greets her patients with a smile, handing the young ones lollipops, and explaining her diagnosis in Arabic, Dr. Rentia is filling a great need in the community. However, as a medical doctor in practice for nearly 15 years, she expresses her desire to do more for the rising number of women and children who are left without homes due to domestic violence or the death of their husbands.
“During a regular appointment when I see a mother break down sobbing, telling me she has nowhere to go, I cannot turn my back on her and move on without wanting to do something about it,” Dr Rentia explains.
Driven by the knowledge that an estimated 30 – 40% of Muslim women find themselves in a homeless shelter at some point in their lives, Dr. Rentia began visiting local church-run shelters to see how they operate. While visiting a shelter during Ramadan with her daughter, they were surprised to find two Muslim families -- an Iraqi family with seven children and a Sudanese family with five children, in the waiting room. The eldest daughter of the Iraqi family, Laila, came up to Dr Rentia and hugged her, believing one of their own had come to take them home. As the younger children of the family played with her daughter, one of them innocently asked, “Are you coming to live with us too?” That question and Laila’s hopeful face continued to trouble Dr. Rentia well she they left the shelter. ”I couldn’t help think that the church is helping our sisters in need, so why aren’t we? Where is the Muslim shelter that can assist our sisters and their children?”
Dr. Rentia’s desire to help took her to Atlanta, where she visited a transitional housing center for women and their children run by ICNA Relief. Impressed by the center and its success, she is determined to replicate it. This past October, she and her husband began raising funds to purchase a large single family home in Northern Virginia that will be transformed into a transitional housing shelter for Muslim women - a House of Hope. Although they began this effort alone, they have now developed a partnership with ICNA Relief, which has more than a decade of experience successfully running transitional housing for Muslim women in eleven U.S. cities, including the one Dr. Rentia visited in Atlanta. Once the House of Hope is purchased, it will be developed and operated by ICNA Relief. While residing at this transitional housing center, women will be encouraged to take part in educational classes such as English language classes, job training and higher education. These classes will help women become self-sufficient once they leave the center, In shaa Allah.
As Muslims we never ask ourselves, What if I lost my job tomorrow? What if my car broke down? What if I couldn't pay my rent at the end of the month? We believe, In shaa Allah, that God will provide for us. But many families are just one unexpected expense or lost paycheck away from being homeless and sometimes God tests us and our faith in ways that we do not always understand. We never know when we will need our community to give us hope. With even a small donation you can help Dr. Rentia and ICNA Relief give hope to our sisters through the development of a House of Hope.
Donations can be made online on ICNA Relief's website at: www.tinyurl.com/dcshelter or http://icnarelief.org/site2/index.php/campaigns/529-house-of-hope-northern-Virginia or checks can be mailed directly to P.O Box 2149, Fairfax, VA, 22031. Make checks payable to ICNA Relief, and please write "DC Shelter" in the memo section.
About Dr. Sameera Rentia: Dr. Rentia completed medical school in India, did her pediatric residency at Fairfax Hospital for Children, and has been in private practice in Falls Church since 1998. She lives with her husband and four daughters in Fairfax and has been involved in charity work with local organizations such as FAITH and Dar Al-Hijrah Social Services.
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