Charity steers clear of Middle East politics

Sometimes the hardest part r. of running a charity is staying out of politics. The International Children Foundation, run out of a two room office on Brookhurst Street, has the impossible task of helping the orphaned and needy children in three countries in the Middle East while separating itself from the countries' conflicts. Dalai Muhtadi, owner of the Jerusalem International Restaurant, is one of the foundation's board members. Donations are often part of a family's zakat, the 2.S percent of a Muslim's income that the Koran says should be given to charity. She and other volunteers travel at their own expense to the orphanges to deliver donations. It is part of the foundation's policy toansure that none of the money or bods donated goes to the governments in the region; no this policy)," she said. Recent projects have included programs that identify gifted children and give them extra instuction in science and math to promote critical thinking called the Young Scientist's Project. The foundation brought a fully stocked ambulance to Lebanon for use as an emergency vehicle during times of war and as a mobile clinic during peace.