Islamic Relief Projects
Africa Food Crisis
In April 2006, Shamiq Hussain, Islamic Relief staff member from Buena Park, CA, traveled along with a worldwide delegation of Islamic Relief partner offices to assess the situation of the food crisis in Malawi, and the Mandera region of Kenya.
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Islamic Relief immediately responded to the needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina – one of the greatest natural disasters in United States history. Islamic Relief has committed $2 million for Katrina relief projects, which include working in the affected areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and assisting evacuees in Houston and Dallas, TX. Islamic Relief's relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina represented its largest domestic operation in its history.
South Asia Earthquake
Following the devastating earthquake in South Asia earthquake, which struck on October 8, 2005, Islamic Relief began the largest relief operation in its history. With the help of donors, supporters, partner organizations, and the affected community on the ground, Islamic Relief has provided humanitarian assistance to over 300,000 people in the districts of Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Poonch, and Neelum Valley in Pakistan. One year later, Islamic Relief remains committed towards assisting the victims of this tragic earthquake rebuild their lives.
Asia Tsunami Disaster
The earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that struck the southern part of Asia created the biggest humanitarian crisis in recent memory. As many as 280,000 people lost their lives in 12 countries. The destruction and loss of human life was unimaginable, prompting one of the world's largest relief efforts to help the victims.After having completed the emergency response phase, Islamic Relief Worldwide shifted its focus to development and reconstruction. Islamic Relief Worldwide's work is primarily taking place in the three most severely affected countries, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India.
Orphans
The orphans, whom are in Islamic Relief's care, are based in more than 14 developing countries across the globe. Islamic Relief is continuously working to increase the number of sponsored orphans who are supported by its program. It is striving hard to encourage the sponsorship of orphans, the reward for which is to become an associate of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Paradise. We ask individuals to sponsor an orphan for at least one year, which allows us to plan ahead and maintain a level of service to the orphan. However, in case of any difficulty, the sponsor may cancel at any time with advanced notice of cancellation.The program aims to provide basic necessities to orphans, improve their health and nutrition, implement projects within the community and support the orphan educationally, socially, and morally.
Middle East Crisis
Islamic Relief has worked in Palestine since 1994, and opened its Gaza City office in 1998. Since then, Islamic Relief has been working to help the Palestinians with food aid, medical relief, small business loans, and orphan sponsorship. Islamic Relief has also established educational enhancement centers, care programs for psychologically traumatized children, and a school for the deaf.
Jakarta, Indonesia Flooding
Several days of torrential rain in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta caused rivers to overflow and burst their banks leaving more than 40 dead (according to the Indonesian Health Bureau) and 168,000 internally displaced people (IDP) residing in 525 evacuation sites.Islamic Relief's Indonesia office has deployed its staff to conduct an initial needs assessment in east and west Jakarta. Islamic Relief has already allocated funding for an emergency response. Islamic Relief has been designated the responsibility of assisting those living in Klender village in the Duren Sawit sub-district of east Jakarta.
Domestic Udhiyah/Qurbani Distribution
Udhiyah/Qurbani is an Islamic religious practice performed at the time of Eid al-Adha (the 10th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah) involving the slaughtering of an animal; usually a sheep, goat, or cow. The event commemorates the devotion and commitment of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) to God Almighty.With the help of our generous donors and volunteers, Islamic Relief was able to distribute a remarkable 30,000 pounds of food during this nationwide effort. With local distributions in California (Sacramento, Anaheim, and Los Angeles) and Michigan (Detroit), thousands of people in need were able to benefit from this domestic distribution.