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Islamic Relief began working in Canada in 2005, delivering Ramadan and qurbani food packs to vulnerable families. In 2007, a small team of 3 set up Islamic Relief Canada, which held its first fundraising event in Toronto, Ontario, at the end of the year. Within months, the charity began its first charitable programmes, and by 2009 had funded its first emergency response: providing life-saving humanitarian aid to people affected by the unfolding crisis in Yemen.

In 2009 Islamic Relief Canada supported its first water project, a well in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also began orphan sponsorship activities, assisting a child in Pakistan. The following year Canadian support rebuilt a Haitian school destroyed by powerful earthquake – and the Canadian Government matched our fundraising, pledging $37,000 to the Canadian International Development Agency’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. Later in 2010 the government once more matched Islamic Relief’s fundraising efforts, giving over than $1.75 million to respond to devastating flooding in Pakistan.

Islamic Relief Canada’s most successful fundraising initiative to date is its Feed the Needy programme, in which saw it teaming up with the Humanitarian Coalition to respond to the global hunger crisis.

Thanks to its incredible supporters, Islamic Relief Canada is now Canada’s largest Muslim charity. It has supported 300 vital projects in over 40 countries, touching the lives of over 30 million people all around the world.  

Our fundraising

Inspired by faith-based teachings on the value of human life, Islamic Relief Canada strives to provide assistance to those most in need. Aid is extended regardless of race, religion or gender.

Our programmes have dramatically improved the quality and accessibility of food, water, hygiene, healthcare, education and livelihoods.

Islamic Relief started working in Bangladesh in 1991 immediately after a devastating cyclone, which remains one of the deadliest tropical storms on record. We began with humanitarian work for vulnerable families affected by the disaster and have since extended our operations to 4 major areas with the aim of building a vibrant, thriving, and resilient Bangladesh. 

Islamic Relief Bangladesh started its Orphan Sponsorship Programme in 1992 in Cox’s Bazar; and has supported the enhanced rights of young people, particularly girls who are at risk of early marriage and gender-based violence. In 2002, Islamic Relief Bangladesh started working in the vocational education sector, training underprivileged children and young adults to launch careers in a variety of trades.

In 2004 we began a 2-year shelter programme, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and constructed shelters for vulnerable families. We have also helped families who have fled neighbouring Myanmar with regular food packs and survival items. 

Working closely with local government and communities in Ethiopia, we deliver both emergency and long-term development programmes in the capital, Addis Ababa, and some of the country’s most remote regions. We work in the Afar region on the Eritrea/Djibouti border and the Somali region, close to the Somalia border.

Given Ethiopia’s vulnerability to drought, clean water is a major priority. Since we began working in the country, Islamic Relief has delivered clean water supplies to 500,000 people. In addition we are building dams and drilling and repairing wells and boreholes, providing water to 250,000 people so far.

In Afar and Somali regions, livestock are vital to people’s livelihoods. To help protect them we are training community animal health workers, establishing private veterinary pharmacies, and providing animal treatment and food.

Despite improvements in healthcare in Ethiopia, many children die each year due to preventable or treatable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition. In remote areas, many women die giving birth without the assistance of a skilled health professional. In Afar and Somali regions, Islamic Relief is expanding and equipping maternal and child care units, training health workers, supporting the vaccinations of thousands of children, and providing ambulances, including motorbikes for the more remote areas.

In our health and nutrition work we prioritise the most vulnerable: pregnant women, children under the age of 5, older people and people with disabilities.

Access to education, particularly for women in rural areas, is a major challenge. In a bid to provide primary education for all, we are building, upgrading and furnishing primary schools and supporting tens of thousands of children in hard-to-reach areas through primary school.

We are providing school kits, text and reference books, teaching aids and laboratory equipment. We are also improving the skills of teachers and parent-teacher associations for a more long-term impact. We are particularly encouraging families to send their girls to school through community education, income generating activities and building separate latrines for girls and boys.

Our work also helps people to be able to earn a decent living. In Addis Ababa we are providing micro-credit and vocational, technical and business training for young people. In the Afar and Somali regions we are supporting small-scale agriculture projects involving irrigation, livestock and beekeeping.

Looming above all of this work are the effects of climate change, which Islamic Relief is lobbying globally to address. In Ethiopia, we are helping local government and communities to establish community-based early warning systems and put in place disaster-preparedness plans.

Islamic Relief has been working in Iraq since 1997 and was among the few aid agencies that continued work on the ground during the military incursion beginning in 2003.

The US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 caused many civilian casualties and led to a civil war. During this time, Islamic Relief established its first offices and rehabilitation centres to support war-affected communities in Baghdad (from 2003) and Erbil (from 2007).

Our diverse local team includes many of the religious and ethnic components of Iraqi society: Christians, Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Arabs, Yazidis, and Turkmen. 

Islamic Relief has successfully supported 1.3 million women, men, girls and boys with our life-saving and life-changing activities in Iraq. Among our interventions have been setting up the Orphans Sponsorship Programme in 2004, in Baghdad, Anbar, Karbala, Diyala, Erbil and Dohuk governorates; providing humanitarian aid in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake on the border with Iran in 2005; and reconstructing hospitals and water wells. We also served as a lifeline amid the Battle of Fallujah which began in 2004 and ended in 2007, becoming the first organisation to enter the city and to distribute food parcels to civilians under siege.

Islamic Relief Ireland was set up in 2018. Starting out in a storage unit at the back of a local mosque warehouse, today we are Ireland’s the largest Muslim charity. The backbone of the organisation has been the volunteers who have given their time and efforts to make Islamic Relief Ireland what it is today. 

To date, we have implemented various projects, including livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and educational projects. Our first fundraiser was held in 2018 for the Syria emergency. 

In January 2019 we started sponsoring orphans, and now assist vulnerable children in Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Russian Federation (Chechnya), Indonesia, Jordan, Kosova, Mali, Pakistan, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Our fundraising 

Our annual pre-Ramadan dinner is a highlight for the community. Our current strategy is to focus on emergency response, in addition to long term sustainable projects such as livelihood projects; large water, sanitation and hygiene projects; and educational projects.

Islamic Relief began its operations in Afghanistan in 2001, responding to the drought emergency in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), providing food parcels to drought-stricken communities. In 2004, Islamic Relief started its first Orphan Sponsorship Programme, serving as a lifeline to 120 orphans in Kabul, with the scheme later expanding into Mazar, Nangarhar, and Bamyan provinces. Currently, over 6,000 orphans are enrolled in the programme, through which they receive financial assistance to cover their healthcare expenses, education, and essential needs.

In 2002, Islamic Relief Afghanistan rebuilt the Kandahar Teachers’ Training High School, supported by funding from by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (formerly DFID).

To date Islamic Relief maintains a strong presence in Afghanistan, with more than 600 staff members working across 19 provinces, including Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daikundi, Farah, Ghor, Herat, Jawzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktika, Samangan and Takhar. Our largest area offices are located in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, and Balkh. In 2022 alone, we reached over 1.2 million people in 15 provinces with emergency response, support for sustainable livelihoods, and through providing essential services such as health clinics and access to education in under-resourced communities. 

We work closely with the local community, civil society organisations, governments, local administrations, humanitarian organisations, and UN agencies. In 2022, we announced a major new partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to inject cash into the economy, boost food production and support small businesses across Afghanistan.  

In 2023, earthquakes in Herat, and the return of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan, added to the estimated 29.2 million Afghans in need of humanitarian support. Within 24 hours we launched an emergency response, deploying medical teams and distributing emergency shelters, dignity kits, water and sanitation and cash assistance to enable families to meet their immediate needs. 

Our emergency response teams continue to provide life-saving assistance to Afghan returnees at the Torkham and Spin-Boldak border crossing points with Pakistan, and to quake-affected families in the 3 hardest-hit districts of Injil, Gulran and Zindajan in Herat province. 

Islamic Relief began its work in Albania in 1994 before the Albanian civil unrest of 1997, during which we distributed food packs and essential items. 

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. It faces high rates of unemployment and urban poverty. Islamic Relief offers a lifeline, and helps people to build brighter futures, through orphan sponsorship, vocational training, food parcels, and income generation programmes. 

The first programme we offered in Albania was orphan sponsorship, which began in 1994. Since then, Islamic Relief has been the first to respond to several crises including the a refugee crisis in 1999 prompted by the war in Kosova, several floods, and large numbers of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe in 2015 – which triggered Islamic Relief Albania to expand its projects to the north. 

In more recent years, Albania and North Macedonia saw their health systems struggle due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Islamic Relief responded by rebuilding hospitals and health centres and providing them with vital medical equipment.

Today, Islamic Relief Albania has reached over 1 million vulnerable people through projects covering almost 80% of the country.

Islamic Relief Australia was established in 2011 and quickly responded to the crises in Libya and Syria, drought in East Africa and the Gaza blockade, by raising funds to provide essential food items, medical supplies, and hygiene kits. Islamic Relief Australia is mainly community funded, with strong support from various senior community leaders. In the context of international projects, we tend to focus more on emergencies, and faith-based programmes, like qurbani, orphan sponsorship (1,400 orphans in 23 countries) and Ramadan, while also expanding into sustainable projects like water, sanitation and hygiene, education, and health. As of 2014, we are a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

Islamic Relief Australia has received government grants to run various projects, including the Domestic Violence Program (implemented in 2018), where we raised awareness and informed people about domestic violence. We reached over 3,000 people among culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities. Another project is the Unity Project, which was implemented in 2019, through which we ran a series of activities for our volunteers to encourage youth integration and cohesion. 

Additionally, we prioritise providing food to those most in need. We joined 17 other local Muslim organisations in Australia to distribute food and essentials under the banner “Aussie Muslims”. We also joined a local organisation called Brothers in Need, we had a Saturday night homeless food programme where staff and volunteers distributed hot meals, hygiene kits and non-perishable items. We reached 240 homeless people per year.

Between 2019 to 2021, Australia went through various hardships, from the Australian bushfires to the Covid-19 pandemic. We responded by distributing personal protective equipment (PPE), food aid, and providing access to clean water and sanitation facilities to those in need. The focus was on packs for people with disabilities, low-income families, the homeless, refugees and front-line workers. Our efforts responding to the bushfires reached over 14,000 community members.

Our fundraising

Islamic Relief Australia continues to focus on building resilience, responding to emergencies, and increasing programmes around sustainability, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, and education.

Islamic Relief Bosnia was set up in 1992, making us one of the first international organisations to deliver humanitarian aid and emergency relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initially we focused on providing lifesaving aid, including food and survival items, during the Bosnian War, which began in 1992.

1992 also saw Islamic Relief establishing an Orphan Sponsorship Programme which continues to assist vulnerable children to this day.

When the war ended in 1995, we helped rebuild homes, provided scholarships to vulnerable young adults, and implemented water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. In 2001 we set up an interest-free loans system based on Islamic finance, which continues to help people to improve their living conditions, earn a reliable living and escape poverty.

Islamic Relief Germany is a non-profit non-governmental organisation with a humanitarian mission. Founded in 1996 in Cologne, which remains our headquarters to date, Islamic Relief Germany has since opened offices in Berlin, Essen and Munich. We are part of the Islamic Relief family, which is active in more than 40 countries around the world.

As the leading Muslim organisation in Germany and as an organisation with both faith-based and humanitarian standards as a foundation for our actions, Islamic Relief Germany sees itself as partner to vulnerable people as well as to our donors. We help all people in need equally, regardless of political convictions, national or ethnic origin, gender or religion.

One event in particular led to the founding of Islamic Relief Germany: The outbreak of the Bosnia and Herzegovina War in 1992. Confronted with news of mass killings and displacement, people came together to offer their help, laying the foundation for Islamic Relief Germany. As 1 of the first aid organisations on the ground, we were distributing more than 700 tonnes of aid – including food, water, medicine and firewood – and helping reconstruct houses, schools and hospitals in the years that followed. Islamic Relief upholds its support for the people in Bosnia to this day.

In 2015 and 2016, Europe saw many refugees arrive from countries such as Syria, Eritrea, and Iraq. Hundreds of thousands sought protection and safety in Germany, and local authorities strained to cope. In a wave of solidarity, Islamic Relief Germany – with the backing of our generous supporters – provided refugees with much-needed assistance. To this day, Islamic Relief Germany is active in refugee work and is committed to the interests of refugees – whether in Germany or around the world.

Since 2009 we have provided Germany’s first Muslim telephone counselling service, with qualified counsellors offering advice and help around the clock.

Islamic Relief Indonesia was first set up in 2000  in response to the country’s economic crisis, which started in 1998. 

Islamic Relief Indonesia has responded to many emergencies, most notably the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami emergency of 2004. Our extensive response included recovery and repair projects, some of which were funded by the United Nations. In 2010 the then-Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, gave us an award in recognition of the positive impact we made in the wake of the disaster.

In 2005 Islamic Relief started to register orphans in Banda Aceh City, Aceh Besar District, West Aceh District, and Aceh Jaya District. From these beginnings, we developed the one-to-one Orphan Sponsorship Programme which currently supports 620 orphaned children.

When earthquakes hit in 2006 and 2009, we responded within a matter of hours, distributing emergency supplies. We rebuilt the Lhong Raya Hospital and Suak Pandan Elementary School, and installed bamboo pipe water systems within local communities.

When the 2014 tsunami hit, we responded the next day, distributing food, medicine, tents and hygiene supplies. We continued to reconstruct housing as well as other critical public buildings. Islamic Relief have also been working to provide access to healthcare, education, clean water, climate resilience and livelihood support through vocational training and supporting local businesses. 

Our very first water, sanitation and hygiene programme was in 2004, where we built latrines and a well in a school in Serang City. Currently we have 3 major climate change projects funded by Islamic Relief USA and Islamic Relief Canada, with total funding $3.3 million.

Islamic Relief Italia was officially registered in Milan in 2002. However our history goes back to the 1990s, when Dr Hany El-Banna, the founder of Islamic Relief, met with community leaders in Rome to discuss the importance of Islamic Relief’s presence in Italy. 

The first years of our operations focused on building the brand through community work, including working with various local mosques, and setting up big events.

We work on various international projects while delivering vital projects in Italy. For instance, in 2009 we responded to the Abruzzo earthquake, providing vital aid and setting up shelters for the affected communities. During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we teamed-up with Caritas and other local partners to go door to door distributing food packs to more than 5,000 vulnerable people.

Islamic Relief Italia is now the biggest Muslim charity in Italy, and we are proud that 80% of staff come from our incredible volunteering community. Our amazing supporters throughout the country rally to assist with numerous emergencies. For instance, when a devastating earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria in 2023, a single weekend saw more than 100 mosques raise funds for our appeal; and when a 6.8 earthquake hit Morocco, our team was among the first on the ground, helping meet the basic needs of families that lost everything.

Our fundraising

Islamic Relief Italia has had various successful fundraisers, including our Blue Van tour, which took place during Ramadan 2015. This saw a group of volunteers spending a month visiting mosques and raising awareness to the main Italian cities. 

Our Night of Hope tours is also a popular fundraiser, which began in 2013 and focuses on bringing communities together to raise funds to assist orphaned children. Held on 6 occasions so far, the event is held in major cities and features various artists, scholars and international guests. A particularly special highlight saw singer-songwriter Maher Zain making his first appearance in Italy.

The heartwarming support we get from many mosques and their communities enables us to raise vital funds every year, including collections in 100 mosques on average during Ramadan alone.

Islamic Relief continues to focus on community fundraising, including mosques, volunteer activities, events and peer-to-peer giving. Currently our strategy is to focus on emergency response, livelihoods, seasonal and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.

Only 5 countries host more refugees than Jordan, which has a refugee population of over 2 million, primarily from Palestine, Syria and Iraq.

The country’s resources are stretched to breaking point. Around 25% of refugees in Jordan live in camps scattered across the country, in which conditions are extremely poor. Little or no access to water and electricity increases the risk of disease, jeopardising people’s health, safety and ultimately their lives.

Islamic Relief began its work in Jordan in 1997, supporting the largest Palestinian camp in the country located in Baqa’ah. Our first programme was an Orphan Sponsorship Programme, which began by supporting 500 orphaned children, alongside qurbani and Ramadan programmes which saw food distributed to families across the country.

In 2011, when the Syrian crisis first escalated, large numbers of people fled to neighbouring Jordan. Islamic Relief was among the first to help them, providing them with survival items, food, and medical assistance. We have also ensured sponsorship of some orphaned Syrian children.

Having established a strong reputation in the country, Islamic Relief Jordan became one of the biggest partners to the World Food Programme’s food voucher project. From the early years of the Syrian crisis, we have distributed food assistance in northern Jordan, where most Syrian refugees live. Other notable partners to Islamic Relief Jordan include the UK government’s then Department for International Development (now FCDO); the German government’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

Islamic Relief started operating in Kenya in 1993 by supporting vulnerable orphans through a local community-based organisation in Mandera County, northern Kenya. Since then, we have supported over 6,000 orphans, including 3,400 who are currently enrolled in the scheme. 

Islamic Relief Kenya opened our fully fledged office in March 2006, at the height of the drought in the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa drought and famine in Somalia forced thousands of Somalis to flee to Kenya, nearly doubling the number of refugees at the Dadaab refugee camp. 

In the aftermath of the devastating drought, we partnered with the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) to undertake an integrated programme of repairing water points improving nutrition, which supported nearly 52,000 people in Mandera County. 

In February 2006, we provided 600,000 litres of water to approximately 4,000 people. Other projects included providing an ambulance to transport malnourished children to receive desperately-needed medical care; vaccinating 10,000 children against diseases like polio; distributing food; and ensuring 8,000 malnourished children and mothers received medical care. 

Today, we work in 7 counties: Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Kilifi, Tana River, Kajiado and Marsabit.

We have partnered with government agencies, Islamic Relief member offices and international organisations. Among our most memorable partnerships was an agriculture programme funded by the Wajir County Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in 2014. It focused on enabling local families to earn a reliable living by producing and selling camel milk.

In 2015, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and Islamic Relief USA funded an integrated programme serving over 100,000 refugees in Dadaab refugee camp, and members of the host community. It provided primary healthcare, nutrition services, and educational supplies. 

A more recent partnership was secured when we won a competitive USAID funding bid, enabling us to deliver an innovative food security project in Mandera. This introduced farmers to agro-solar and drip irrigation technology that required much less water for farming, ensuring that farms were productive throughout the year.

Islamic Relief began working in Kosova in 1999, as one of the first international humanitarian organisations to start working in the country after a devastating war. 

One of Islamic Relief’s early projects was a mine awareness project, helping people to avoid being killed or maimed by the active mines scattered across the country. Our emergency response expanded into development programmes, supporting Kosovars to build sustainable livelihoods and recover from the lasting impact of the conflict.

Islamic Relief Kosovo’s programmes include orphan sponsorship and providing counselling to people traumatised by the war.

In 2004 we began our microfinance programmes in the country, which offer small interest-free loans to help single mothers care for their families and improve their living conditions.

In recent years Islamic Relief Kosovo has expanded operations, working with local authorities in long-term integrated projects to enable people to earn a reliable living.

Established in 2006, Islamic Relief Lebanon was a frontline responder during the devastating Lebanon War. As part of our emergency response, Islamic Relief supported communities affected by conflict and displacement by providing essentials such as food, clean water, hygiene products, sleeping materials, and warm meals. Additionally, during this challenging period we played a significant role in enhancing the mental health and overall wellbeing of the communities we serve by implementing counselling interventions.  

Islamic Relief Lebanon was the first international aid agency to reach survivors of the second Qana massacre, who had been without food or water for approximately 20 days. Our life-saving efforts were appreciated by Lebanon’s then-Prime Minister, Fuoad Siniora, who met with 1 of our founders, Dr Hany El-Banna, in 2006.

Following the initial emergency phase, Islamic Relief shifted focus towards reconstruction endeavours, including repairing hospitals and water facilities, and redirected efforts to initiatives aiming for a longer-term impact. Our Orphan Sponsorship Programme began in 2006 and has been an ongoing commitment to vulnerable children in Lebanon ever since. 

Islamic Relief Lebanon has responded to numerous emergencies, among them the 2020 ‘Beirut port explosion’. We offered emergency shelter to individuals who lost their homes in the explosion and supplied 12 health facilities with fuel, medical equipment, supplies, and ready-to-eat food, enabling them to continue to treat affected people. Additionally, we initiated a programme to repair homes that were damaged. Our commitment extends to ongoing assistance for families grappling with the aftermath of war, and the economic crisis in Lebanon.

Islamic Relief has been working in Malawi since 2006.

Our projects in Malawi include increasing resilience to natural disasters, tackling food insecurity by supporting local communities, and building secure livelihoods.

To support vulnerable families in Malawi, we also run seasonal programmes by distributing Ramadan and qurbani food parcels to vulnerable families, as well as supporting orphaned children and their families through our orphan sponsorship scheme.

Islamic Relief Malaysia was established on 25 June 2004 and was officially launched by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, on 3 May 2005 in Kuala Lumpur. 

Between 2008 and 2009, the Israel-Palestine crisis reached a critical point, resulting in numerous deaths and casualties in the Gaza Strip. In response to this emergency, Islamic Relief Malaysia implemented some projects including providing artificial limbs for disabled people, support for emergency and intensive care units in hospitals, shelters for people without homes, and counselling for children, with support from the Government of Malaysia.

In April 2012, Islamic Relief Malaysia set up our first charity shop, to contribute to fundraising to support Islamic Relief humanitarian projects locally and internationally. In addition, the shop serves as a centre for community activities.

Our Orphan Sponsorship Programme began in late 2012. By early 2013, we received the first sponsorship for an orphaned boy from Sri Lanka.

Our commitment to addressing community needs extends to our continuous efforts in Malaysia. This includes responding to emergencies like monsoon floods. Furthermore, we are actively involved in diverse international projects, such establishing a water complex in Balcad, Somalia, in 2017.

In response to the urgent need of the refugee community, particularly the Rohingya people, in Malaysia to access education, we set up an alternative learning centre for refugee children. Called Refugee Intellectual Skills and Excellence (RISE), the centre opened in 2017.  With the motto, “With RISE We Rise”, the centre aims to provide a holistic educational programme including academic studies, life skills, and ethical values.

In December 1996, Islamic Relief opened our office in Mauritius. The registration process began in 1998 and was finalised in 2001. Our first campaign in the country was Ramadan 1997, during which we raised 1.2 million rupees (over £55,0000).

In 2000, we began sponsoring our first orphaned child through the Orphan Sponsorship Programme, supporting a child in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

To date, we have implemented various projects, including responding to the Bangladesh floods of 1997, building a school in Mali in 2010, and constructing a maternity centre in Mali in 2011.

Islamic Relief has been providing critical aid in Nepal since 2015, when a devastating earthquake struck the country.

We supported over 2.2 million survivors after launching an appeal as a member of the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). Our response included building earthquake-resistant permanent shelters and repairing and building drinking water systems in the remote district of Rasuwa, in the high mountains. We also worked with vulnerable ethnic Tamang communities to help them restore their livelihoods. 

Islamic Relief is now working towards building the resilience of vulnerable communities by addressing their most pressing needs, particularly food, livelihoods, water, sanitation, hygiene, education, and protection. We support marginalised communities such as Dalits, Muslims, and indigenous people.

A country once rich in fertile grasslands that were a fixture of the trans-Saharan trading route, Niger was a meeting point for cultural influences. With its ancient history, the west African country is steeped in tradition but now faces massive and chronic challenges. 

One of the poorest countries on the planet, over 40% of its population live in extreme poverty. According to the United Nations, nearly 3 million people, more than half of whom are children, need humanitarian assistance. A third of those in need have been uprooted from their homes. Conflict and insecurity are deepening people’s suffering, with women and children experiencing the worst of the violence. Many humanitarian organisations struggle to access affected areas, making it harder for families to get the help they so desperately need.

The climate emergency is also devastating this landlocked country, with its economy centred on subsistence farming and livestock. Increasingly frequent and intense drought and failed rains, periodically punctuated by flooding, leave the poorest struggling to earn a living and to feed their families.

Islamic Relief has been on the ground in Niger since 2005, helping vulnerable families, delivering life-saving humanitarian aid and supporting communities to increase resilience.

So far, we have helped over 2.97 million people in the country.

With a dedicated team of 40 staff working from our country office in the capital city, Niamey, and sub offices in Ouallam and Doutchi, we serve communities in the regions of Tillaberi and Dosso.

Our work focuses on food security and livelihoods; health and nutrition; and water, sanitation and hygiene. Education, child welfare and orphan support are also priorities for us, and empowering women is at the heart of most of our interventions.

Islamic Relief Worldwide first started working in Norway in 1992 through a group of volunteers. Islamic Relief Norge was officially registered an independent organisation in 2018. 

In 2021, we started fundraising and engaging through various digital platforms, and partnered with various Norwegian celebrities and parliamentarians. We currently fund projects in various countries and regions with recent success in raising funds for the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Türkiye, Syria, Pakistan, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. 

We have since further bolstered our presence by actively reaching out to different segments of the community to partner and collaborate with us on spreading the message of those in need and the impact of the intervention.

Our fundraising

Our most recent successful fundraising campaign was for the Türkiye and Syria earthquake appeal. This appeal boosted brand awareness in Norway, and promoted trust among different communities. 

Today we aim to grow our digital presence as well as introduce community fundraising, which will allow us the opportunity to not only raise funds but also to educate the wider public on the importance of sustainable development. 

Islamic Relief Pakistan was set up in 1992 in response to devasting flooding in of Punjab. We began sponsoring orphaned children that same year, serving as a lifeline in Punjab, Pakistan-administered Kashmir (AJK), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Most of our activities were focused on humanitarian responses to disasters in Pakistan, until 1998 when we shifted focus to include long-term development projects. One of the first long term projects in 1998 was installing water wells in AJK in collaboration with National Rural Support Programme (NRSP).

In 2000 we started our microfinance programme, supporting families to escape the poverty trap and build brighter futures.

One year later the war in neighbouring Afghanistan saw Islamic Relief collaborating with the UNHCR to support large Afghan refugee camps at the Chaman border in Balochistan. 

Islamic Relief Pakistan is among just a handful of organisations to have responded to key emergencies over the last 20 years, usually within the first 72 hours of a disaster striking.

The Government of Pakistan gave Islamic Relief an award in recognition of our excellent emergency lifesaving response following the South Asian Earthquake in 2005.

The Philippines is a country particularly prone to disasters, and as sea levels continue to rise, it is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Islamic Relief has responded to several natural disasters across the Philippines. When Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013, as part of the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – we raised a total of £90 million, reaching over 4 million people. Our work included providing tents and tarpaulins to 4,500 families who had lost their homes in the tropical storm; and helping distribute food and water to around 160,000 people.

Islamic Relief continues to take immediate action to address the needs of those most affected by disasters, prioritising disaster preparedness, disaster risk reduction, shelter, and various water, sanitation and hygiene projects.

Since 1997 Islamic Relief has been providing humanitarian relief in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as the communities we serve struggle with the devastating effects of occupation and recurring conflict. We set up education centres in our first year, and have also supported care programmes for traumatised children and a school for deaf people.

Our projects include food distribution, medical relief, orphan sponsorship and qurbani meat distributions.

In 2023, when an unprecedented escalation began, Islamic Relief Palestine was once more a lifeline to families struggling for survival in Gaza. As the enclave suffered under siege and bombardment, our staff were also suffering, along with their families. Despite great difficulty they still did all they could to assist others. Working with local partners, they distributed lifesaving aid, including food, water, medical supplies, blankets and hygiene items to families fearing for their lives.

Islamic Relief registered as a charity operating in Russia in 1998, with our first office in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Northern Caucasus.

Throughout the difficult years of war, we were the first on the ground helping the poorest and most deprived communities within the region. 

In our early years our interventions focused on responding to food shortages, providing shelter and health and education facilities. Our very first project was directly assisting people living in Chechen refugee camps in Ingushetia, by providing food and shelter provisions, establishing mobile clinics, and setting up water wells. 

Today we support vulnerable people with access to microfinance, so they can improve their living conditions and livelihoods; while our winter programmes help poor families keep warm. Our Orphan Sponsorship Programme supporting orphans in Chechnya was launched in 2005, and today is a lifeline for around 1,700 children.

We respond to various emergencies in the region. In 2004 an attack at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, triggered Islamic Relief sending ambulances and medical items to the hospital to tend to casualties. In May 2005, when floods destroyed more than 200 homes and roads in 10 districts, we provided emergency relief to affected families.

We have delivered numerous interventions focused on building and reconstructing education and public health facilities. These include a hospital in Sayasan village of Nozhay-yurt district in 2009, benefitting 45,000 people; and using funding from the International Waqf Fund to repair a clinic in Karpinka, Grozny, in 2016, benefitting 3,000 people.

The Barakat Fund is Chechnya’s first fully licensed Islamic microfinance institution, setup by Islamic Relief in 2012 in Grozny, to help poor families in Chechnya. With an initial staff of 4, the fund started offering interest-free loans to low-income families raising orphaned and disabled children. It also offered loans to help unemployed people. Since 2018, it has won 5 consecutive annual awards for the best socially-oriented microfinance institution, run under the Central Bank’s aegis. 

Our fundraising

Today, we prioritise fundraising for seasonal programmes; supporting children and adults with disabilities; business grants for young people from vulnerable families; vocational training; agricultural projects; and microfinance projects.

After 25 years of conflict, persistent drought and years of failed rains, Somalia has some of the worst development indicators in the world.

6 million people (half of the country’s population) are in need of humanitarian assistance, including almost 3 million people who are at risk of famine.

In the last 2 years, 75% of the country’s livestock have perished.

More than 1 million people have fled the country and 1.5 million have become internally displaced – there are 400,000 internally displaced people in the capital, Mogadishu, alone.

Islamic Relief began working in Somalia in 2006, providing Ramadan food parcels and qurbani meat to poor families in the Puntland region.

Since then, we have expanded our programmes to cover education, health, water and sanitation, livelihoods and child welfare, with a focus on orphans.

Currently we are carrying out emergency and development projects in the South Central region – home to huge numbers of displaced people – and drought-affected Somaliland and Puntland regions. We have a country office in Mogadishu and field offices in Garowe and Hargeisa.

Among our key programmes in recent years is a $5 million project to drill 36 boreholes (18 in Puntland and 18 in Somaliland), some as deep as 400 metres. The project is ongoing, but the boreholes that have already been drilled are already saving the lives of people and livestock in areas where the rainfall has been critical and there are acute water shortages.

Islamic Relief South Africa was officially established in 2004, although its roots trace back to 2003 when it was founded in partnership with notable figures like Dr Hany El-Banna and communities in South Africa. Our mission is clear: to assist vulnerable communities, both locally and globally, with an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and compassion.

Islamic Relief South Africa recognises the immense challenges faced by under-resourced and vulnerable communities in South Africa. Through our programmes, we address pertinent issues such as poverty, education, healthcare, and unemployment and create access to clean water and sanitation. We work alongside communities to build their resilience and bring about lasting change.

Our journey began with the Orphan Sponsorship Programme in Johannesburg’s squatter camps, prioritising children affected by HIV/AIDS. We expanded our initiatives over the years, establishing a clinic in 2003 to support children affected by HIV/AIDS with education and health programmes, a school in 2009, and pledging $10 million for the oncology unit of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in 2016.

In times of crisis, we do not hesitate. Our first emergency response was to the Darfur crisis in Sudan in 2003, followed by humanitarian assistance in global hotspots like the 2003 Iraq War and the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, where Islamic Relief distributed vital life-saving aid to those in need.

The South African government’s Department of Social Development has recognised Islamic Relief as a key strategic partner in contributing to a food relief strategy, aiming for equitable distribution and safeguarding the wellbeing of those we serve, especially during health crises.

An exciting recent development is our partnership with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Social Development, which provided ZAR 4,000,000 to help disaster-affected households. We used this funding to distribute 10,000 food parcels, ensuring immediate support to those in need.

At Islamic Relief South Africa, our vision is crystal clear: we are dedicated to empowering individuals and communities, fulfilling social responsibilities, and responding with aid to those in need.

Our fundraising

One of our standout successes has been the ‘For Kids by Kids’ initiative, a heart-warming campaign designed to raise funds for orphans. Through this dedicated effort, we made a significant impact by financing the construction of 110 homes in Syria. Today, our focus has evolved to cater to the immediate needs of our local community through various programmes, including livelihood support and ongoing support for orphans. We remain steadfast in our commitment to respond swiftly to diverse global emergencies.

Islamic Relief has been working in South Sudan since 2005, when it was a part of Sudan, before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed.

As part of Sudan, the area endured decades of civil war and conflict – which displaced millions of people and stunted much-needed development. This has continued since independence in 2011, and now over 8.3 million people need humanitarian assistance.

Civil war broke out in December 2013 and since that time, more than 50,000 people have been killed and more than 3.5 million people have been forced from their homes, despite a ceasefire being declared in 2015.

The United Nations has stated that the conflict has caused the biggest refugee crisis in Africa, and hunger and malnutrition have reached unprecedented levels.

Currently, Islamic Relief has 2 offices in South Sudan. Our Central Equatoria State office is located in Juba, whilst our Tonj North County office is based in Warrap.

We are providing emergency food and water and sanitation for displaced people in Bahr el Ghazal and Central Equatoria and people affected by the drought and the conflict in Eastern Equatoria.

In more stable areas, such as Terekeka in Equatoria, we are helping people to improve their livelihoods through farming.

Last year, we repaired 22 defunct boreholes and provided 32 hand pumps, 40 emergency latrines and 4 water yards.

Islamic Relief started its journey in Spain in 2013, when small groups of volunteers got to work in the cities of Barcelona and Madrid. 

Through organising small activities, a team of volunteers formed and little by little, the group grew. The commitment of the volunteers meant that Islamic Relief could begin to celebrate large events and expand its work in Spain. 

Islamic Relief Spain not only promotes fundraising activities to assist those who are in need around the world, we also seek to offer a service to the local communities. Through our activities, young people find an environment where they can grow and develop new skills and competencies that can benefit them and the society in which they live. Today Islamic Relief Spain has a network of volunteers in 12 cities. 

Islamic Relief Spain also seeks to unite the community through our work in charitable activities both in person and online, where visitors can access countless resources of great benefit to them and their families.

Among our very first projects was the Orphan Sponsorship Programme. At the end of every year, we hold a charity tour to help support vulnerable children. Known as the “Evening of Inspiration” this tour is a popular tradition within our communities, which helps us to maintain and expand our sponsorship programme.

Islamic Relief Spain carried out our first campaign as a response to the crisis in Syria, focusing on food distribution and shelter. Every year, our team focuses efforts on responding to emergencies, even dedicating the entire month of Ramadan to drawing attention to overlooked emergencies – for example, our appeal on hunger in East Africa.

Today, we also focus on health, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, livelihoods and seasonal programmes. 

The Covid-19 pandemic marked a milestone in the history of Islamic Relief Spain. While most people stayed at home, our teams took to the streets to provide people in need with food packages delivered to their homes. Since then, our food  programme has grown to become part of seasonal programmes. We continue working to offer quality care to people in need in Spain, working with migrants, refugees and, in general, families without resources.

The hard work of these last 10 years has helped to make Islamic Relief Spain the first Muslim non-governmental organisation in Spain.

Our fundraising

2017 marked a turning point in our fundraising activities, as we held our very first Evening of Inspiration. This was the start of an ongoing tradition of large charity events at the end of each year, involving partners, volunteers and local communities. 

Islamic Relief Spain chooses to finance long-term projects that promise sustainability. We focus our fundraising on the digital world, our network of volunteers, and our work with mosques, local communities, and various institutions.

The quality and commitment of our staff – who were originally volunteers – has allowed Islamic Relief Spain to grow and receive recognition from institutions, media, associations and mosques with which we work. Now, when an emergency occurs, Islamic Relief Spain is trusted by these organisations, which come forward to donate.

Sri Lanka is considered a disaster-prone country due to its geographical location and susceptibility to various natural hazards. The island nation frequently experiences a range of disasters, including floods, landslides, cyclones, and droughts. Islamic Relief began working in Sri Lanka in response to the 2004 tsunami, focusing on Ampara, one of the worst-affected districts. We provided emergency food to survivors as an initial emergency response. Within 2 years, we began boosting the resilience of vulnerable communities.

In 2006, we launched our one-to-one Orphan Sponsorship Programme in Sri Lanka, supporting 45 children through the scheme, which is now a lifeline to 1,400 orphaned children. The programme provides the families of orphaned children with a regular stipend toward their healthcare expenses, educational needs, and essential items. 

In recent years, Islamic Relief Sri Lanka expanded operations to 5 districts, implementing projects in education, water, sanitation and hygiene, food security, livelihoods, and child welfare.

Islamic Relief has assisted more than 1,000 households by providing them with pipe-borne water supply connections, constructing water purification plants in 6 villages, and building latrines for 450 families.

In 1983, a devastating famine struck the western region of Sudan. Islamic Relief was founded in 1984, with several of our earliest projects focusing on easing suffering in Sudan.

In 1993 we opened our first office in the country in Khartoum. Islamic Relief established a training centre in Elobied, which later became our first field office in Sudan. The centre provided computer and English language training to many people, helping them to improve their lives and careers. 

After 22 years of operation in Sudan, Islamic Relief now works in 7 states, including North, West, and South Kordofan, Blue Nile State, Gadaref State, and Central Darfur State.

Due to the current crisis, we have temporarily moved our country office from Khartoum to Gadaref. Islamic Relief Sudan’s many projects include an Orphan Sponsorship Programme which began in 1991, and a nutrition programme supporting an orphanage, which was funded by the World Food Programme in 1996.

During the war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, a group of volunteers saw the desperate need to raise funds to help ease the suffering, and within a few years they had founded Islamic Relief Sweden.

Beginning in 1992 in the homes of the founding members, Islamic Relief Sweden quickly grew as volunteers and their families rallied together to raise funds. By 1993 we set up our Orphan Sponsorship Programme, which continues to support vulnerable children worldwide to date.

Islamic Relief Sweden has responded to multiple emergencies including the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which killed many people and damaged vital infrastructure. That year we received funding for the first time from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), supporting our work to help survivors of the quake. 

In 2015 the Swedish government also funded numerous of our projects to provide shelter, clothing, hygiene kits and food to those suffering as a result of the crisis in Syria.

Islamic Relief Switzerland was established in 1993 by Dr Hany El-Banna, the founder of Islamic Relief Worldwide. In 2001, we launched our Orphan Sponsorship Programme, initially supporting 12 orphans. We now sponsor more than 3,700 orphans.

One of our early successes was securing our first institutional grant from the Swiss government’s Agency for Development and Cooperation. This grant was for constructing 400 shelters following the 2004 earthquake in Iran.

In 2007, Islamic Relief Switzerland strengthened ties with the Bosnian community by organising a joint event to supply equipment to Travnik Hospital in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The most significant achievement for Islamic Relief Switzerland was receiving a $3 million grant from OFID (OPEC Fund for International Development) to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza in 2009.

Our fundraising

We’ve achieved several fundraising successes, notably through our annual event at Palexpo (Congress Palace), which recently drew 2,500 attendees. Our primary focus for funding includes water, refugees, shelter, and education projects. We rely on dedicated partners across Switzerland who support us in raising funds for our initiatives.

Islamic Relief has been supporting the people of Syria since 2011, remaining on the ground as the years passed and the crisis deepened. One of the largest charities still operating in Syria, Islamic Relief is also active in several neighbouring countries, where many Syrian refugees rely on our assistance.

The prolonged crisis has taken a terrible toll on the civilian population and the arrival of Covid-19 placed further strain on services already stretched to their limit. Economic collapse has robbed people of their livelihoods and seen the price of basic goods rise dramatically.

We are providing aid to help the people of Syria meet their basic needs, and supporting them as they begin to rebuild their lives. We have supplied life-saving aid, including food and water, medical treatment and shelter to families. We have also supported communities and individuals to rebuild their lives through programmes focused on livelihoods, food security and water, sanitation and hygiene. Education, child welfare, orphan support and empowering women have also been integral parts of our work in Syria.

In 2012, Islamic Relief began working in Türkiye, in order to help people affected by the crisis in neighbouring Syria, which began the previous year. 

Islamic Relief Türkiye was registered in the country in 2015 and operates from a headquarters in Istanbul and an office in Gaziantep. Initially a country office implementing projects with the support of Islamic Relief member offices around the world, Islamic Relief Türkiye became a fully-fledged member office in 2022, undertaking fundraising to support programming domestically and overseas.

Our programming in Türkiye includes Ramadan and qurbani distributions, orphan sponsorship, livelihoods, supporting vulnerable families to meet their basic needs, and assisting refugees and host communities. We also provide humanitarian and development assistance in neighbouring Syria.

Islamic Relief was founded in 1984 in Birmingham by medical student Hany El-Banna in response to famine in East Africa. He and a group of other young Muslim volunteers raised Islamic Relief’s first funds through collections at mosques, friends and family and other Islamic associations. The volunteers secured £135,000 and established 3 international projects in Islamic Relief’s first year of operation. These were 2 chicken farms in Sudan, a shipment of biscuits and vitamins also to Sudan and a shipment of wheat flour to Mauritania.

In 1985, Islamic Relief’s founders hired a small office in a Birmingham community centre. It was run by growing group of committed volunteers who were known to work long into the night on project coordinating and fundraising.

The charity expanded rapidly. Over the next 5 years, we started working in Mozambique, Iran, Pakistan, Malawi, Iraq, and Afghanistan, among other countries, responding to emergencies and distributing clothes and food, offering health support and beginning the long-term project that is now the one-to-one Orphan Sponsorship Programme.

Today Islamic Relief Worldwide is among the world’s largest relief and development charities. With global headquarters in Birmingham, UK, we are the international office of the Islamic Relief federation, which operates in more than 40 countries. In 2022 alone, we ploughed over £193 million into emergency aid, long-term development, and campaigning for change that directly helped over 17.3 million people.

The high quality and impact of our work means we are among just a handful of UK-based charities to have been certified against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). As full members of the INGO Accountability Charter, Islamic Relief’s excellence in transparency, good governance and social responsibility is recognised.

Islamic Relief Worldwide is signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct, which sets ethical standards for organisations involved in humanitarian work and commits us to the important principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence. We are also firmly committed to the People in Aid Code of Best Practice.

In 2006, Islamic Relief Worldwide appointed a director responsible for the United Kingdom division, now known as Islamic Relief UK. In the years since, Islamic Relief UK has led fundraising efforts in the UK, working with communities to raise incredible sums for ongoing projects and responding to humanitarian disasters. In 2016, Islamic Relief UK’s innovative Ramadan campaign – which included advertising on 500 buses – generated extensive media coverage and raised over £10 million.

In 2021 Islamic Relief UK launched a new strategy to strengthen our fundraising and advocacy work, and also included an ambitious aim to increase support for vulnerable communities in the UK. The following year we scooped Charity of the Year at the Third Sector Awards, and in 2023 won Charity of the Year at the Charity Times Awards.

In 2014 our training and development organisation, the Islamic Relief Academy, became fully operational, growing into the Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD). HAD is now an award-winning organisation that develops talent within Islamic Relief and the wider humanitarian sector. HAD has supported scores of charities around the world, including in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Tanzania, to develop their skills and knowledge.

Islamic Relief Worldwide also operates a subsidiary that undertakes the trading activities of clothes recycling and manages a network of charity shops in the UK. TIC International Ltd’s role is to support our programmes and our journey toward Net-Zero by recycling tonnes of unwanted clothing that would otherwise end up in landfills.

We have also set up the International Waqf Fund, which supports Islamic Relief investments’ long-term financial sustainability in generating social impact returns.

In 1993, a small, passionate group of humanitarians dedicated to serving humanity formed Islamic Relief USA in Los Angeles, California. Now, 30 years later, Islamic Relief USA serves as a leading Muslim organisation with programmes in about 50 countries, including at home in the US. Our first emergency response was in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where volunteers raised money to provide vital humanitarian aid, including food, clean water and clothing, to families suffering from the war.

In the early years, Islamic Relief USA was quick to respond to the suffering of those in need both humanitarian aid for our neighbours in need in the US and around the world. We were among the first humanitarian organisations to respond to the needs on the ground during the First Chechen War, raising $300,000 for families across the region. In 1996, Islamic Relief USA donors began their long-standing tradition of sharing qurbani meat with their brothers and sisters around the globe, and while it began in a small handful of countries across Africa and Asia, it now includes Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

In the 2000s, our first ever water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention was established in parts of Africa and water wells were built for communities without access to safe, clean water. In 2001, after the September 11 attacks, Islamic Relief USA volunteers organised blood drives for survivors and distributed food to rescue workers across New York City. In 2008 Shortly after, Islamic Relief also launched an emergency campaign for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. 

The 2000s also saw some other major milestones in our history. In 2002, we held our first ever “Humanitarian Day”, now more commonly known as the annual, US-wide “Day of Dignity.” In 2003, we started their Orphan Sponsorship Programme. It grew rapidly, and in the first January alone, donors sponsored over 500 orphans. Now, Islamic Relief USA donors sponsor some 28,800 orphans worldwide.

Over the next decade, the number of Islamic Relief USA staff, donors, and volunteers grew as the programming portfolio grew: our community responded to natural and man-made disasters across the world, as well as in the US when Hurricane Katrina devastated several states and entire communities. The portfolio of long-term development projects also grew to include health interventions, specifically in Afghanistan. And in 2008, Islamic Relief USA marked 2 milestones: moving our headquarters from California to Alexandria, Virginia, right outside of the nation’s capital in Washington, DC, and having established programming across 20 countries around the globe.

The following decade also saw great change. In 2011, we trained our first Disaster Response Team and became the first Muslim organisation to partner with the American Red Cross. In 2016, this team responded to 8 emergencies across the US, including the water crisis in Flint, Michigan where they delivered water to affected communities. In 2020, Islamic Relief USA, along with our sisters and brothers around the world, navigated an unprecedented global crisis – the Covid-19 pandemic – and adjusted our programming to serve people affected, including working with World Central Kitchen to deliver food aid to families in need across the US. In 2021, we launched Hot Meals Monday in response to the pandemic, where we provide hot, nutritious meals to vulnerable communities in cities across the US.

In 2023, Islamic Relief USA marked its 30th year of humanitarian work, and as the organisation recognised all of the achievements made these past 3 decades, we honour the civic and moral duty the Islamic Relief USA community has undertaken to provide humanitarian aid around the world and for our neighbours in need in the US and around world.

Islamic Relief has been working with communities in Yemen since 1998, implementing seasonal Ramadan and qurbani food distributions, responding to ongoing emergencies and when possible delivering long-term development programmes.

Our teams on the ground are striving to support this country in crisis, providing essential relief and livelihood support.

Islamic Relief has been working in Mali since 1997, helping survivors of the country’s civil war to recover from the devastation of conflict.

During the 2005 food crisis, we were among the first organisations to reach some of the worst affected regions. Our emergency response saw 95 tonnes of food distributed to over 30,000 people in Gourma Rharous.

Islamic Relief Mali have implemented multiple projects. These include an orphan sponsorship programme, which began in Bamako, the capital, in 1997; and a project funded by the Disasters Emergency Committee in 2006, which aimed to boost access to food and nutrition.