It s almost Ramadan! Here s what you achieved last year... Ramadan 2017/1438
The believing men and believing women are friends of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give charity and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have mercy upon them, for Allah is Almighty and Wise. Al-Qur an (76:8-9) Your united support last year meant the world to us Thanks to you, we were able to continue serving people in need around the world. As a community, Muslims across Britain achieved something amazing. Together, your collective power brought relief, rest, health and sustenance to vulnerable people living in the most difficult of conditions. Those living amongst war, struggling in dire poverty or traumatised by tragedy and natural disasters. People who are in desperate need of some of the basic human necessities that many of us take for granted. Brought together from every corner of the UK, every home, every school and every mosque, your generous support was united in faith to save their lives. You helped us provide emergency aid relief, provide education, build hospitals and clinics, deliver essential medical aid, rebuild and support livelihoods and ultimately give back hope for a better future. 2 2 3
4 Muslims of Britain, this is what you achieved together 6,927,515 people in desperate situations reached. People living in war, fighting poverty experiencing famine or effected by drought and natural disaster 2,945,178 in the Middle East 580,703 in Africa 98,004 people benefitted were saved with vital health intervention people received essential food and nutrition in South Asia in South East Asia enrolled in education and school You did this. You achieved this. Thank you. 2,156,026 1.6m 34,477 from livelihood support projects 1.5m 125,000 470,000 Feed the Fasting. meals distributed in 2017 Your generosity last year meant we could feed the world. While Muslims across Britain fasted, many of you came together and donated to our Feed the Fasting campaign. Your love for others meant we could provide life-saving food to men, women and children right across the world. Your good deeds, donations and kindness stretched around the globe to deliver Feed the Fasting packs in over 30 countries. From Palestine to Iraq, from Bangladesh to Lebanon, we delivered your love, support and donations to people who were starving. Thanks to you, they were able to break their fast and see an end to their hunger. 5
Zakat Each Ramadan, the collective giving power of British Muslims is an amazing feat and display of generosity and charity. Last year, your Zakat enabled us to deliver: Sadaqah The giving of charity is an act which defines us as humans and strengthens ties within our communities. To help another is to also help oneself with continuous charity whose benefits are for both the donor and receiver. And establish prayer and give Zakat, whatever good you send before for yourselves, you shall find it with Allah; surely Allah sees what you do. (Al-Qur an 2:110) Nutritious Food packs Essential clean drinking water WASH (sanitation) facilities and training Schools, education resources and books Vaccinations Shelter, protection and warm clothing Prosthetic limbs Anti-biotics and pain relief Life-saving surgery Rehabilitation Counselling Therapy Skills training Employment and livelihood. Your Zakat made a huge difference in the world. This year, your Zakat could count towards even more. When a man passes away, his good deeds will also come to an end except for three: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial or a virtuous descendant who prays for him. (Muslim) At Muslim Aid, we rely upon your donations to our on-going projects to support some of the poorest and neediest of people. Our vision is the alleviation of poverty, education for all and the provision of basic amenities for those in need. We believe in a world where charity and compassion can produce justice, selfreliance and human development. Your Sadaqah donations means we can deliver aid where it is needed most and when it is needed. Your gifts help us to continue delivering aid, long-term help and strengthen communities. Keep on being you your support is amazing. Thank you. 6 7
Rainbow Family Our Rainbow Family project helps children reach their full potential by transforming their lives and the lives of their families. Syria We have been working in Syria for over 3 years, delivering aid directly to the people and providing emergency assistance. Together, the British Muslim community now sponsors 5,335 children in 17 countries around the world - our biggest family yet! 4,626 pupils formally enrolled in school 23,459 mentoring sessions 2,355 children received specialist support 5,534 Eid gifts. Refa a Mohammed Abbas Hourani, a Syrian woman of 50 years old, left Syria during the war seeking refuge in Jordan. Her two daughters lost their husbands in the conflict and the family of 12 including 8 children now live in one small shelter. Refa a s husband is elderly and suffers from poor health. The family has no income and depend completely on aid to survive. Refa a and her family were identified by the Rainbow Family project and thanks to your generosity, received food packs and education. They have now stable and secure support to meet their growing needs. The food pack last for a month with my family. The food items are very good, and the pack has covered almost all our essential needs. Thank you so much for your continuous support. Refa a Mohammed Abbas Hourani, Syria. Over 10 million people have been chased from their homes by the ongoing conflict Over 4 million Syrians displaced More than 3 million have sought refuge in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan Millions within Syria living in poor and substandard conditions. Together you are saving their lives. Ayesha is 40 years of age. She has 3 children and a nephew who is paralysed and disabled. Ayesha s husband suffers from neurological and physiological diseases. Sometimes he loses control of himself and starts to hit and shout. Her nephew is very small and in need of milk, diapers and medication. The family live in a rented house in Lebanon, having fled the war in Syria. For the past two months they have been unable to pay any rent, electricity or water bills. The owner of the house is asking them to pay or threatening eviction. Ayesha and her family received food aid during Ramadan last year that eased their struggles. Due to your support, we have also been able to provide them with further support and medical care as they rebuild their lives from the horrors of war. 8 9
Gaza In Gaza, the conflict continues. Many families remain in desperate need of help. Delivering aid to the people of Gaza is just the first step in giving them the life they deserve. This year, you have helped us to deliver in Gaza: Nutrition to 16,735 people Humanitarian assistance to 58,662 Health care to 34,250 Sponsorship to 1,344 children. Khadeeja s family have experienced daily violence and destruction that has left them severely traumatised. Their house was bombed and two of Khadeeja s sons were killed instantly. In one second my life was turned upside down, suddenly I found myself without a house standing in the middle of the rubble, smoke, and fire, I lost two of my sons. Because of your support, we were able to give Khadeeja and many like her, comfort. We can t erase the horrors that have happened but with our psychosocial support sessions, counselling and therapy, we can begin to ease her pain and help her cope with her grief. Khadeeja received help from our specialist teams that has made a difference. I go out and visit people now, I became a mother for my children again, after being buried alive after losing my two sons. For many people living in Gaza, to have everything taken away can be devastating and demoralising. When the home and resources that you have relied upon to support yourself and your family is taken away, every day can be a struggle just to survive. With your donations, we have been able to work tirelessly in Gaza to deliver aid where it is needed most. Not only have we continued to serve these people with basic food packs, medicines and aid, we have established links on the ground in Gaza. Working with the United Nations we have strived to develop long term plans for rehabilitation for those living in the conflict. Partnering with social workers, teachers and hospitals we have developed many projects to help rebuild communities and opportunities for people in Gaza and provide them dignity and hope once more. 10 11
South East Asia Across Pakistan and Bangladesh, we are responding to natural disasters, tackling poverty, delivering healthcare and eradicating illiteracy. Africa Across Africa, we have been there to help people suffering in one of the worst droughts in history. 49,185 people received food and sustenance 55,390 received emergency aid 269,643 benefitted from livelihood support and skills training 416,198 started a formal education 1.3 million were able to access essential medical care. Widespread rural poverty and high rates of illiteracy mean that thousands of people across Pakistan and Bangladesh face each day as a struggle. Since the death of my wife in 2010, I now live with my daughter. I used to work as a labourer in Pakistan s Railway to earn for my family. But for last many years I am unable to work due to my age and bad health conditions. My poor financial situation has confined me to stay home and live a dependent life. I feel like a liability on my daughter as they are also having a hand-to-mouth life. Although they are extremely caring, but no reality is harsher than being dependent on your daughter at this age. I received food pack from Muslim Aid twice now and it makes me feel dignified for contributing something in family resources. Thank you, Muslim Aid. - Muhammad Ghazanfar, Pakistan. Almost 600,000 people so far have received aid due to your generosity. 13,300 people in Somalia reached in emergency situations. In Somalia and Sudan, you helped us to reach people in remote communities who were quite literally dying of thirst and hunger. I am 90 years old. My nickname is the Mother of a Village. I have 10 children and my husband died 11 years ago. My eldest son is 50 years old. In the past I was unable to buy things for my basic needs due to the lack of money, but when Muslim Aid UK provided me with the essential needs for Ramadan I have enough food for the whole month. They gave me a full package containing sugar, wheat flour, sorghum flour, juice, beans, oil, lentil and noodles. I really appreciate the British Muslims supporters of Muslim Aid UK and I pray for them and hope that this program continues for many years. - Khadija Ali Belo, Sudan. 12 13
Myanmar The situation in Myanmar continues to leave us reeling. But with your help, we could provide the people of the region shelter and hope as they fled oppression and persecution. You were able to feed 5,000 people in Myanmar and surrounding regions In total, over 2.8 million lives have been saved by your donations of humanitarian aid Thank you. Your care, donations and support mean we were able to achieve all these amazing things and much more. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to those mosques and organisations within the UK who provide us with a network of volunteers. We are one community together and we wish each one of our supporters a blessed Ramadan. If you would like to continue helping us to serve the world s neediest people, you can give a regular donation to help us fight against the effects of poverty and conflict. Simply call our donation helpline on 020 7377 4200 or visit muslimaid.org 14 15
Your care, donations and support mean we were able to achieve all these amazing things and much more. If you would like to continue helping us to serve the world s neediest people, you can give a regular donation to help us fight against the effects of poverty and conflict. Simply call our donation helpline on 020 7377 4200 or visit muslimaid.org Keep being amazing. Donate today. Design by WeareOneagency.com @Muslim_aid facebook.com/muslimaid Charity Reg No. 1176462