A cholera outbreak was reported in Yemen on 27th April 2017. Since then, the number of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) or suspected cholera cases has increased to over 200,000, including 1,500 deaths. The infection rate is rising rapidly at a rate of 5000 per day. The outbreak has affected 21 out of Yemen’s 22 governorates: Sana’a City (Amanat Al Asemah) is the most heavily affected area, with over 4,000 suspected cases.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the cholera outbreak in Yemen has now claimed 1500 lives and affected 246,00 people since April 2017.

How we are responding to the global refugee crisis

Since Islamic Relief first formed more than 30 years ago we have been on the frontline of responding to the needs of forced migrants around the world.

Today the world has reached crisis point as the number of refugees exceeds 20 million – the highest figure for more than two decades.

With forced migration at an unprecedented scale our work on the ground supporting refugees around the world is more vital than ever – not only to meet the needs of the refugees themselves but also to counter the negativity and hostile attitudes that they too often engender. 

The global refugee crisis

The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that by the end of 2015 around 65.3 million people around the world had been forced to leave their homes because of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.

To address this crisis a UN Summit was held in New York last year, bringing world leaders together around one plan.

The resulting New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants contains bold commitments to address current issues and to prepare for future challenges. They include:

• Protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants, regardless of status. This includes the rights of women and girls and promoting their full, equal and meaningful participation in finding solutions.
• Ensure that all refugee and migrant children are receiving education within a few months of arrival.
• Prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence.
• Support those countries rescuing, receiving and hosting large numbers of refugees and migrants.
• Work towards ending the practice of detaining children for the purposes of determining their migration status.

There are further plans to build on these commitments in the coming years.

Leaders are being asked to begin negotiations that will pave the way to an international conference and a global compact. This means migration, like other areas of international relations, will be guided by a set of common principles and approaches

What is Islamic Relief doing?

At least half the world’s refugees are Muslims. There are over 5 million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, and over 4.8 million refugees worldwide are from Syria – including 95% who are living in five neighbouring countries (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt).

Over 2.5 million refugees are from Afghanistan, the majority currently living in Pakistan and Iran.

And over one million refugees are from Somalia, including 413,000 in neighbouring Kenya.

Islamic Relief is supporting people who have been forced to flee their homes in 26 countries around the world, including Canada, Kenya, Myanmar, Mali, Sweden and Syria.

Islamic Relief is supporting people who have been forced to flee their homes in 26 countries around the world.

In 2015 alone (the latest year for which we have full figures) we worked with around 6 million refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, asylum seekers and the communities which hosted them, accounting for just over £40 million of our programmes.

Our work includes the widescale distribution of essential items such as blankets, mattresses and boots in the winter months, supplying hospitals and health centres with medicine and equipment, and offering psychological counselling for children and adults recovering from trauma.

What can you do?

June 20 is World Refugee Day, an annual opportunity for us all to recognise and celebrate the strength, courage and resilience of millions of refugees.

It’s a chance to promote debate, raise awareness and support some of the great work being done with refugees and migrants around the world.

TOGETHER is a global initiative led by the United Nations that wants to change negative perceptions and attitudes towards refugees and migrants, and to strengthen the social cohesion between displaced people and their host communities. Those negative attitudes have been confirmed once again in a new international opinion poll commissioned by Islamic Relief to mark World Refugee Day 2017.

In the New York Declaration, all 193 UN Member States unanimously welcomed TOGETHER and committed to implementing the campaign.

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #JoinTogether and please support our work.

 

An article by Dr. Abdul Rahman Bidin,  Board of Trustee (BOT) of  Islamic Relief Malaysia; For more info, click link below;

https://docs.google.com/a/mcoba.org/document/d/1qRbmtlj5RzGuRCQhbY-nY70FvtfKkQgSFO1kYJpqWiQ/edit?usp=drivesdk

Three consecutive years of droughts and flooding have left half of the population of Malawi in Southern Africa needing food aid. Balaka, in the southern region of the country, is one of the worst-affected districts.

Thousands of farmers did not harvest enough food to feed their families this year; either because of the lack of rain or an outbreak of army worm, which destroys crops.

Islamic Relief Malawi joined forces with the Muslim Association of Malawi to find those who have been the worst-affected and are receiving no other help.

Saina Ali in Taibu Village looks after four orphaned grand-children; Tashida (5), Hanif (8), Gift (11) and Fajra (13). She has a small piece of land and also does piece work on other people’s farms.

She doesn’t have the strength to do too much work as she is old. She doesn’t know her age, just that she is old.

This year she only produced three bags of maize, instead of the usual six, because ‘armyworm’ caterpillars destroyed her crops.

“It makes me sad when there is no food as there is no one who can help me,” she explained. “The children cry when they are hungry and I can’t do anything about it. I get sick often when there is not enough food and do not have the strength to do much for the children.”

 Saina is normally happy during Ramadan because, as she explains, “It is a rare month of mercy. I fast every year, even when I am not feeling well because I am grateful to Allah.” But she was concerned that she would struggle to be able to find enough food to eat during Ramadan.

Islamic Relief gave her a food parcel containing 20 kg of  maize flour, 10 kg of rice, 3kgs of beans, 3 kgs of sugar, 1kg of salt and 1 litre of cooking oil.

“This food pack has really helped me as I will no longer have to struggle to find food for Iftar,” she explained. “I will make a nice soft maize porridge to break fast and I can take sweet tea in the morning for suhoor, which is my favourite think to take in the early morning.”

Yahya Said (38) lives in the same village. He and his wife Doris (30) have four young children; Ruqman (6), Ahmed (8), Jazira (10) and Bashir (12).

Yayha is not able to farm as he is blind and his wife has difficulty walking due to contracting Polio as a child.

“This year my wife was only able to harvest four bags of maize because of the lack of rain and this only lasted four months,” said Yayha. “Now we are dependent on well-wishers.”

Yahya SAid receiving his family’s food pack.

“We cannot afford to send the children to school and they are hungry. We go to sleep on an empty stomach and it’s hard for everyone.”

Now, Yayha and his family are relieved as Ramadan will be much easier with the food parcel.

“We are happy to be able to break fast properly with good food and will have maize or rice porridge with sugar for Iftar,” said Yayha.

He added: “As Muslims, this month is very special and a blessing for us all. We are happy with what we have received, as it is from Allah.

“Allah should continue to bless Islamic Relief because of the good work being done in Malawi.  Please continue to help us and others in need. I ask Allah to reward the donors for this help.”

Source: Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW)