Food aid for Mali as flash floods strike

Torrential rains have resulted in flash floods across the northern town of Douentza, Mali, where hundreds of homes have been destroyed or damaged.

The floods struck soon after heavy rains began battering the region on 18 July 2016, and have left many families without food and shelter. The food reserves that villages in and around Douentza rely upon in case of emergencies have also been ruined.

Islamic Relief is one of relatively few aid agencies already operating in Douentza, with longer-term projects running in the area to support those most in need. Due to the ongoing security situation in the northern parts of the country, it is highly unlikely that any other NGO will be able to access this area.

Their plight may not hit the headlines, but our existing presence on the ground has allowed us to remain abreast of the situation. After conducting an initial needs assessment, the team in Mali began distributing food aid and essential items to the affected villages, including plastic sheets, cooking utensils, water purification tablets and mosquito nets to prevent the spread of disease for those left homeless by the floods.

Islamic Relief has been helping people affected by civil war and natural disasters in Mali since 1997.

Pakistan’s Kalashi women supported with bathroom building project

New facilities for Chitral community enhance safety and gender justice

Islamic Relief has been tackling gender injustice with a bathroom building scheme in a remote area of Pakistan.

 

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In the Himalayan Bamburat Valley, in the northern district of Chitral, the Kalash indigenous group is Pakistan’s smallest religious minority, with a community of less than 5,000.

Last year, when Chitral was hit by recurring disasters (first floods, then an earthquake) homes and other infrastructure were destroyed, including washing facilities, leaving women and girls vulnerable and without shelter.

With support from UNICEF, Islamic Relief implemented a project to repair, replace and upgrade the damaged bathrooms, giving more than 500 women access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

Local teams also rolled out an interactive communication campaign emphasizing the risks girls and women are exposed to when relieving themselves outside or traveling long distances to fetch water.

The programme is part of Islamic Relief’s work to provide women-focused solutions to accelerate gender equality.

 

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Farmers get solar technology in remote corner of Kenya

New irrigation kit saves water and boosts crops for women in Mandera.

Women in a remote corner of Kenya are using solar technology to revolutionize the way they farm.

The town of Mandera, on the north-eastern border with Somalia and Ethiopia, is one of the most hard-to-reach parts of the country, with 88% of people living below the poverty line.

But a three-year programme by Islamic Relief is supporting small-scale farmers – mainly women – to secure new irrigation kits, which save water and boost crop yields.

Jama Hanshi, Islamic Relief’s regional desk co-ordinator in Kenya, said: “The road to Mandera is unpaved and it takes two to three days to get there by road from Nairobi.

 

Kenya supply Woman farmer 1

 

“The farmers there have been relying on diesel-generated water pumps which are expensive and use up most of their savings, but this project is replacing those pumps with solar-powered irrigation systems.

“The amazing thing about this drip irrigation kit is that it uses a minimal amount of water.

“In an area where water is scarce and where people have been badly affected by drought, being able to get the maximum output from the water available is crucial.”

Funded by USAID, over the next three years the $500,000 (£390,000) scheme will support 3,000 farmers directly, benefiting a further 18,000 people indirectly.

The solar kit pumps water from boreholes, rivers or lakes into a storage tank before using a drip irrigation system at optimum times in the evening and early morning.

A Nairobi-based company designed the equipment to make water savings of up to 80%.

Islamic Relief is encouraging the farmers to team up, forming Group Loans and Saving Associations (GLSAs) where they can pool their resources and buy the kit collectively.

PHOTOS: Ramadan 2016

Last year, Islamic Relief reached over 1 million people in 31 countries across the globe.

This year, we provided food security to even more of the world’s most vulnerable families by distributing 200,000 food packs to approximately 1.5 million people.

Below is a snapshot of our 2016 Ramadan food pack programme across the globe:

 

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Ramadan campaign supports communities in crisis

For families in Iraq, Syria and Somalia hit by crippling conflict or floods, a Ramadan food pack can provide a lifeline.

Our annual Ramadan campaign helps us connect with people around the world, as our teams on the ground distribute food packs in the areas of greatest need.

Each one of the 200,000 parcels we have delivered over the last month has helped individuals and families that are struggling to make ends meet.

And some of our distributions have provided a lifeline in communities where conflict or disaster has left people stranded and unable to support themselves and their loved ones.

In Iraq, our field office has distributed 3,000 parcels to families who left everything behind and fled the city of Fallujah.

Many men and boys were arrested in their bid to escape, leaving families divided and desperate, without shelter, sanitation and even basic food and water.

 

In Syria, where more than half the country’s 22 million population have left their homes in search of safety, our staff have delivered 22,500 food packs, including a distribution in the city of Aleppo.

 

With the recent increase in fighting, the infrastructure of Aleppo – including homes, schools and hospitals – has crumbled and the city’s damaged main water supply has left civilians relying on bottled water.

Surrounded by rubble and in the shadow of destroyed buildings, our field staff have delivered goods to the people who need it most.

One of our first distributions was in the Somalian town of Beledweyne where floods forced 70,000 people to flee their homes.

After reports of families living on rooftops, Islamic Relief was one of the few organisations that managed to access the most hard-to-reach areas.

Our field staff delivered 1,000 food packs there, using “improvised canoes” to get to people who had been stranded.

Thank you for helping us to help people whose lives have been turned upside down this Ramadan.

 

Food distribution in Amriyat Fallujah

Food distribution in Amriyat Fallujah

Food distribution in Amriyat Fallujah

Food distribution in Aleppo

Reaching stranded families in Beledweyne, Somalia

Q&A with Naser Haghamed, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide

IRW’s new leader speaks about his experience as a child refugee, the challenge of Islamophobia and his vision for the future.

Naser Haghamed joined Islamic Relief as an IT manager in 1993 and went on to help set up IRUSA, to spearhead the development of TIC and to lead the International Programmes Division.
He has lived in six countries and speaks English, Arabic and Tigrinya.
Today, he lives with his wife, Samia, and their five children in Yardley, Birmingham.
Here, he speaks about his experience as a child refugee, the challenge of Islamophobia and his vision for the future as CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide.

 

Who has inspired you most?

“My inspiration was Dr Hany El-Banna [the founder of Islamic Relief], who has put this organisation ahead of everything else. Islamic Relief was his priority. He had dedication and commitment, and he always focused on the beneficiaries, wanting to help as many people as possible.”

RS7595_Naser Haghamed having medical examination in ingushetia 2000

 

What part of the job has affected you most?

“In the year 2000 had a visit to Ingushetia [near the border with Chechnya] to see refugee camps where we were distributing food and setting up our own clinics and ambulances. I remember how cold it was. The design of those camps and the latrines… it was a typical refugee life and I saw how grateful the people there were to receive our help.”

 

And you’ve experienced forced migration, yourself?

“Yes, when I was 13. The war in Eritrea started to get fierce and the liberation movement were taking control of the bigger cities so my dad, who had been co-operating with the rebels, decided to leave the country. He had to travel to Ethiopia using paperwork supplied by a friend of the family. From there, pretending he was going to Hajj, he fled to Saudi Arabia to escape. After that, my mum was harassed by the local army and police who wanted to know where my dad was, so we realised we couldn’t stay. I remember we walked to the border city of Asmara and took transport provided by the rebels going to Sudan. When we were stopped at the border we said we were going to a family wedding. It was quite scary and it has certainly influenced me. I remember I was captain of the football team and I had to return all the kit to the rest of the team but I wasn’t able to tell them I was leaving. That was very difficult, leaving behind my friends and not being able to be honest with them. I didn’t know where we were going, what problems we’d be facing or how we’d be travelling. It was quite emotional and something I’ll never forget.”

 

“The toughest challenge Islamic Relief currently faces is Islamophobia and increased radicalisation”

Naser

 

What sets Islamic Relief apart from other INGOs?

“We’re the largest Muslim organisation of our kind, combining western and contemporary thinking in approaching and delivering aid with the Islamic faith. When it comes to Muslim charities Islamic Relief is very inventive and leads the way. The Qurbani meat canning project is a good example. Traditionally Qurbani was a Muslim sacrifice of animals, distributed to the poor in the same country. Islamic Relief came up with the idea of collecting donations to have an animal sacrificed in another country, and then canning that meat where fresh produce was not available easily. Other charities are still copying us to do that.”

 

What are the major challenges facing Islamic Relief?

“The toughest challenge Islamic Relief currently faces is Islamophobia. Conflict, stringent laws and fear is making it much harder for an organisation such as ours to achieve its mission. As a result we have banking issues because banks are becoming more risk averse so remitting funds to volatile places and conflict zones is becoming increasingly difficult. This is now affecting charities across the board. Another issue is that we are not getting access to deliver aid in besieged areas and civilians are not being protected. It’s a challenging situation and it’s getting worse by the day.”

 

“Eighty per cent of people suffering are suffering because of conflict and the world is watching and doing nothing about it.”

 

Islamic Relief launched in 1984 in response to a famine in Sudan. Three decades later, we’ve just launched an appeal for the same cause. Does that suggest the system is broken?

“Yes, to some extent I think it is. I think a lot of charities are just copying each other and we haven’t been innovative enough in eradicating poverty. But there are other elements outside our control such as climate change, corruption and war. Take the examples of Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where the people didn’t need that much aid 10 years ago but now they are probably 30-40 years behind and we’ll be working for the next three decades to rebuild those countries. Eighty per cent of people suffering are suffering because of conflict and the world is watching and doing nothing about it. The world’s superpowers have to reform the UN with greater commitment to holding accountable different regimes, powers and groups to adhere to international laws.”