Refugee Zakat Fund has over 1 million zakat beneficiaries

- UNHCR urges Muslims to support refugees struggling to cope with the repercussions of the global COVID-19 outbreak through the Refugee Zakat Fund

- In 2019, the Refugee Zakat Fund received US$43,165,000, allowing UNHCR to provide lifesaving support to over 1 million refugees and internally-displaced persons

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched the findings of its 2020 Islamic Philanthropy Report, highlighting the impact of the Refugee Zakat Fund on vulnerable refugees and internally-displaced persons (IDPs) across the globe. Zakat (زكاة) is an obligatory form of alms-giving for Muslims who meet the criteria, and is often given during Ramadhan.

Source: UNHCR. Eleven-year-old Reem is an internally displaced Yemeni girl with a serious medical condition. She lives in Sana’a, Yemen and needs regular medication. Through its partners, UNHCR helped her mother with cash assistance which she used to buy medicine, pay off overdue rent and buy food for her four children.

“I cried when I got the money because I was able to cover Reem’s medicine for one month,” her mother told UNHCR. “Before I got the cash I didn’t have any food in the house to feed my kids - not even a grain of rice.”

In 2019, the UN estimated that 80% of Yemen’s 24 million population required humanitarian assistance or protection due to the ongoing conflict. Some 3.65 million civilians have been displaced since the war began in March 2015. Conflict has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and humanitarian needs are the most acute in governorates most affected by conflict, including Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah and Al Dhale’e, where fighting and civilian impact is recorded daily.

UNHCR provides humanitarian support for the internally displaced and around 275,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who have remained in Yemen despite the fighting. It provided cash assistance to more than 167,000 families in 2019.

The Refugee Zakat Fund was launched by UNHCR in 2019 as a trusted, compliant and effective distributor harnessing the power of zakat to transform the lives of the most vulnerable refugee and IDPs. The report revealed that in 2019, the Refugee Zakat Fund received over US$43 million, including the largest-ever single contribution made by the Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund of over US$35 million.

Other donations to the UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund were from individuals, institutional partners and philanthropists. These donations have helped provide lifesaving assistance to 191,497 vulnerable families (1,025,014 individuals).

On March 25, UNHCR appealed for US$255 million for its urgent push to curb the risk and lessen the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks on vulnerable communities. Funds are critical to urgently support preparedness and response in situations of forced displacement over the next nine months.

"Imagine trying to cope with this (the coronavirus pandemic) crisis with no access to soap and water to wash your hands. No hope of isolating yourself because of overcrowded conditions. No shelter to stay safely inside. Imagine having to do this after already having been forced by war to flee your home and your family. This is the tragic reality today for far too many refugees and displaced families around the world," said Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a video statement.

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Watch the video where Grandi delivers wishes for Ramadhan

KSA finances 300,000 iftar meals for Syrian refugees

The Turkey-based Office of Saudi National Campaign to Support Brothers in Syria have concluded a contract with Merqez Market to provide 300,000 iftar meals for Ramadhan for Syrian displaced and refugees in Syria and Turkey, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.

The move is valued at SR3,037,500.

Singapore Muslims donate S$342,569 to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon

The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) has reported that the Singapore Muslim community is contributing S$342,569 in aid of Syrian refugees living in the refugee camps and dwellings located in Jordan and Lebanon.

The Syrian internal conflict and war, which has gone on for nearly six years, has inflicted a heavy toll. More than 4 million Syrians have sought refuge in countries such as Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq as well as other countries beyond. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), more than half are children below 17 years of age.

Jordan alone is hosting about 650,000 refugees while Lebanon is hosting more than 1 million. The high concentration of refugees in the countries have strained the resources of the nations which have to meet the demands of their own populations as well.

With severe winter conditions enveloping the region, mosques in Singapore in collaboration with the RLAF appealed for donations from the Singapore Muslim community to show our care and compassion toward the ongoing suffering of the Syrian refugees there. Donation boxes were placed at all 70 mosques from 3 to 9 February 2017. Donations were also invited via cash, cheque and online to this cause.

For this initiative, RLAF is collaborating with the UNHCR that is on the ground in Jordan and Lebanon. The equivalent of US$100,000 of the collection will enable the UNHCR to extend the provision of gas to Syrian refugees in Al-Azraq camp in Jordan to enable them to survive the winter.

The remaining funds, amounting to US$132,600, will be used to support UNHCR’s Outreach Educational programme, as well as parent engagement and homework support programmes to ensure access of education for Syrian children in across Lebanon. Through this assistance parents will also be empowered to assist in the learning process. Through these programmes is it hoped that children will be able to discover the joy of learning and find new confidence after the ordeal they face as refugees.

The RLAF and mosques in Singapore wish to express sincere thanks to the Singapore Muslim community and all Singaporeans who have generously contributed to the fund.

posted from Bloggeroid

UNHCR and Islamic Museum of Australia to host fund-raiser for Syrian refugees

The UN Refugee Agency Australia for UNHCR and the Islamic Museum of Australia are hosting a fund-raising dinner in aid of Syrian refugees on 28 November 2015, at the museum premises.

Dinner will feature the work of Masterchef Finalist Samira El Khafir. The evening will also feature guest speakers and an auction.

All of the ticket sales and proceeds go to UNHCR for the Syrian refugee crisis. Urgently-needed relief includes cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating, insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing.

Interested?

Tickets cost A$260 per person, or A$2,500 for a table of ten. Call 1300 915 171 or email admin at islamicmuseum.org.au for enquiries.

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the new UN, World Bank and Islamic Development Bank approach to MENA and the refugee crisis

UN, World Bank and Islamic Development Bank to up funding in MENA to address refugee crisis

The Secretary General of the United Nations and the Presidents of the World Bank Group and the Islamic Development Bank Group announced today a joint initiative to scale up financing in the Middle East and North Africa to help countries hosting significant refugee populations, countries impacted by conflict, as well as countries that have significant investment needs to achieve economic recovery.

“The world today is witness to higher levels of conflict than a decade ago, and the highest level of forced displacement since the Second World War,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The drivers of violence and instability are more complex and more intractable than ever. Nothing emphasises this reality more than the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. To address the scale and the nature of the conflicts, we need new approaches. It is important that the World Bank, as a close partner to the UN, and other international financial institutions, mainstream and actively invest in conflict-affected states.”

The proposed financing initiative consists of two distinct mechanisms to support countries impacted by conflict and economic slowdown, as well as those affected by large numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons:

• Under the first mechanism, guarantees from donor countries would be leveraged in order to issue special bonds, including sukuk, to finance economic recovery and reconstruction projects;

• In the second mechanism, grants from donor countries would be used to provide concessional finance to middle income countries of the region hosting the bulk of refugees.

“Strong global partnerships and innovative financing are essential to meet the scale of the need in these hard-hit countries,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Concerted action by the international community is vital – otherwise, violence and conflict will continue to corrode the economies, societies, and lives of millions of people. It is our collective responsibility to support the Middle East and North Africa region at this critical time, and this requires significant resources - more than any one country or organsation is able to provide on its own.”

The financing initiative was presented at an international ministerial roundtable on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund. A broad range of governments and international organisations agreed on the urgent need to mobilise additional financing for the Middle East and North Africa.

Over 15 million people in the Middle East and North Africa have been forced from their homes over the past four years due to conflict and instability, taking an enormous humanitarian and economic toll on the region. Beyond the human suffering, immense pressures have been placed on the resources of host countries that were already facing significant economic challenges. In addition to the immediate costs, estimates to rebuild the war-torn areas are in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Even countries not directly affected by conflict have seen their economies slow down and youth unemployment increase; as a result, those countries have significant needs to restore economic growth.

"History has taught us that it is never too early to plan for post-conflict recovery and reconstruction,” stated Islamic Development Bank Group President Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani. “The impact of unrest and conflict across the region, including the growing number of refugees and internally displaced persons, is taking us outside our comfort zone and is clearly challenging us to act differently and innovatively, but more importantly, to act collectively and decisively.”

Meeting participants expressed support for the World Bank Group’s new strategy for the Middle East and North Africa, which promotes economic and social inclusion in order to help reinforce peace and stability in the region. In addition, an agreement was reached for the formation of a working group to be co-chaired by the United Nations, the World Bank Group, and the Islamic Development Bank Group. The working group was asked to finalise the details of the financing mechanisms and develop an implementation roadmap by February 2016.

Kuwait Red Crescent Society distributes meat to Syrian refugees in Lebanon for Eid

The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has distributed meat to Syrian refugees in Lebanon over two days. Seven hundred Syrian refugee families in northern Lebanon and Zahle city in east Lebanon received Eid meat on 24 September, while 550 families in south and east Lebanon received meat for Eid Al-Adha on the 25th, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) has reported. 

The KRCS has been doing this for three years, said KRCS Representative Mohammad Al-Muteiri to KUNA. Eid meat recipients on 25 September included 250 families in Sidon in south Lebanon and 300 families in Beqaa in east Lebanon.

Kuwait's humanitarian initiatives and projects serving Syrian refugees in Lebanon involve bread, Ramadhan meals and Eid Al-Adha meat as well as clothing.

Rahmatan Lil 'Alamin Foundation spearheads charity drive for Syrian refugee children

Source: MUIS.

The Rahmatan Lil 'Alamin Foundation (RLAF), in collaboration with mosques in Singapore, has kicked off a fund-raiser in aid of Syrian refugee children.

Part of an initial fund-raising effort in April this year, which netted S$240,000, was used to send relief in the form of food packages, hot food, medicines, clean water, school packages, and household items. 

S$150,000 has been set aside for the establishment of a school for children of Syrian refugees in the border town of Kilis in Southeastern Turkey. "This school will help to restore some semblance of normality, sanity and confidence in the hearts and minds of the young children," the charity said in a statement. "To make this school project possible, we will need to raise at least S$350,000 for the building, facilities and equipment needed for the school."

Donation boxes marked Singapore Muslim Community’s Special Collection for School Project for Children of Syrian Refugees have been placed at all 68 mosques till 11 December 2014. Those who are not able to make their contribution at the mosque can also offer their donation in cash or by cheque. The cheque should be made payable to “RLAF” with the words Special Collection In Aid of Syrian Refugees written on its back. The cash and cheques can be delivered to the MUIS building at the Singapore Islamic Hub, No. 273, Braddell Road Singapore 579702. In addition, members of the community can also make their contributions online via www.muis.gov.sg/epayment/Donations.aspx.

The RLAF is working with Kimse Yok Mu, a Turkish humanitarian agency, and Aid to Syrian Refugees in Turkey (ASRIT) for the project. Kimse Yok Mu will provide the teaching staff, remuneration and all the utilities needed for the school. Registration of students has already begun.