Transforming Communities: Zakat Foundation of America’s Mission in Action

Transforming Communities: Zakat Foundation of America’s Mission in Action

Halil Demir, Executive Director and Founder of Zakat Foundation of America, has spent the bulk of his life taking care of others. From witnessing strife in refugee camps to seeing members of his South Side, Chicago community face hunger and homelessness, he has seen that poverty is far-reaching—but he’s never let that notion overshadow his love for helping and giving back. Instead, he’s used it as a motivator, creating Zakat Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to enrich the lives of those facing poverty while also aiding them.

Building Empowerment

The difference between enrichment and aid is that enrichment is the key to lifelong change. It’s the difference between giving a family a meal and equipping them for food-resilient farming. It’s a hand-up instead of a hand-out.

Dedicated to humanitarianism, Demir has led Zakat Foundation through the creation of schools, orphanages, and clinics in vulnerable areas and developing nations. In Mali, where Zakat Foundation has done powerful work, these clinics are life-saving—Demir explained that thousands of patients have walked through those doors.

Their impact on home turf is just as meaningful. From the Carolinas to Puerto Rico, Zakat Foundation has been a crucial support system to Americans, guiding newcomers and refugees to essential aid while also lending a helping hand to neighbors in need.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Zakat Foundation worked to truck more than five million pounds of farm-picked, fresh produce from coast to coast. The organization mobilizes thousands of volunteers from Chicago and beyond to join in their impact, including churches and synagogues, never turning away a helping hand. Beyond essential aid, Zakat Foundation also works to bolster future-thinking programs for American youth, supporting two Chicago Youth Centers branches in the integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program.

Worldwide Impact

In making sure their impact is long-lasting, Zakat Foundation has a range of programs that support well-being, education, and food security—the building blocks to fruitful livelihoods.

Their sustainable livelihood projects, including livestock programs, agricultural cooperatives, and vocational and entrepreneur courses in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America, have given thousands (particularly women) the means, know-how, and resources to uplift themselves, their families, and their communities to financial independence, better health and nutrition, and quality education.

Demir recounted the story of the Goat Village in Mali, where the Zakat Foundation provided families with the means to start their own farms, resulting in a thriving source of cheese, bulk food, and income for the farmers.

Zakat Foundation of America’s growing global food security program now feeds an astonishing 10 million meals a year to those in need, including 10 million pounds of meat in 44 countries. In addition, they build and install water wells and pumps, engineering self-sustaining water sources for dozens of communities worldwide.

Through it all, Demir turns his thanks towards the donors who make it all possible.

“Americans are very generous people,” he said. “We don't have millionaires and billionaires supporting us, but truly generous everyday people who want to help others and trust that our organization wants to make that happen. Thus, every penny is sacred.”

Learn more about Zakat Foundation’s incredible work around the world and donate today at zakat.org