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

Halil Demir speaks with the Morocco Earthquake Victims © Courtesy of Zakat Foundation of America

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

Halil Demir, Executive Director and Founder of the 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 the Zakat Foundation of America. This non-profit organization seeks to enrich and empower the lives of those facing poverty instead of only aiding them.

A Lifelong Mission

When Demir thinks back on some of the most impactful moments of his storied career in non-profit work, he remembers the eyes of the people he has helped—more specifically, the look of joy, relief, and, in some especially poignant moments, sadness.

“When I was a young man, still a university student, I received a call looking for someone who could represent the Red Cross in Iran and Iraq and act as a translator,” Demir recalled. “I left university and traveled between refugee camps during the first Gulf War. Millions of Kurdish refugees were living in these camps; I remember the devastation everywhere you looked.

“Every day, I would go to the children’s camp, a large orphanage tent. I would bring gifts for the children, spend time with them, make them laugh, and they got used to seeing me. When I had to return to school, I told the children that this time would be different—I would not be returning the next day. A young girl, no more than six years old, looked up at me with her big eyes, held my hand, and asked me, ‘But if you don’t come, who will take care of me?’”

Demir shared that for the entirety of his trip home and every day after, he has thought of that question—it became the driving force of his humanitarian work.

“Today, Zakat Foundation runs orphanages, schools, universities, and life-saving clinics all over the world, helping thousands of people every day,” Demir continued. “Her words and the sadness in her eyes have never left my mind, and I have dedicated my life’s work to her and other children like her. She changed my life.”

Building Enrichment

The difference between assistance and aid is that empowerment is the key to lifelong, transformational 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 the Zakat Foundation through the creation of schools, orphanages, and clinics in vulnerable areas and developing nations. In Mali, where the Zakat Foundation has done powerful work, these clinics are life-saving—Demir explains that thousands of patients have walked through those doors.

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

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Zakat Foundation worked to truck more than 1.3 million pounds of farm-picked, fresh produce from coast to coast. The Foundation mobilizes thousands of volunteers from Chicago and beyond to join in their impact, including schools, churches and mosques, never turning away a helping hand.

Worldwide Impact

In making sure their impact is long-lasting and self-sustaining, the Zakat Foundation has a rangeof 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 paved the path to self-sufficiency. It has 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 shared the story of the Goat Village in Mail, 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.

“It’s an incredible program,” he said. “We give a coupled pair of animals to a family, and of course, they can create little animals and start a farm. It’s now referred to as the Goat Village because the goats have been so prosperous.”

Even more inspiring, the village then directed the Zakat Foundation to another nearby community—citing that they had received all the help they needed and wanted to share their blessings with others facing the same struggles.

Zakat Foundation’s growing global food security program now feeds an astonishing 10 million meals annually 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 potable 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. To us, every penny is sacred.”

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