HE 3 finall

Promoting safer Security issues hamper African children giving to charities aid to Balochistan tragically die on roads Issue 3, January 2014

HUMANITARIAN EUROPE

Malala

speaks at the UN

Human Rights

Violations in Pakistan

Crisis in Syria women and children worst casualties

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.�

Martin Luther King, Jr.

CONTENT

Contents

11 I Human Rights Violations in Pakistan

22 I Kuwait Conference

encouraging partnership and cooperation

6I

Humanitarian news

8I

Facts on Gender Inequality - femicide rates have escalated

9I

Malala at the UN - education,

empowerment of women and drone attacks

16 I Unlocking the chains of

Pakistan’s debt – development hindered by debt repayments

18 I African children tragically die on roads

20 I ‘I want to make the world

a better place’ – Individuals who

set up charities

28 I Hawala and diminishing humanitarian space – Barclays closing 80 accounts is detrimental for Somalis

30 I Security issues hamper aid to Balochistan

32

I The East African Crisis Appeal - and the history of famine in Ethiopia

35 I Ending poverty by 2030 - Can economic growth end poverty

37 I Unpacking the Aid Bundle

- Aid can mean many things

25 I SCHOLAR AID Imam Qasim in focus

39 I Charity wins award for work in Syria

40 I Charity cash to Syrian terror groups?

- Charity Commission’s response

42 I Syrian Crisis – women and children worst casualties

Shift in Values -The Missing 44 I Link in the HIV response

46 I Fundraising in your community

48 I Promoting

Safer Giving to Charities – despite a recession the

British continue giving

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EDITORIAL

Editorial As another year ends and new one begins our wishes and aspirations also grow in the hope that humanity will be more at peace with less man- made and natural disasters; we are just recovering from the shock of watching the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines with over 1.9 million people displaced.

The speed with which aid organisations arrived on the scene is heartening highlighting the continuing development of Aid organisations, their professionalism and effectiveness.

Sabooh Uddin Publisher & CEO Humanitarian.eu

The Fourth Annual Conference on Effective Partnership & Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action was once again held in Kuwait City, highlighting the crucial role Gulf countries were playing in the field of humanitarian work globally.

It is also encouraging to see the continuing evolvement of Muslim charitable organisations who at one time were working only in particular areas are now partnering mainstream charity organisations like the UN to work in disaster struck areas around the world.

Humanitarian Magazine will continue to highlight the important part these charity organisations are playing.

This issue focuses on Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the UN, reports on Gender Inequality and in particular human right violations taking place in Pakistan.

We have also highlighted the simple fact that while we put millions in building up Africa’s infrastructure, and carry out inoculation programmes, we neglect a simple issue of teaching road safety and as a result road accidents is the biggest killer of children between five and fifteen in sub-Saharan Africa, outstripping malaria and Aids.

Humanitarian Europe aims to highlight issues not to denigrate a country or a people but rather to address issues that Charity organisations can focus on and help alleviate the problems through their increasing power as a tool for development.

Sabooh Uddin

HUMANITARIAN EUROPE

1st Floor, 2 Watling Gate 297 - 303 Edgware Road London, NW9 6NB, United Kingdom T: +44(0) 208 200 2949 E: info@humanitarianeurope.com W: www.humanitarianeurope.com

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Publisher & CEO: Sabooh Uddin Managing Director: Wasi Malik Editor: Shabana Syed Sales & Marketing Director: Abdullah Khan Art Editor and Designer: Mohammad Reazul Islam Photographers: Fahad Bhatti, Abuzar Khan, Asif Majeed, Fawad Zafar Reporters: Mathew Dale, Sandra Bullac, Subrina Huda, Siyam Islam, Imran Mahmood

Research Team: Halah Aljanabi, Lauren Gill, Yasir Farhan Production Manager: Omar Iqbal Accounts Manager: Aysha Aftab Marketing Manager: Ronald Mark Sales: Jane Chowdhury, Jack Harris, Sohail Chowdhury Contributors: Martin Shaw, Saif Ullah, Saleh Saeed, Fatima Zahara Khanum, Abdurrahman Sharif, Yusra Mahdi, Charles Mambo, Reyhana Patel, Nick Dearden, Ian Townsend, Rob Tew

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NEWS

toll, 3,620 people have been confirmed as killed by the typhoon. The UN has said that 13 million people have been affected by the typhoon with 1.9 million people displaced and 287,000 homes seriously damaged or destroyed.

Rahman Attar, president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) when he accepted the Red Cross Red Crescent Peace Prize on behalf of the National Society.

He dedicated the award to 31 volunteers who had lost their lives bringing relief and support to civilians and people injured in the conflict.

Philippine aid hampered by scale of destruction “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people”

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013 Nelson Mandela’s death has left the world in mourning. A man who spent 27 years in prison for equal rights is revered globally.

He was a humble eloquent and inspirational leader who took his people from apartheid to democracy and was a staunch advocate of peace, democracy and human rights.

$89.7 million sent to UN typhoon Haiyan fund The United Nations has received over US$72 million for its relief fund for disaster-stricken Philippines with Gulf countries being key contributors.

Kuwait and United Arab Emirates have each given US$10 million to the UN appeal to help survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. John Ging, the UN humanitarian operations director said that more than US$80 million has been donated to the Philippines relief effort through other international charities and organisations.

According to a latest Philippine government Humanitarian.eu

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Poor communications and access difficulties have hampered relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which made a devastating landfall in the Philippines.

The typhoon has affected close to 10 million and left more than 500,000 displaced.

According to NDRRMC, over two million

families (nearly 10 million individuals) in 41 of the country’s 82 provinces were affected by Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, and the most powerful storm to make landfall since records began. Over 28,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development 584,642 are displaced, with 319,868 in evacuation centres and 264,774 staying with family and friends.

Prior to the disaster 748,572 people in 31 provinces were evacuated, but some in less affected areas have been able to return home.

The military’s three C-130 cargo planes are providing the fastest way to bring in necessary personnel and equipment.

Peace Prize to Syrian Arab Red Crescent In a moving ceremony the entire General Assembly of more than 1000 delegates rose to their feet to pay tribute to Dr. Abdul

The Netherlands Red Cross’s Princess Margriet delivered a tribute via video, praising the tireless and honourable work of the SARC volunteers.

Since the beginning of the conflict, SARC has delivered vital help across Syria. More than 3,000 SARC volunteers work every day in dramatic conditions, putting their lives at risk and facing daily challenges to carry out relief operations.

South Sudan turns a corner According to the UN the 2014-2016 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for South Sudan reflects an improving humanitarian situation amid a slowdown in the arrival of new refugees and returnees from Sudan and overall improvements in food security.

However, a significant proportion of the South Sudanese population still needs food and livelihood support as well as clean water, sanitation and health assistance.

According to Vincent Lelei, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan: “Humanitarian needs have reduced for the first time since 2011. The arrival of refugees from Sudan has slowed down and returns of South Sudanese have continued to decrease. Food security overall improved for many people.”

In 2014, OCHA anticipates that some 4.4 million people in South Sudan will be in humanitarian need, compared to 4.6 million

NEWS

in 2013. Of the 4.4 million, aid agencies are aiming to target the most vulnerable 3.1 million individuals in 2014. The country’s population is 12 million.

According to AIDS NGO Consortium (KANCO), progress seen in the fight against HIV is a result of the government, donors, civil society and people living with HIV pulling together at all levels to ensure that the right policies are put in place. However NGO’s warned that, with over 80 percent of Kenya’s HIV programmes externally funded the progress was unsustainable.

The Sahel/ West Africa Crisis According to reports humanitarian partners urgently need more than $807 million to respond to a food security and nutrition crisis in Africa’s Sahel region.

Sporadic rains, poor harvests and insecurity have put at risk 18.7 million people in nine countries. Countries affected by the crisis include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. Millions of people are affected by the crisis, more than 1.1 million people are suffering from severe malnutrition and an additional 3 million have moderate malnutrition.

In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger, millions of people are in dire need of assistance, relief and long-term planning.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable, especially those under the age of 2.

Emergency responses and recovery programs have reached a considerable number of people with emergency assistance by providing access to food via cash transfer and direct distribution.

Myanmar’s infant mortality woes A donor-funded clinic in Northwestern Thailand is helping save the lives of underweight babies born to impoverished

Burmese mothers who have crossed the border to seek help.

In 2012, the clinic delivered a record 3,500 Burmese babies and had at least 5,000 Burmese antenatal care visits. Neonatal equipment such as an infant warmer were donated to the clinic last year when it saw more than 1,000 neonatal admissions, a 60 percent jump from 2011.

According to a 2013 UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, almost 10 percent of newborns in Myanmar had a low birth weight, which is often caused by malnutrition, malaria, anaemia and prematurity. Around 56,000 children in Myanmar die before they reach five every year.

As part of the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Burmese officials aim to cut the high rate of infant mortality by 2015.

Conditions worse for Syrian refugees NGO’s are seriously concerned about the need to prepare the Za’atari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan for the winter season.

Last January, when the camp was still relatively new and in emergency response phase, two days of heavy rainfall caused flooding across the camp, and several hundred people were temporarily displaced.

As tensions rose because of the cold and windy conditions, refugees rioted and injured several aid workers at one of the food distribution sites.

In the northern part of Jordan, where Za’atari camp - home to some 120,000 people - is located, temperatures drop to below zero in January, the coldest month of the year.

Currently, UNHCR needs 4,000 more caravans to ensure each of the 24,000 households in the camp has one. But in recent months, some

Kenya sees drop in HIV Kenya’s HIV prevalence fell from 7.2 percent to 5.6 percent between 2007 and 2012, according to the latest Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey (KAIS), but officials fear that unless the country reduces its reliance on donor funding for its HIV programmes, these gains will not be sustainable.

The country has a number of HIV-prevention interventions - from prevention of mother-tochild transmission programmes to medical male circumcision and counselling and testing campaigns - that have contributed to lower infections and higher rates of treatment.

Close to 1.2 million Kenyans are living with HIV, according to the report; women had an overall prevalence of 6.9 percent, compared to men’s prevalence of 4.4 percent and children’s 0.9 percent prevalence.

Gulf States have “suspended” their donations.

UNHCR needs $6 million to erect poles that would lift the wires out of harm’s way and improve the sewage system in the camp. For its part, World Vision has secured $1 million in funding to rehabilitate the older, unpaved parts of the camp, including digging drainage to improve sanitation in case of heavy rainfall. Standing water, especially when it mixes with drainage and sewage water, leaves people at risk of waterborne diseases.

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NEWS

FACTS ON Gender Inequality • Education – Two-thirds of all children denied school are girls.

• Work – Females earn only ten per cent of the world’s income, yet work longer hours.

• Welfare – Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of injury and death to women.

• Democracy – Women hold only 14 percent of the world’s governmental seats.

• In India, pre-natal sex selection and infanticide accounted for pre-natal termination and death of half a million girls per year over the last 20 years.

• In the Republic of Korea, 30 percent of pregnancies identified as female fetuses were terminated.

In 2005, even after the introduction of more serious punishments over 200 women were attacked.

• Physical and sexual abuse of girls is a serious concern across all regions.

• In Nigeria, a treatment center reported that 15 percent of female patients treated for sexually transmitted infections were under the age of five.

• In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20 percent of young women experience intimate partner violence.

• Female genital cutting/mutilation causes serious injury to millions of young women every year.

• The rate of femicide has significantly escalated over the last few years.

• Between 100 and 140 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation worldwide and 3 million girls are at risk each year in Africa.

• In Guatemala, the number of femicides has risen steadily from 303 in 2001 to 722 in 2007, majority of the victims between ages 16 and 30.

• Up to 3 million women and girls across the UK experience rape, domestic violence, stalking, or other violence each year.

• “Dowry deaths” are responsible for the murders of thousands of women every year, especially in South Asia.

• 230 women, almost 9% of those seeking refuge, were turned away by Women’s Aid in 2011 in UK due to lack of space.

• UNFPA estimates that 5,000 women worldwide are burnt to death in murders disguised as ‘kitchen accidents’ each year because their dowry was insufficient.

• Approximately 70% of people in national minimum wage jobs in the UK are women.

• “Honor killings” continue to take place in Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Morocco and other Mediterranean and Gulf Countries • In 2002, 315 women and girls in Bangladesh endured another form of violence against women, acid attacks.

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• Men outnumber women at a rate of 73% vs. 27% in all sectors of employment for science and engineering in the US. • According to a Human Rights Watch the United States was one of only three countries with Papua New Guinea and Swaziland that offer no legal guarantee of paid maternity leave.

REPORT

Malala at the UN on Education, Empowerment of girls and Speaks out against Drone attacks

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban for attending classes, addressed hundreds of young people at the United Nations, urging them to use education as a weapon against extremism.

General Assembly, and Ahmad Alhendawi, the Special Envoy on Youth.

In her impassioned speech to the UN Youth Assembly Miss Yousafzai said: “Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world,”

Miss. Yousafzai told the gathering that the Taliban’s attack nine months ago changed nothing in her life, except that “weakness, fear and hopelessness died.” “The extremists were, and they are, afraid of books and pens,” she said. “The power of education frightens them.

They are afraid of women.” She urged worldwide action against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism.

The meeting, which featured nearly 1,000 youth leaders, was addressed by former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Vuk Jeremić, President of the

This call to action was delivered just as the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Education for All Global Monitoring Report, launched a new policy paper spotlighting that globally, the number of children out of

school has fallen from 60 million in 2008 to 57 million in 2011. However, 28 million children out of school live in the world’s conflict zones, and more than half of those are women and girls.

The 16 year old was also invited to a meeting with President Obama where she expressed concern about Drone attacks. She said “I thanked President Obama for the United States’ work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees”.

“I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact.”

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REPORT

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN PAKISTAN Drone attacks Child labour equals slavery n Child deaths through pneumonia

Poor education Poor maternal and child health n Deaths through dengue fever

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DRONE ATTACKS

calling on the US to investigate civilian deaths from drone strikes, amid concerns that the attacks could have resulted in unlawful killings which may constitute war crimes.

Pakistan is a society in crisis, its development has been hindered by security concerns and internal strife created by the ‘War on Terror’ and further exasperated by the increase in Drone attacks which have killed over 2,000 people many of whom were civilians.

According to a report by Stanford and New York Universities’ Law schools, between 2,562 and 3,325 people were killed by drone strikes in Pakistan between June 2004 and mid-

September 2012; between 474 and 881 of those were civilians, and 176 were children.

Human rights group Amnesty International is

The report states: “Their presence terrorises men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities. Those living under drones have to face the constant worry that a deadly strike may be fired at any moment, and the knowledge that they are powerless to protect themselves”.

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FEATURE

Through investigation, litigation and education, Reprieve a UK based non-profit organisation is working to bring about transparency and accountability on behalf of those affected by drone strikes.

Jemima Khan

Amnesty International report about casualties of drones and the documentary by filmmaker Robert Greenwald and Jemima Khan.

According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 376 total strikes have taken place in Pakistan, killing up to 926 civilians and as many as 200 children.

Jemima Khan said the aim of the film is to heal the wounds of people as the media, particularly the foreign media, shows only one side of the picture. The mainstream media, particularly the American media dishes out only official versions whereas the people must know the real story.

The film highlights the death toll that drone attacks has created, of the fear it creates, with no one knowing if they will be the next target.

It has caused trauma and anxiety to adults especially children. Many have died or are being hurt severely through the drone attacks.

We are being sold a myth that drones are a precision weapon Reprieves client’s the Rehman family travelled halfway across the world from their remote village of Tappi, to tell their story and to urge lawmakers to put an end to the covert CIA program of “targeted killings” in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

Nihal Hashmi - Pakistani Advocate “Drones have had a devastating effect on Pakistani communities, it has created a fear factor no one knows who is going to be attacked next, it has also bred more terrorism as some people feel revengeful after they have suffered the loss of a child, or family member as a result of a drone attack. It has to stop if we want a stable Pakistan so we can concentrate on developmental issues”.

The Rehman family also participated in an Humanitarian.eu

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During the mid-2000s, Pakistan experienced a period of tremendous growth, averaging 7% yearly GDP growth between 2003–07.

By October 2007, Pakistan raised back its Foreign Reserves to a handsome $16.4 billion. Exceptional policies kept Pakistan’s trade deficit controlled at $13 billion, exports boomed to $18 billion, revenue generation increased to become $13 billion and attracted foreign investment of $8.4 billion.

Since the beginning of 2008, Pakistan’s economic outlook has stagnated. Security concerns stemming from the nation’s role in the War on Terror have created great instability and led to a decline in Foreign Direct Investment.

POOR EDUCATION Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the UN in New York calling for “free, compulsory education all over the world for every child” was a cry for help for the several million children back in her country working as labourers many times exploited and abused.

A report by the Islamabad-based NGO Society for the Protection and Rights of the Child (SPARC), found that out of 120 countries globally, Pakistan has the second largest number of children out of school after Nigeria, with 5.1 million aged 5-9 not attending school.

Pakistan is 136th position for having just 49.9% educated population, where over 50% of those aged 15 and above are illiterate. Only 1 in 3 women can read and write.

A new documentary on drone attacks made by Robert Greenwald and Jemima Khan called “UNMANNED: America’s Drone Wars” has been released to highlight their deadly affect.

Speaking about the documentary Jemima Khan said that as many as 2, 600 people have been killed and all that the drone attacks have done is enrage a population and “We are being sold a myth that drones are a precision weapon”.

She also said: “Official figures say according to the Pakistani Government and American figures no civilians have been killed directly conflicts with the testimony given in front of congress of a six year old child who saw her grandmother killed and the relations of a six year old boy…”

ECONOMIC STAGNATION

CHILD LABOUR EQUALS SLAVERY According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan Child labour is an accepted social norm, where these children are not only denied access to their rights to education, protection, health and development but are also highly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

It has to stop if we want a stable Pakistan so we can concentrate on developmental issues

Figures on the precise number of child workers are uncertain, with estimates ranging from 3.3 million, according to a 1996 figure from the Federal Bureau of Statistics to 12 million through estimates by NGOs. The International Labour Organization believes that one quarter of these children are involved in the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, commercial sexual exploitation of

FEATURE

and Head of Paediatrics at Children Hospital – Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

Speaking on World Pneumonia day he stressed that Pneumonia control and other child health interventions must be accelerated to meet the Millennium Development Goal 4.

Every year due to vaccines approximately 3,000,000 deaths are prevented and 750,000 children are saved from disability.

Dr Hazir said that the Pakistani government introduced the pneumococcal vaccine last year in its Expanded Programme on immunisation (EPI) programme making Pakistan the first South Asian nation to provide free vaccination against pneumonia to infants.

children, using children to commit a crime, and work that is harmful to the “health, safety or morals” of children.

that too many pregnancies end up depleting the mother’s body, and a lack of access to birth control for them are probable factors .

Poverty and inadequate educational facilities are a key cause of the high prevalence of child domestic labour.

The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) highlights that poverty alone is not a factor. Their 2012 study states: “The nutritional status of children is thus more likely to be rooted in their illness, nutritional status of their mothers, and environmental and community factors, than poverty”.

According to the government’s Economic Survey for 2012-13, the literacy rate in rural areas, at 49%, is significantly lower than the 75% in urban areas.

POOR MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH Babies born under 2.5kg are classed as having low birth weight (LBW) and this has become a problem - in Pakistan. The country has the world’s second highest recorded rate in the world of 32% surpassed only by Mauritania which has a rate of 34%.

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2013: “Weight at birth is a good indicator not only of the mother’s health and nutritional status but also of the new-born’s chances for survival, growth, long-term health and psychosocial development,” Tests suggest low weight babies will on average have a 5% lower IQ. But the precise reasons for Pakistan’s alarming LBW statistics are not entirely clear.

The problem is most common among poor families, however even though these families often eat a reasonable diet , studies have shown

As the infrastructure falls into disarray through not enough money being funnelled into a social service structure, diseases and infections are bound to grow.

92,000 PAKISTANI CHILDREN DIE

OF PNEUMONIA EVERY YEAR

Pakistan’s health indicators are among the lowest in the world. About one in 10 children die before the age of five. One in 200 women dies during childbirth.

Pneumonia kills one child every 30 seconds making it the number one cause of childhood deaths. In Pakistan alone it kills 92,000 children of less than 5 years annually and contributes 18 % to the total global child deaths.

November 12 marks the commemoration of World Pneumonia Day. Although the death toll due to pneumonia is high, vaccines hold promise of saving children from dying of pneumonia said Dr Tabish Hazir Professor

He said that despite government’s efforts to provide free vaccines to the children of Pakistan, a considerable number of children in the country remain non- vaccinated against pneumonia and other deadly diseases. Immunisation is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life threatening infectious diseases. It is one of the most cost effective health investments.

Immunisation is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life threatening infectious diseases The Expanded Programme on immunisation was launched in Pakistan during 1976. Today it’s providing vaccines to every child of Pakistan free of cost. The EPI aims to protect children against 9 vaccine preventable diseases; Polio, Tuberculosis, Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hib disease, Measles and Pneumonia, of which pneumonia is the latest addition.

Dr Hazir concluded by saying “Despite the government’s efforts an unavoidable 46% of the child population in Pakistan still remains non immunized leading to child mortality.”

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FEATURE

DENGUE FEVER According to WHO figures, more than half of all deaths in Pakistan result from communicable diseases. Pakistan is a polio endemic country. The prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases is also high.

If mothers are healthy than the children will also suffer less and be healthy AMJAD HUSSAIN SINGER / FUNDRAISER He has worked with UK based charities on maternal health issues for many years.

He said “We know that Pakistan has a lot of problems, I have worked with charities on many projects concentrating on maternal health, because we believe that if mothers are healthy than the children will also suffer less and be healthy”.

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Punjab has seen repeated outbreaks of dengue, so the mortality rate there was higher in 2011 than this year’s outbreak in Swat, which has been spared an epidemic until now More than 1,000 people a day have been seeking dengue fever tests in Swat District in Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Provionce. At least 22 have died since the outbreak began in Swat in August 2013 and has spread to neighbouring districts.

Health officials say nearly 8,000 people have tested positive for the virus and that the death toll could be much higher than 22, as most people appear not to be seeking medical treatment.

The number of infections is on par with an outbreak of dengue fever in 2011

in Lahore in which more than 17,000 people were infected and over 300 died in four months.

There are four types of dengue viruses that can cause the infection, and someone who is infected with just one can usually fight it off.

However, each subsequent infection by another dengue serotype dramatically increases the chances of developing dengue shock syndrome and dying.

The rate of infections declines as temperatures fall below 16 degrees centigrade, making it too cold for the dengue-carrying mosquitos to survive, however unless serious attempts are made to create awareness health officials fear next year’s dengue death toll could be worse: A number of top officials, including the KP chief minister and governor, had visited Mingora to see the epidemic first hand. KP released more than Rs. 65 million (US$612,000) in emergency aid to deal with the outbreak.

Photo: epa European pressphotoagency/Dennis M. Sabangan

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ARTICLE

Unlocking the chains of Pakistan’s debt Reyhana Patel Policy and research analyst Islamic Relief Worldwide Nick Dearden Director Jubilee Debt Campaign

With an economy paralysed by IMF interference, Pakistan cannot reassert its independence unless debt repayments are halted Last year, Nawaz Sharif took over as Pakistan’s new prime minister with expectations of a ‘new’ vision for the country.

Mr Sharif has his hands full; Pakistan is a nation facing economic challenges, chronic energy shortages, widespread poverty,

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inequality and all too regular episodes of extreme violence.

Alongside development and economic issues, Sharif’s new government will also be tasked with tackling the spiralling debt repayments that the country is scheduled to make in the next two years and beyond.

Pakistan’s paralysing debt burden Pakistan’s economy has been burdened by unaffordable and largely unjust debt

burdens that hinder the development of democracy and prevent the country from reducing poverty. The nation is further impeded in social and economic progression by the existence of military juntas, the socalled ’War on terror’, natural disasters and ’austerity loans’ from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan’s foreign debt burden has doubled since 2006 – and now stands at nearly $60bn. The country is expected to spend

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more than $6bn repaying debt next year, which is impossible without taking out even more loans – and so continuing a vicious downward spiral that quite simply empties country’s depleted reserves.

During a period of prolonged political instability and violence, the debt crisis provides the public with further evidence that their lives are expendable. In a country where 50 million people live below the poverty line and 35 million are undernourished, the debt squeeze is tantamount to economic torture, particularly when one considers how these debts were incurred.

Debt has helped perpetuate the rule of Pakistan’s military governments – specifically that of General Musharraf under whom debt ballooned during the “war on terror” and the financial crisis. A report by Islamic Relief and Jubilee Debt Campaign shows, however, that this “dictator debt” is just one element of a mountain of debt that has done nothing to help Pakistan’s people.

The Role of the World Bank and IMF From 1998, Pakistan was lent $500m by the World Bank and other corporate donors to build a drainage project in a bid to improve land irrigation. But the water system was so badly constructed that it increased, rather than decreased, the salinity of the land and seriously damaged ecosystems. In 2003,

condition was to increase sales tax and cut trade taxes. Subsequently, during the 1980s and 1990s, taxes on the poorest households increased by 7%, while falling by 15% for the richest.

In 2010, the IMF tried to remove fuel subsidies in Pakistan leading to a price increase that nearly toppled the government - which then reversed the policy. The IMF responded by withdrawing its support and the country was sent into a prolonged economic crisis.

The mounting debt from these loans keeps this strategic nation in a state of absolute dependency flooding, partially caused by the drainage project, killed more than 300 people.

Pakistan has just started repaying the World Bank (with interest) for the project.

The mounting debt from these loans keeps this strategic nation in a state of absolute dependency. The IMF is waiting in the electoral wings to negotiate yet another loan package which can only cause more turmoil for the Pakistani people. The beginning to end the suffering of the Pakistani people

The most persistent lender to Pakistan, however, is the IMF. Although it is only supposed to lend for short-term balance of payments crises, the IMF has lent to Pakistan frequently since 1971. As always, the IMF insists on austerity and restructuring as a condition of its help – with no apparent limit on how long its policies are allowed to fail.

Underneath the repayments, policies and programmes, there is an alternative solution to end the suffering of the Pakistani people: a suspension of debt payments, a full debt audit and the cancellation of all illegitimate debts.

IMF loans have also made Pakistan a more unequal country. For example, one IMF

The movement for debt cancellation has been growing in Pakistan and around the

world. Both the former government and opposition parties agreed to a bipartisan debt examination and last summer Pakistan’s national assembly began an investigation.

Since 2010, there have been consistent calls from senior political figures for debt relief.

In the aftermath of the Pakistan floods, a campaign similar to the call by Islamic Relief and Jubilee Debt Campaign also outlined the need for debt relief.

Ending debt payments would give Pakistan time to develop new sources of revenue with which to start building an alternative development path – based on redistributive taxes from wealthy land-owning elites, large-scale non-military public spending, and the regulation of foreign capital and aid to ensure long-term investment in domestic industry.

Debt payments through these recommended processes would allow the Pakistani government to focus more on the issues affecting the country, including poverty, economic development, extremism, inequality and climate change. This focus would benefit the millions of Pakistanis who are suffering because the nation’s wealth is being spent upon unjust debt repayments rather than socio-economic growth.

We believe that the cancellation of unfair debt can only come through targeted advocacy calling on the IMF, the Pakistani government and world leaders to do more to end this cycle of debt in Pakistan.

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ARTICLE

African children tragically die on roads Charles Mambo, (B.A HONS, PG Dip M.A MIRSO.) has worked in the field of Road Safety Education for over 20 years, as Senior Road Safety Officer for Birmingham City Council and Road Safety Education Manager for the City of Westminster in the United Kingdom

If we don’t do something, road accidents are predicted to become the biggest killer of children between five and fifteen by 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa, outstripping malaria and Aids.

Road traffic deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are predicted to rise by 80% by 2020, according to a World Bank report, It is important to open our eyes to the fact that every 10 minutes a child is killed or seriously injured on our roads. These are our children and Humanitarian.eu

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our roads. Do we really care?

Ask a father; mother a teacher or any grown up in our continent when they last took time out to teach their children or a child how to cross a road safely? Yet we expect them to grow up to be good road users.

Every single day hundreds of children are needlessly killed or seriously injured due to lack of any road safety education or training. Hundreds more families will never see their children grow up.

This terrible daily slaughter on our roads is largely preventable. Yet we stand back and let it happen.

The children who are being killed – and the many thousands more every day who are injured – could and should have been protected by us. It is when you consider this that you become aware of the far greater tragedy – the tragedy of our failure. It is only when it strikes at the heart of yours or any family then the reality is understood.

What are we as Africans doing about this? Who are we waiting for to solve this problem for us?

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When you start looking for solutions to this particular human catastrophe especially to children they are not hard to find. Road crashes don’t require a new vaccine, or years of research to design a remedy. The frameworks and practical policies to protect our children and prevent these tragedies are already in existence, yet in many places they are simply not being put into practice. We spend billions building roads across our continent but very little in educating the road user. Basic Road safety education and training which should be available to every school age child is nonexistent.

Across our continent, the rights of children are disregarded on a daily basis. Children have no direct voice, and are therefore dependent on adults like you and I and the wider society to keep them safe. They have a right to this protection, and we have a duty to provide it. But we have failed them.

This principle underpins the UN convention on the rights of the child. This framework for upholding children’s rights is clear, well established and universally recognised.

The legally binding convention, ratified by nearly every country in the world, is based on the understanding, as outlined in the text, that children need “special safeguards and care”.

This includes the right to a “safe environment”.

Yet it is precisely at the point when children are most at risk, when they are closest to what is most likely to kill or disable them, that their rights are most often neglected.

This is the Decade of Action for Road Safety which calls for more to be done to protect children on the roads around the world. The solutions are right in front of us. Let’s start by training the road user on how to use the road safely through Education Training and Publicity.

We are making a start. Under the banner of the African Children Road Safety charity we are making a worldwide appeal to organizations, companies, donors and the public to support our campaign in helping towards the reduction of child casualties on the African continent.

The greatest risk children face as they grow out of infancy is road traffic injury.

Therefore it is essentially a need for all concerned to read this text to help in our campaign to provide Road Safety Education and training materials to all school age children across Africa. Our materials are printed in French and English but can also be translated in other languages and can easily be taught by teachers, parents or other siblings.

This is a real opportunity to commit ourselves to this new struggle to reduce road traffic accidents to children on every road in Africa so that other families do not have to suffer the tragedy that has befallen many.

We have produced the African Children Road crossing code which we hope with your help will distribute 1 million copies across Africa in 2014. Please join us in saving young lives in the African continent.

For the sake of thousands of young lives, we can and must do more.

www.mediain.co.uk “Media In Ltd has a unique focus on all aspects of new media; we create commercials, documentaries, print campaigns and generate content that get products and services sold.

URGENT TYPHOON HAIYAN APPEAL. HELP BUILD BACK THE PHILIPPINES. Photograph © Cristian Barnett

We need to get emergency shelter kits to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

When the debris is cleared, we will help them build new homes designed to resist future typhoons. Please help these families start a new life in a home where they can feel safe.

To make a donation, please visit: www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/TyphoonHaiyan or call now on 01295 264240. Email supportservices@habitatforhumanity.org.uk.

Together we can make a difference.

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Our ideas and values were born from narrative story telling and emotive photography.

Now, using our skills, we produce quality communication that connects our clients to their customers/donors.

Our head office is based in UK and regional office in South Asia with creative and innovative professionals. Our team has produced world class documentaries, adverts and communication content for main stream International NGO’s, Businesses and Individuals” Contact: Sami Uddin - 07809433644 info@mediain.co.uk

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FEATURE

“I want to make the world a better place” ROAD TO JANNAH of Zainab’s plight from our organisation and was ready to sponsor Zainab and children like her by donating books and school kits. Today our organisation with the help of donors like Mr Khan have helped us to help children like Zainab to attend school under much happier conditions”. Abdullah Khan CEO of Road to Jannah

“While visiting the inauguration of a Water Project in Muzafargarh a poor district of Pakistan, I came across a young orphan girl called Zainab who was heading off to school with dirty torn clothes and no books, pen or paper.

I realised the eagerness with which she was going to school, but the poor orphan was inadequately prepared, like most of the other children in the area. When I left the area I knew something had to be done. Mr Khan based in Australia heard

‘Road to Jannah’ is the pet project of Abdullah Khan who through working in the field of charity realised the essential need in the humanitarian sector to not only deliver aid but to remain with the affected groups and work on long term development projects.

The Road To Jannah supports Schools through

provision of basic facilities like a library, books to students and renovation of schools. Similarly, Road To Jannah also provides scholarships to needy and poor students.

Road To Jannah also ensures the provision of safe water through installation of water facilities like water hand pumps, water wells and borehole in Asia and Africa.

“Our water projects are greatly benefitting the children, because water pumps installed in the homes or wells dug near homes means the children do not have to walk miles to get water and this leaves them time to concentrate on school. As Malala has pointed out one pen, one book can change a nation.”

I came across a young orphan girl called Zainab who was heading off to school with dirty torn clothes and no books pen or paper -Abdullah Khan, CEO -Road to Jannah

EWADA as a truck driver established a small charity called EWADA with a few hundred pounds 3 years ago it is now delivering projects worth half a million dollars.

Today the results of his hard work has paid off, the impact he made through the Water Project is huge addressing the needs of hundreds of thousands of Somalis living in Somaliland.

His passion to work for the vulnerable and displaced peoples of his country led him to launch a regular school in the town of Burao where a few hundred students not only attend but also get food for the day as well.

The efforts of Adam Hassan through his organisation EWADA (East Africa Welfare and Development Association) has become an inspiration for others. Hassan who use to work Humanitarian.eu

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Today Ewada delivers aid and development projects to the people living in the region of Somaliland. The organisation encourages home industry by initiating sewing and home crafts projects as well as giving livestock like goats and sheep to the poor families and widows for income generation.

Furthermore, they have purchased a minibus in order to transport the orphans to their schools.

It has also built an orphan centre that looks after the need of the children. Ewada has also gone so far as setting up camps where essential eye surgery operations can take place.

Living in the safety of London where there is no shortage of food or shelter, I was always concerned about my people suffering back home with hunger and the basics of life -Adam Hassan, CEO -EWADA

FEATURE

Al IHSAN TRUST violence and conflict have lost everything are trying to survive.

“I met the Jaleeli family which had six children, they had been living in a small hut after being displaced and were very poor, the children didn’t have shoes.

Meeting them made me decide to start my own charity and I started to work with people like the Jaleeli family as there are thousands of families in a similar situation.”

The Al Ihsan Trust has become an active

Mr Nissther Annis is Director / Trustee of Al Ihsan Trust which is a small charity making an impact at grassroots level in areas of Sri Lanka where those who have been displaced by the Tsunamis or escaped

registered charity working in Sri Lanka, it has carried out many projects like food packs, helping orphans, building mosques and is changing people’s lives for the better.

“The most exhilarating experience I had was when we distributed Qurbani meat to people who hadn’t eaten meat for the past year or so. When the people heard that Qurbani meat was going to be distributed as many as 400 people gathered around the small rural village.”

Meeting them made me decide to start my own charity and I started to work with very poor families like the Jaleeli family -Nisster Annis, CEO -Al Ihsan Trust

SINA with a majority being zakat eligible.

They provide primary healthcare with professional staff operating within a quality assurance system with the provision of medicines, laboratory investigations and specialized care as necessary – all this against a small token participation fee and hence funded through Zakat and General

Sina is a grassroots charity that works in the urban slums of Pakistan with those too poor to seek professional medical health, many dying because of this. SINA provides quality primary health care to less privileged communities. More than 80% of its patients are women and children

Donations. Raheel Javed explains: “Poverty is a real problem in the slums of the cities. Also very few are vaccinated against treatable diseases and the fact that everyone lives in close proximity to each other, germs and diseases spread fast. We have our doors open to everyone who needs help and we are playing an important part in helping the poor who have nowhere to turn to”.

We work mainly in urban areas where people are very poor with no access to medical facilities -Raheel Javed, Operations Manager -SINA

AL-MUSTAFA WELFARE TRUST Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust works in eight different sectors: Health, Education, Orphan Support programme, Elderly and Disabled, Water & Sanitation, Economic & Social Livelihoods, Clothing the Needy, Dawah and Islamic Guidance.

Al-Mustafa has a long list of services such as hospitals, welfare agencies, schools for the poor children, women’s centres, dowry funds for poor young daughters,

minority benefits for the poor, funeral buses, free pharmacies, ambulance services and many more supportive

projects to help improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable.

“In the last 28 years since our formation, when a group of proffesional got together to change conditions AMWT has been serving millions of needy and helpless people living in - Abdul Razzaq Sajid , Chairman -AMWT abject poverty.”

A group of professionals got together to change conditions

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REPORT

Kuwait Conference to strengthen humanitarian partnership The three-day conference addressed a number of key humanitarian issues facing the world today

The Fourth Annual Conference on Effective Partnership & Information Sharing for Better Humanitarian Action was held in Kuwait City.

of partnership in the humanitarian field and works actively to raise it to a new level that meets international humanitarian standards”

Organized by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), Direct Aid and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), this year’s conference brought together prominent actors from the government, humanitarian and corporate sectors to tackle the challenges facing humanitarian organizations.

He went on “This is particularly important given the growing numbers of disasters and the significant increase in humanitarian needs around the world.”

Dr Abduallah Al Ma’atouq, Chairman of the IICO Board and UN Humanitarian Envoy.

“This conference aims to expand the horizons Humanitarian.eu

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The three-day conference addressed a number of key humanitarian issues facing the world today, including how to build and sustain partnerships, working with partners in complex emergencies and developing effective networks to strengthen humanitarian action in the field.

This year’s speakers come from organizations operating in some of the world’s most challenging areas and from organizations working behind the scenes. They included representatives from the Saudi National Campaign to Support Brothers in Syria, Qatar Red Crescent Society, IICO, UN, International Humanitarian City, Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Caritas and the International Islamic Relief Organization.

Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator highlighted the need for strengthened partnerships between regional Governments and

REPORT

the international humanitarian system today.

She said: “This year we are showcasing the important role of the corporate sector in humanitarian aid and I am pleased that we can do this from Kuwait, a valuable partner for us in the region. Businesses in the Gulf countries have a vital contribution to make in helping the most vulnerable people affected by crises."

The conference also highlighted the increasing involvement of the youth and corporate sector in humanitarian initiatives, bringing together for the first time du Emirates Integrated Telecommunications, JWT Kuwait, DHL, the Alexandria Businessmen’s Association, Takatuf, the UN Associative Experts Program and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

“Thanks to the commitment of all parties, much has been achieved since the last effective partnership and information sharing conference for better humanitarian action, which was also held in Kuwait,” said Dr Abdulrahman AlMuhailan, Chairman of Direct Aid. “Concrete outcomes from previous years include partnership missions to the Sahel and Philippines, bringing together diverse humanitarian actors, joint training programs and the creation of an online Arab humanitarian portal.

Some of the recommendations made at the Conference: DR Hany Al Banna Chairman of Humanitarian Forum and Conference Coordinator

“The main recommendation was about the role of the youth in delivering the message locally and internationally. The second was about the role of the businessmen and the private sector in pursuing the path of humanitarian work. The third recommendation was building effective partnerships which started from the 1st day of the conference and concluded with several charitable foundations and organisations cooperating to raising donations amounting up to 38 million US dollars. Then finally the fourth was to form a new approach to the role of civil and humanitarian institutions.”

Valerie Amos UN Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

“Ladies and gentlemen we continue to build for a more diverse and inclusive humanitarian system. Responders are now more diverse and more numerous than ever.

Global trends, demographics, geo politics and technology the environment has changed the way the humanitarian work is being done today. And on the ground Yemen Somalia and Sudan for example show how we are getting better at understanding each other.”

HE Abdullah Matouq

Al

Chairman of IICO the Kuwait Amir Advisor and the UN Secretray General Humanitarian Envoy

“It was an opportunity to see the efforts exerted by various organisations like the Kuwaiti foreign ministry and the Kuwaiti charitable foundations. This event aims to coordinate all efforts under the supervision of the UN.”

SAVING OUR FUTURE a ROAD TO JANNAH project

£5000

includes School renovation. Water Well School kit for kids for one year for details Abdullah Khan +44 (0) 795 874 56 90 /RoadtoJannah.Sadaqah

Road to Jannah

Road to Jannah | Address: 147 Balaam Street, Plaistow, London E13 8AF Telephone: 020 8144 5123 | Email: info@roadtojannah.org.uk www.roadtojannah.org.uk

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Charity Number: 1126808

109 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, CR0 6BE, UK www.alkhair.org

I +44 (0) 207 084 7199 Our mission is to save lives in emergencies and to help the needy by adopting practical ways to root out poverty from the world through our relief and development programs.

Our work focuses not only in underdeveloped countries of South Asia, Middle-East and East Africa but also in the United Kingdom

EMERGENCY

FOOD AND NUTRITION

WASH

LIVELIHOOD

HEALTH

SHELTER & HABITAT EDUCATION

ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP

FEATURE

SCHOLAR AID Some of us learn from other people’s mistakes and the rest of us have to be other people - Zig Ziggler

By Shabana Syed Many people tread along life’s path following set rules, while those who aspire to have vision combined with sheer drive can carve out new pathways leaving a footprint for others to follow.

Imam Qasim can be classed in the latter category he may have been illiterate in English with no western formal education however today he runs one of the best primary

and secondary Islamic school’s in London, as well as an international charity that has made a material difference to the lives of millions worldwide.

He also owns an Islamic TV Station called IQRA TV which broadcasts to one million homes in the UK and 143 million homes throughout Europe, Africa and Russia.

This Muslim scholar is the determining force behind the success of Al-Khair foundation; his unconventional methods has not only taken the concept of the foundation to new heights but has established it on an international forum.

Imam Qasim believes that an Imam’s work shouldn’t just revolve around leading prayers only, but rather extends to working and Humanitarian.eu

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FEATURE

developing community initiatives which affect the welfare and needs of the wider community.

In order to achieve his aims this nonconformist Imam will not think twice to adorn a wet suit and bike across John O’ Groats to Land’s End, as he did in 2011 and 2012 where he not only established a new world record but also raised over 2 million for victims of disaster; he also went so far as presenting a live cooking show on his TV station wearing his customary long white ‘condoura’ cooking authentic dishes while giving tongue in cheek advice and sermons. “ I did the cooking show as I wanted men to realise that they should also help out in the kitchen as well as learn to cook, that this is not only a woman’s job; It is important to set examples which will enhance gender equality” He may not have read the motivational speaker Zig Ziggler but adheres to his famous quote “Some of us learn from other people’s mistakes and the rest of us have to be other people.”

“One of the reasons I have been successful up to now is that I try my best to watch and learn from other peoples mistakes, yes it’s important to tread a safe path but if your motivation is to be in the service of humanity than one should not be afraid of challenges”.

“When I started the Al Khair School many people mocked the fact that an illiterate man was starting a school. But with the will of Allah and determination it is one of the best faith based schools in the UK with a 100% GCSE pass rate.”

The Schools mix of Islamic and National Curriculum education benefits 400 pupils and is set to expand further by opening a new branch in Birmingham (UK).

He further astounded his critics by working closely with the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education SACRE to put together a syllabus for local education schools in the London borough of Croydon; the syllabus was so successful that it was adopted by many of the other London boroughs.

It is misleading to assume that just because he did not receive any formal western education he is illiterate, he comes from a long line of Islamic scholars and is highly literate in Arabic and Urdu, he memorized the Koran at the age of 12 and holds equivalent degrees in Islamic education.

His roots go back to India Pakistan and Africa, where his father was a practising Imam of a mosque, known for his intellect and the fact that he had written over 6 volumes of books explaining the Koran.

By the time the family arrived in London Imam Qasim was too old to attend school so instead he was enrolled at the Dewsbury Institute of Islamic Education for 8 years.

In the early 90’s after he qualified as an Imam he realised the dire need of a guiding Imam in prisons which had a growing youth population.

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At the time an Imam working within prisons was not a recognised position, however this did not deter Imam Qasim from visiting prisoners to give advice and spiritual guidance. His work was eventually recognised and he became one of the first security cleared Imam’s working in Prisons. Soon after the Home Office recognised the importance of Imams working in prisons and like Christian priests it became a recognised paid position.

As a result of working within prisons, Imam Qasim realised

the essential role a Muslim p Mosque in guiding the young contributing citizens of the co

Today the Al-Khair foundat community through the mo welfare of its members bu cohesion. In 2007 Imam Qas Imam & Bishop debate the fi Fairfields Concert Halls in Cr

preacher can play outside the ger generation to be positive ommunity.

tion works closely with the osques to help not only the ut also promote community sim initiated the high profile first of which was held in The roydon UK.

FEATURE

educational and country projects, however after we saw the success of our work bear fruit domestically, we felt we were strong enough to start focusing internationally”.

“I did some charity appeals for another charity and was curious to see how the money collected was being spent.

So I went to see it for myself, and now you know why I say I learn from others mistakes, I realised then the essential need for accountability and transparency and as a result I personally supervise how the funds will be spent and the importance of a proactive hands on approach”.

“When you go into the humanitarian sector it is very fulfilling as you meet people from all over the globe, it is a world that is determined by selfless hard work where we don’t see where the victims come from or from which country, we just see how we can help them and it is this humanity that binds us” Following the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Al-Khair Foundation was on the ground delivering water, food, medication and shelter within 48 hours of the disaster.

So effective was the aid delivery that the United Nations partnered Al-Khair Foundation in the relief efforts in Haiti.

The Foundation also supplied aid into Chile following the 2010 earthquake, and when the 2011 Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck with huge loss of life and devastation, Al-Khair Foundation was one of the few charities and only Muslim charity allowed unrestricted access to provide aid and trauma counselling to affected victims.

The Charity’s aid delivery is based on four principals, Rescue, Recovery, Relief, Rehabilitation while its unique attribute is the speed at which the Foundation can mobilise and direct resources to alleviate hardship in the aftermath of a natural disaster, operating as far wide Japan, Asia, Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean through to South America.

This effectiveness has been acknowledged by affected national governments and recognised by the UN which has courted Al-Khair Foundation to partner with them to deliver aid within their jurisdictions.

After his father retired he took over his father’s position at the Croydon mosque which has been voted the best top ten Islamic Centres in the world, with all types of facilities involving, marriage, divorce and death services, library, Care for the elderly.

During this time he also focused on expanding the work of Al Khair Foundation.

“In 2003 to 2010 the Foundation focused on UK

Imam Qasim may have been right when he said the best way to be successful is to learn from other people’s mistakes, however whatever the case, this visionary ‘illiterate’ Islamic scholar has astounded many people by achieving meteoric growth through hard work and determination; setting up water projects, employment projects, medical projects and long term development projects.

The Al-Khair Foundation has affected positively the lives of thousands maybe even millions around the world and as Imam Qasim modestly explains “we have just started; we have a lot more to accomplish”.

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ARTICLE

Hawala and deminishing humanitarian space Abdurahman Sharif is the Operations Manager at the Muslim Charities Forum, an umbrella organisation that supports and represents the leading Muslim INGOs based in the UK

The repercussions of Barclays closing 80 accounts held by money remitters have the possibility of being extremely detrimental to millions of Somalis who rely on these funds to live.

Remittances are a lifeline to Somalis that is estimated to be worth as much as US$1.2 billion every year - more than the entire humanitarian support the country receives.

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this is the only way millions are able to receive cash for basic necessities.

The closure has led to the Somali Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, to speak out against the move.

Barclays agreed to postpone its decision to close the accounts of money transfer companies, but aid agencies such as Oxfam, Care, and the Somali Relief and Development Forum (SRDF) have argued that a year long delay is required

to keep open the flow of remittances to Somalis while addressing concerns relating to money laundering.

Banks are key instruments for the financial transfer of accumulated remittance deposits.

They also act as “proxy regulators� used by governments to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

However, they often have a meagre understanding on how money remitters operate. As a result, and

ARTICLE

because of the risk adverse nature of banks, they would prefer not to do business with remittance companies.

Banks in the UK have come under ever increasing scrutiny from regulators in relation to international financial transfers. In August 2010, Barclays was ordered to pay $298m (ÂŁ190m) and Standard Chartered, in December 2012, was asked to pay more than $300 million in fines to the US authorities for violating international sanctions by handling hundreds of millions of dollars in clandestine transactions with banks in Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma.

It is fair to say that banks have had their nerves frayed at the edges by having to pay hefty fines.

This has shifted the focus on organisations that deal with transferring money, often to countries which have financial systems that are less than stable - most notably Hawala and humanitarian organisations.

A Hawala is a money transfer system which has its origins in the Arab world and is largely based on trust and are common in areas such as Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

In October of last year, UK based charity

Hawala is a very popular partner chosen by humanitarian agencies to distribute cash in Somalia. It enables a safe and quick disbursement of money to beneficiaries in a project area Islamic Relief had their account closed by UBS as well as incoming donations blocked into the account - ultimately affecting the work taking place on the ground. Similarly, many other relief organisations have had an increasing problem with banking including opening an account, delays and blocks in transferring funds and receiving donations from abroad - all of which has impacted on the assistance provided of these charities.

There are several regulated Hawala in the UK and USA. Dahabshiil, the largest money remitter to Somalia, is registered and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK. This means that it will have to respond to the FSA for any wrongdoing in the same way banks have had to respond to the same entity in the

aftermath of the credit crunch.

This begs the question, if banks are coming under increased scrutiny and charities as well as Hawala are bearing the brunt of the over cautiousness by banks, surely there is another way.

Hawala is a very popular partner chosen by humanitarian agencies to distribute cash in Somalia. It enables a safe and quick disbursement of money to beneficiaries in a project area. This opportunity is increasingly exploited by aid agencies operating in complex situations like Somalia where the weak local administration and the security risk undermine humanitarian response.

In a sector where a successful timely response to a crisis is heavily linked to the readily accessible funds, a discussion needs to take place to ensure that charities and registered money transfer services can serve their beneficiaries without obstacles in the way that could lead to the loss of life.

Regulators need to do more to address this problem by working with money transfer services and charities, to have a greater understanding of how these organisations work and how stringent regulation can negatively impact their work.

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Security issues hamper aid to Balochistan Earthquake survivors are living under stressful conditions as aid initiative are hampered due to the presence of Baloch insurgents in the area Nearly 200,000 people were hit by two major earthquakes in South-Western Pakistan and aid groups had complained that insecurity and poor infrastructure was hampering efforts to get relief to the survivors.

The areas were hit by two intense earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.2 magnitudes with a difference of four days, District Awaran and District Turbat of Balochistan province causing massive losses and damages.

According

to

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Provincial

Disaster

Management Authority (PDMA) Balochistan, Distirct Awaran, Kech (Turbat), Kharan, Panjgur & Gwadar had been affected.

The affected areas were mostly composed of mud houses which had turn to dust and the most unsettling issue for the people was the lack of shelter and food supplies.

Aid workers said they were facing serious challenges in getting relief to survivors in the worst-hit districts of Awaran and Kech, where remote villages are scattered and attacks by

separatist rebels had increased.

A convoy of the Chief minister of Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch escaped a rocket attack in Awaran as he was on his way to a camp office set up to carry out relief efforts.

He admitted that they were facing problems taking aid due to the security situation in the area, but stressed the government was making every effort to help the devastated people of Balochistan .

The chief minister said the earthquake had

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affected 25,000 families in Awaran district and left more than 100,000 people homeless.

“Mashkay is the worst affected area of Awaran district”. Dr Baloch said people of the areas were

the province. The Chief Minister highlighted the relief efforts by the government stating that over 2,700 food packets, 25,000 tents and other relief goods were provided to the

number of cases of Malaria and Diarrhoea, which may rise in coming days and result in outbreaks, it added.

The central government in Islamabad said it had the capacity and resources to respond to the disaster and had refrained from calling for international assistance while it permitted foreign and local charities already working in the area to respond, it had prohibited other aid groups from outside Baluchistan moving into the area due to security concerns.

AID VOLUNTEER’S EXPERIENCE DURING THE BALUCHISTAN EARTHQAUKE

Despite all odds, we launched a successful operation in the area extremely poor and their rehabilitation was presenting a difficult task especially because of the presence of Baloch insurgents in the area.

He said: “Their complete rehabilitation was difficult for the government due to the security situation in Awaran. For ten years there was no government in Awaran”. However he was hopeful when he said: “Despite all odds, we have launched a successful operation in the area”.

The Chief Minister admitted that tents provided by relief workers in Mashkay were burnt down by the rebel groups. “Yes some people burnt tents,” however he stressed that the media should not busy themselves highlighting attacks by the militants but rather focus on the plight of the earthquake survivors.

He said there were security problems and the situation was different from other parts of

earthquake affected people in Awaran. He also said there was zero tolerance for those plundering relief goods for the earthquake survivors.

Urging for foreign aid, the chief minister reiterated that rehabilitation of the earthquake-affected people was not possible without the support of international community and the United Nations.

CM Baloch admitted there were difficulties in carrying out relief activities in the quakehit areas of the province, and in an effort to help the aid reach the troubled area made an appeal to the separatist groups to cooperate with aid agencies in order to provide support to earthquake survivors.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had requested that survivors should move to relief camps so that their needs can be adequately addressed, but local people have been reluctant to move into camps.

“The displaced people are living under the open sky with no shelter and food. There is dire need to convince the community and establish IDP camps in the area,” said a WHO statement. It said that the area’s climate is hot, and there is an extreme shortage of safe drinking water. Health units are reporting a

Khalid Khan: “The conditions were very difficult to work in, the area has no infrastructure and no shops hospitals or clinics. If your car broke down in the rocky terrain one would be stranded as there is nothing

On top of it all you can pass camps where you can see the insurgents around. On top of it all you can pass camps where you can see the insurgents based armed with Kalashnikovs’.

To make matters worse inflation is rocket high, tomatoes or potatoes can be bought in the cities for about 50 rupees per kilo, but in Awaran it costs 250 rupees per kilo.

No one can afford anything, all they are living on is lentils.”

The area is risky due to armed groups and as a result the major aid agencies are not present they are however using local aid agencies and Muslim aid organisations to take aid to the area.

However with winter on us problems will be getting worse for these people who have no food or shelter.”

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ARTICLE

The East Africa Crisis Appeal and the history of famine in Ethiopia

Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive, Disasters Emergency Committee.

DEC 50th: He looks back at the East Africa Crisis Appeal and the history of famine in Ethiopia

It was the premonition of a disaster, a nightmare vision that foretold the suffering of millions: desiccated carcases of cows and goats littered the plain on the outskirts of Wajir, a small town in arid north eastern Kenya.

“For the people of that region, those animals were everything: their work, their income, their savings, their asset base. It was clear there was a problem,” said Andrew Wander of Save the Children, who visited East Africa in May 2011.

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By then the rains had already failed and an exceptionally severe drought was forecast.

The early warning systems had been signalling an impending food crisis in neighbouring Somalia since the previous November. But those in a position to act did little to halt the crisis spreading across the Horn of Africa.

Even the aid agencies which were raising the alarm were slow to scale up their response.

“In an earthquake or flood the worst is over by the time you get there,” said Wander.

“With this the worst wasn’t even close. It was

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happening in slow motion in front of your eyes.”

In late June 2011 Wander returned, this time to the Dadaab refugee camp near the border between Kenya and Somalia. Refugees were flowing out of Somalia, walking for weeks through a war zone, their clothing in rags and their feet cut to pieces, preyed upon by militia and bandits. Many starved to death.

“There was a sense of overwhelming numbers of people arriving and not being served by the system,” said Wander. “They were setting up outside the formal camp because there just wasn’t enough room, making shelters with bits of sticks.”

In total over 13 million people were affected across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. In Somalia, the epicentre of the crisis, the UN estimated that nearly 260,000 people died in the famine. Half of those were under five. I visited Mogadishu in August 2011, where I saw what those statistics mean on the ground: tiny children, barely able to eat or drink, battling measles, fever, diarrhoea and malnourishment.

Many children were too weak to be vaccinated against the very diseases that were killing them.

It remains the worst example of human suffering I’ve experienced in 20 years of humanitarian work.

The causes were complex. The DEC’s independent assessment spoke of five distinct crises in the region, each with its own history. Nevertheless there are some common threads, the main one being the drought, caused by the failure of two rainy seasons, which was the worst in 60 years in some parts of the region. This came on the back of several years of poor rains and food price inflation which had left millions of people very vulnerable.

Crops failed, animals died and desperate people went on the move.

But these alone weren’t enough to cause a famine.

Politics played a key role. Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UK minister for Africa, said: “It is no coincidence that famine has taken hold where governance remains weakest in the region.”

Somalia was not ruled by a central government but rather by militia groups. In northern Kenya the pastoralists are neglected and seen as an embarrassing relic of the past by the central government. The Ogaden region of Ethiopia is also politically marginalised.

After months of inadequate action the crisis became headline news in July 2011. On 5 July, two weeks before the UN officially declared a

This came on the back of several years of poor rains and food price inflation which had left millions of people very vulnerable famine in parts of Somalia, the DEC launched the East Africa Crisis Appeal, which went on to raise £79m.

The organisation’s member agencies began to rapidly scale up their work, providing food, water and medical care to 2.3m people, and moving on to long-term projects to help prevent a repeat of the crisis in future.

Some people said the 2011 disaster was itself a repeat – a re-run of the infamous famine which hit Ethiopia in 1984. There were striking similarities: the world had taken little attention of the unfolding crisis, and aid only began to flow after the BBC journalist Michael Buerk made a series of reports describing a “biblical famine”.

The DEC ran an appeal and Bob Geldof’s BandAid and LiveAid followed.

But the “nothing changes in Africa” brigade missed much that made the 2011 famine very different. The drought itself was much worse in 2011, yet there were far fewer deaths than in 1984, when over a million people died. Although parts of Ethiopia suffered great hunger in 2011, the government’s relatively good early warning systems meant their response to the crisis was reasonably effective, despite some bureaucratic delays.

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ARTICLE

Many aid agencies and journalists glossed over the political situation in 1984 for fear it would affect the humanitarian response.

In 2011, journalists were forthright in reporting the effects of the conflict. Aid agencies, with concerns over staff safety and maintaining humanitarian access, had to be careful discussing political failures in host countries, and in a three minute TV appeal it was impossible to discuss the subtleties of the crisis. But they showed a much greater willingness to publicly engage in discussions about the political complexities affecting their work.

This matters because famines are man-made. They are predictable and so can be averted. This isn’t just good humanitarianism, it’s good economics too. In the food crisis in Niger in 2005, the cost of helping at an early stage was estimated at US$7 per person. But the big donors didn’t give the money and the crisis ended up costing US$23 per person.

Recent Oxfam and Save the Children research found that decision makers want to act on definite figures, not uncertain forecasts. That leads to a terrible Catch-22. It’s hard to get money to fight famine without showing extreme need, but if people are that desperate, the work is being done too late. We need to get beyond needing emotive television images to push us to action - respond when cows are dying, not children. to Arab conference strengthen an action humanitari

Bill Gatesof Aid in an age Austerity

2013 Issue 1, January

RIAN HUMANITAEUR OPE

The political situation surrounding the famine was very different in 1984. The Ethiopian government of the time, supported by the Soviet Union, was fighting a long-running insurgency

remotely through local partner organisations.

Recently they have faced accusations that humanitarian aid was fuelling the conflict rather than feeding the hungry, a charge the DEC’s

This matters because famines are man-made. They are predictable and so can be averted. This isn’t just good humanitarianism, it’s good economics too

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and ran a centralised, planned economic system, a combination which left millions of people without a secure source of food. They were already hungry when the drought hit.

The complexities of the 1984 famine forced aid agencies to learn and hone many strategies which are now commonplace, such as working on both sides of a civil war by running programmes

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former chief executive Brendan Gormley denies.

“We weren’t naively fuelling the war,” he said. “It was taking a controlled risk to reach the peasant countryside that we couldn’t reach from the government side. Some ex-rebels, who had fallen out with their former comrades, later claimed they siphoned some of the money to buy arms, but we never saw any evidence of that.”

Please send your CV to the CEO: info@humanitarianeurope.com

Humanitarian Europe Ltd 1st Floor, 2 Watling Gate, 297 - 303 Edgware Road London, NW9 6NB, UK

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End multidimensional poverty

507m End $2 poverty

2030 414m

End $1.25 poverty

Rest of the World 2010 Proportion of people in poverty halved

1995

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117 countries agree ending poverty is possible

<$1.25 a day

1.2bn 2.4bn 3.9bn 5.2bn

Ending poverty by 2030 Development Initiatives Analyst viewpoint Ian Townsend authored the opening chapter of Investments to End Poverty, focused on prospects for ending poverty by 2030. This is the first in a series of blog posts which explore the motivations behind the research areas covered in Investments to End Poverty, and take interested data enthusiasts through the methodology and background

Is growth alone enough?

My starting point for the opening chapter of Investments to End Poverty was one question: Can economic growth alone get the world to zero extreme poverty by 2030?*

Initiatives has believed for some time that it is possible to end extreme poverty by 2030. Only recently has this become widely accepted: the UN’s High-Level Panel report, being debated by world leaders this month, has proposed this as a global target.

With good global economic headwinds, growth can be a rising tide that lifts all boats… eventually. Assuming reasonable growth rates continue – and no new global crises – poverty against a fixed threshold is quite likely to fall, and ultimately to zero. But to galvanise effort getting to zero demands a deadline. Development

Brookings Institution research – The Final Countdown, well worth a read – shows that current economic growth patterns are clearly not enough to get us to zero by 2030. Even the best-case scenario – rapid growth, shared more equally with the poor – could see over 100 million people globally remaining in extreme poverty in

2030, almost all of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

Should conditions worsen – slower growth, less equally shared – then over a billion people could be left behind. (You can explore this further in our data visualisation tool).

The finding that even optimistic growth patterns is not enough is critical. It means that further interventions are going to be needed in order for the world to get to zero by 2030. It suggests that, far from ‘trade not aid’, we will need both aid and trade… and also investment, remittances** and a range of other resource flows (as presented in our report).

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Depth of poverty in Africa Another key finding is the sheer divergence in the ‘depth of poverty’ in sub-Saharan Africa: average incomes of people in extreme poverty range from as low as $0.53 a day in DRC up to $1.10 a day in Cameroon.*** Data behind the scenarios Working with Brookings we were able to base the Investments to End scenarios on an update of the data in their published report, including 40 recent country household surveys. Unfortunately, because of data quality issues we could only focus on seven countries in our report, although four were in sub-Saharan Africa.**** The Brookings research was based on World Bank PovCalNet – a fantastic resource for the surveys used to calculate poverty levels – and Economist Intelligence Unit growth forecasts.

So what next?

This research cannot be a one-off. Economic conditions will change, and progress must be monitored and efforts re-focused accordingly to get to zero by 2030. Post-2015 we need a ‘World Poverty Outlook’: an annual or

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These are vital data for targeting pockets of extreme poverty that persist in all – even the fastest-growing – developing countries biannual globally and regional assessment, identifying risks to economic conditions which could undermine wider interventions to end poverty – and propose mitigations of those risks.

With major improvements to poverty data that our report calls for, these assessments should look at prospects for individual countries. In future they should delve within countries – down to the district and village level. These are vital data for targeting pockets of extreme poverty that persist in all – even the fastestgrowing – developing countries.

Notes * The extreme poverty threshold is set at $1.25

a day in 2005 prices, and is based on exchange rates adjusted for differences in purchasing power in different countries.

Often an amount of money can buy more in a developing country because costs and prices are lower. It can be thought of as the equivalent of how much $1.25 could buy in the US in 2005, rather than how much you could buy if you changed US dollars into local currencies and bought things with that money. ** Remittances are monies sent back by migrants abroad to their families at home. *** These spending figures are adjusted for relative purchasing power, like the $1.25 poverty line. **** China, India and Indonesia; Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mali and Uganda in Africa.

Reference Projections and average incomes of the extreme poor data use the methodology outlined in Chandy, Ledlie and Penciakova, The Final Countdown: Prospects for Ending Extreme Poverty by 2030 (2013), applied to their dataset updated with 40 more recent country surveys.

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Unpacking the Aid Bundle Development Initiatives Analyst viewpoint

Rob Tew is the author of the Investments to End Poverty chapter 4 which focuses on ‘unpacking the aid bundle’. This is the second in a series of blog posts from DI analysts which explore the motivations behind their research, and take interested data enthusiasts through the methodology used in the report

How did we get the figures in Investments to End Poverty?

I have long been frustrated by the way aid is (mis)counted. From Dambisa Moyo’s oft-quoted statement that $1 trillion was transferred to Africa over 50 years, to endless academic papers trying to prove that aid spending is (or is not) correlated with economic growth, changes in poverty rates, etc. The source of my frustration is this: the vast majority of this literature treats aid as a

homogenous entity – as if it were all in the form of hard cash which was transferred from a donor to recipients Top-line figures mask important details Of course, aid is not a homogenous entity – it is an umbrella term for a wide variety of things. Some types of aid do result in the transfer of money. However, the aid figures also include resources transferred in the form of food, or other commodities, or advice and training (technical cooperation).

Obviously these different elements of aid have very different effects on economic development and growth. A dollar of cash will have a very different impact to a dollar’s worth of food or a dollar’s worth of a consultant’s time.

On top of that, aid also includes many elements, such as debt relief, imputed student costs and donors’ administrative spending, which do not result in any transfer of resources to developing nations. Knowing

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REPORT

The Aid bundle MOST PROBABLY TRANSFERRED Cash

Cash (grants) Budget Support, money to Local NGO’s Pooled and special-purpose funds Loans, Equity investments Loan repayments, sale of equity Aid in kind

As a result, we now have a database of aid which can not only analyse aid by donor, by recipient and by sector, we can also look at what form the aid took – how much was actually money (and of that how much was

Food aid Technical cooperation Non-food commodities

Mixed project aid

With better data we would be able to split this mixed project aid between the cash, in kind and non-transfer categories and we will be looking at ways of doing this in future

Mixed project aid

Support to third parties and Global public good Global public goods Core finding of international NGO’s Promotion of development awareness Not transferred out of the donor country Student costs, refugee costs internal admin, interest subsidies Debt relief Administration of funds NOT TRANSFERRED this, how can any economist worth their salt add all these things together: • the value of cash (with no distinction between grants and loans), • technical cooperation, • debt relief, • the cost of educating students in donor countries, • food (and the shipping costs of food) …in order to come up with a single number called ‘aid’? And how do they then build on this number to draw conclusions that could impact on the amounts of aid allocated to developing countries?

Here, at Development Initiatives, we are

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transferred. For just over a fifth of the aid in these records it was not possible to say what proportion of the aid had been in the form of cash and how much was technical cooperation, or other forms of aid in kind.

These records were marked as ‘mixed project aid’ With better data we would be able to split this mixed project aid between the cash, in kind and non-transfer categories and we will be looking at ways of doing this in future.

given and how much was lent); how much was technical cooperation and how much stayed within the borders of the donor country.

developing an approach that allows aid to be analysed, not as a single homogenous entity but as a collection of components – what we are calling the ‘aid bundle’.

Some of the results of this analysis are quite striking. For example, Italy and Denmark both gave very similar levels of bilateral aid in 2011 (just over $2bn).

The ‘Aid Bundle’: Methodology

However almost 70% of Italy’s aid was not transferred to developing countries whereas around 70% of Denmark’s aid did result in a transfer of resources to the developing world.

In order to ’unpack the aid bundle’, we examined each individual record in the OECD’s CRS database of aid activities for the years 2006-2011 (a small matter of 1 million+ rows of data!) We looked at the aid type, flow code, finance type, purpose code, channel code, technical cooperation marker and recipient code of each record (as well as, in some cases, the project title and description). Each record was then marked as to whether the disbursement it represented was identifiably in the form of cash, some form of aid in kind, or not

There are many other things we have been able to do with this data. To see some of them, take a look at the donor, recipient and sector profiles in section 3 of our new report “Investments to End Poverty”.

We hope that our exploration of this data encourages a more informed debate about the real figures on aid- and a move away from comparing the misleading headline figures.

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FEATURE

Human Appeal International wins charity award Human Appeal International which is one of the leading aid organisation’s operating in conflict ridden Syria has been named as International Charity of the Year at the Global Peace and Unity Event 2013.

On receiving the award Othman Moqbel, Human Appeal’s CEO said: “We are honoured to receive this reward in recognition of Human Appeal’s work. Human Appeal is about helping people across the globe,” The charity which was founded in 1991 has been delivering vital food, water, shelter and medical supplies to desperate Syrian’s for the past two years. It was one of the first charities to have fighting broke out. to aid teams on the ground afterto

Letters the editor

Letters the Editor

“Human Appeal was able to develop more effective ways to get aid to those who need it more efficiently and more effectively through its work in Syria. It is also using those skills to deliver vital aid to the areas of the Philippines worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan.” Othman Moqbel, CEO Human Appeal International.

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor I am constantly perplexed about what happens to Charity funds and whether the money gets to the people in need.

I did some volunteer work for a charity where I did see that some of the money also goes to wages and admin of the charity.

However we are faced with a dilemma – if some of the charity money is not spent on wages for those working in these organisations – then how will the charity function efficiently, as those working in charity groups have to be live as well therefore we have to support charity groups.

Jane

Deed Dear Editor

I would like to say that Humanitarian Europe is a good read and an eye opener, where we learn about the important work done by smaller faith based charities. Keep up the good work.

Shuaib

Email us a

Good

Deed

Thank you Fawad in Pakistan for helping to arrange helping hands to move the computers that had arrived from the UK. It was heavy work.

Reaz Thanks Jack for the pictures you took in the Phillipines during the typhoon we needed them to highlight the problems facing those caught up in this tragedy.

Sohail

Mr Francis and family we are grateful for the assistance you gave us when we arrived in the Phillipines.

From all of us Hafeez and friends

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Charity cash ‘going to Syrian terror groups’ and Charity Commission’s response Highlighting an article alleging that charity cash was going to ‘Syrian terror groups’ and the Charity Commissions response to these allegations A report in the Daily Telegraph by Christopher Hope titled Charity cash ‘going to Syrian terror groups’ may hinder the process of giving charity to the Syrian crisis where over a million people are displaced, many suffering unbearable living conditions and other conflict ridden areas.

The article highlights how charity watchdog has warned that People giving money to help millions of refugees from the civil war in Syria are inadvertently supporting terrorism.

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William Shawcross, the chairman of the Charity Commission said that ‘some of their cash was “undoubtedly” going to extremist groups, conditions on the ground in the midst of conflict made it difficult or impossible for charities to know where aid ended up.

The commission said it was up to charity trustees to ensure that donors’ generosity, intended to benefit those in need, was not diverted to terrorists. “There is a risk that funds raised in the name of ‘charity’ generally or under the

name of a specific charity are misused to support terrorist activities, with or without the charity’s knowledge.”

It warned that “individuals supporting terrorist activity might also claim to work for a charity and trade on its name and legitimacy to gain access to a region or community”.

The Disasters Emergency Committee, which represents 14 of Britain’s biggest charities raised £20 million for its Syria Crisis Appeal since

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March. Its members include the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children, but also said it was unable to guarantee that no cash was falling into the hands of terrorists.

The Charity Commission is so concerned that it has issued guidance to fund-raising bodies.

“Member agencies’ reporting to the DEC includes information about any losses or fraud involving DEC funds and we have not received such information regarding any DEC Syria Crisis Appeal funds.”

The committee said that £9.6 million had been

spent by the charities so far and that £10.4 million was “given directly to our member agencies”.

In the first three months after the launch of the appeal 129,000 people received aid funded by the DEC and eight out of 10 of those were inside Syria.

A spokesman for the Charity Commission said that it had no estimates for how much donors’ money might be going to extremists. She said: “Charities providing humanitarian aid are themselves aware of the risk that their funds may be diverted and that their staff and local partners will be working in areas where militant groups and in some cases those who support terrorist activities operate. Their work is not easy.”

A Charity Commission Statement in response to the Daily Telegraph article

A spokesman for the Disasters Emergency Committee said: “It is never possible to entirely eliminate such risks if you wish to help those in greatest need but DEC members take all reasonable steps to avoid, uncover and minimise such losses.

William Shawcross’ statement and our recent guidance to charities aim at reminding charity trustees of their duties when working in high risk areas, especially areas in which terrorist groups operate. They are not intended to put people off from giving to established charities. We want to reassure the public that the established well-known charities working in difficult areas have robust systems in place to ensure their funds reach the intended beneficiaries and is not diverted to fund terror groups.

5 October 2013 The Commission has always encouraged the public to give generously to charity, and we continue to do so. Many people in Syria and who have fled Syria are in desperate need and rely on help, including that afforded by the generosity of the British public.

“In places like Syria member agencies will have specific policies and procedures in place, based on decades of operational experience and in compliance with UK legal requirements, to ensure they prevent resources reaching these groups.

The Disasters Emergency Committee has worked

Global Eye Statistics

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90%

80%

million people visually impaired worldwide

of blindness occurs in the developing world and mostly in Muslim world

million are blind and 246 million have low vision

with us in preparing our guidance to charities working in high risk areas, precisely because their members have extensive experience of successfully protecting their charities from harm.

William Shawcross says: “The Daily Telegraph’s suggestion that ‘millions’ are being diverted from well-known charities to fund terror groups is speculative and certainly does not represent what we know. Such allegations risk undermining the efforts made by charities to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people in areas like Syria.

I hope that people will continue giving to charities working in the UK and around the world with their usual generosity. I can reassure donors that known cases of terrorist abuse of charity funds are very low and that we will vigorously pursue any such allegations.”

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REPORT

SYRIAN CRISIS Women and children worst casualties of war

Yusra Mahdi has a masters in International relations and is a journalist who writes about the Middle East One of the main causalities of war is that the weakest suffer the most and who is the most vulnerable in society, the elderly and of course women and children.

children, and children hold on to their mothers for protection. So when either one of them is at risk, the other also end up becoming a victim of violence.

When there is concern for the safety of civilians during conflict, women and children are the first to suffer from the aftermath of an attack, because they are the weakest when it comes to protection.

During civil war, women and children are also easy targets used to demean or patronise enemies.

The relationship between women and children is essential to their security. When an attack takes place, mothers are looking out for their

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They are easy subjects for kidnapping and hostage to weaken the opposite side. They have no power in decision making and therefore have to follow dominant male figures in outcomes of disputes.

Against their will, they become displaced and leave their homes, schools and work.

The struggle for survival is their main concern because, food shortage and hunger hits them before any other group. In Syria, it is a similar picture. Since the beginning of the war in Syria and with the rise of violence, over one million became displaced, and women and children represent the majority of them.

The support of aid agencies has been limited due to the dangerous circumstances in the country.

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The Islamic Relief foundation was one of the first humanitarian agencies that emphasised on the distribution of support inside Syria.”

more than 50,000 new refugees, where around half of whom are children in need for continued learning support.

Their work included calling for aid agencies and institutional donors to prioritise their funding and support for children suffering from diverse problems due to the conflict in Syria.They stated that “humanitarian workers, human rights organisations and teachers in schools have all witnessed the impact that the conflict has had on the mental stability of Syrian children”. Further it highlighted that from the 250 traumatised patients they assessed, 40% of them were children who were diagnosed to have either full or partial symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

UNICEF is increasing its efforts in the face of all these challenges and amid the increasing needs of Syrian children. It has sponsored many programmes in order to bringing back children to schools safely. Inside Syria, it has helped to set up a home-based self-learning programme for conflict zones.

Furthermore, one of the most significant challenges Syrian children are faced with since the conflict started is the return to education.

Statistics from last school year showed that

In Lebanon, busses were used to set up schools in order to travel to camp and reach both Lebanese and Syrian refugee children. In Jordan, imams and community leaders are helping to promote return to schools through adding more classrooms to fit more children, recruiting more teachers and distributing additional school supplies and furniture. In Iraq, temporary classroom tents are

Lebanon because of security concerns and fear of sexual harassment.”

There are also increasing reports of gender based violence on Syrian refugee women making it a significant feature at risk of spreading during the Syrian conflict.

Therefore, Islamic Relief suggested that hundreds of women and children are in need of urgent medical care and retributive justice. In this context, it emphasised on the coordinated efforts of aid agencies, donors and governments in addressing any “incidents of gender-based violence with the psychological and emotional support, and documentation of each incident and legal support to hold perpetrators to account for their actions”. It also suggested that governments hosting Syrian refugees should include extra precautions and establish codes of conduct at

There are also increasing reports of gender based violence on Syrian refugee women making it a significant feature at risk of spreading during the Syrian conflict over two million Syrian children dropped out of school and 40% of them are between grades 1 to 9. Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa stated that “For a country that was close to achieving universal primary education before the conflict started, the numbers are staggering”. In addition, many of these children are now displaced therefore providing education to them becomes an even greater challenge.

In Lebanon, the government estimated that by the end of 2013 550,000 Syrian refugee children will be at school age. Unfortunately, during that year only 15 per cent of them were studying in formal or non-formal systems. In Jordan, only one-third of school-aged Syrian children living in the Za’atari Refugee Camp were registered for school. And in Iraq, the situation is worse where nine out of ten refugee children are out of school.

Furthermore, recently the Kurdistan Region saw

placed rapidly and urgently to accommodate the most recent wave of refugees.

Women and girls are also paying a high price amid the spread of conflict in Syria. A recent study by the international aid agency, Oxfam and the Beirut-based ABAAD-Resource Centre for Gender Equality finds that women are bearing the overwhelming burden of the refugee crisis.

ABAAD Gender Equality Programme Coordinator, Roula Masri said: “Despite generous assistance from host communities in Lebanon, there are growing tensions in communities where there are a high number of refugee arrivals, making the lives of women much harder”. She added that “Syrian women refugees avoid going out now that they are in

refugee camps in order to ensure the protection of women and children rights and prevent the occurrences of ‘temporary’ ‘child’ marriages.

In conclusion, aid agencies and humanitarian support should address the problem of children and women with the objective of enhancing their conditions. The tremendous suffering of them will continue. Therefore humanitarian response needs to be effective and agencies and governments must work together to ensure aid gets to those who need it most. Finally it is important that we do not lose sight of the incredible suffering of women and children and the extraordinary needs that keep multiplying every day. And it will be a disgrace if assistance is not aimed at bringing an end to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

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Shift in Values: The Missing Link in the HIV Response Fatima-Zahra Khanum has been active in the HIV/AIDS field for several years, engaged in community and awareness activities in Europe and on the ground in countries Africa.

“If you are not infected, you are affected” I was attending a HIV/AIDS training workshop in South Africa when I heard the facilitator use this quote. It’s origin I am not sure of. As to its succinctness, the message was very clear: HIV/ AIDS affects us all, whether we are living with it or not.

Statistics and lives With reference to HIV/AIDS specifically, it remains one of the world’s biggest public Humanitarian.eu

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health issues. The large majority of individuals living with HIV/AIDS lie in sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates of how many people are living with HIV globally vary, with the most leading statistics pointing to between 35-40 million people. Furthermore, over 35 million people have died of AIDS since 1981, with AIDS being the leading cause of death amongst women of child-bearing age. Last year alone, it is estimated 1.6 million people worldwide died from AIDS-related causes, and a further

16 million people are still not accessing antiretroviral treatment, to help manage living with HIV (source: StopAids).

Such statistics are not only startling, but also point to just how closely integrated HIV/ AIDS is with many other core development issues, such as poverty, access to healthcare and medicine (or rather, lack of in some parts of the Global South), and conflict, in addition to a plethora of other crises. It therefore should be treated as a cross-cutting issue, with

SAVING OUR FUTURE SAVING OUR FUTURE

6000 Children in 6000 6 Countries in 6 Coun 6000 Children inChildren 6 Countries ARTICLE

integrated programming incorporated as a way of addressing the related issues.

Prevention is better than cure The last point relates to the cure aspect for those living with HIV in the Global South, but what of the saying “prevention is better than cure”?

Last year alone, it is estimated an additional 2.3 million people worldwide newly acquired HIV. In its most basic description, HIV (formally known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a progressive virus that harms the body’s immune system by destroying the cells which fight infections in the body. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is widely accepted by the medical community to be the latter stages.

Whilst contaminated medical equipment, mother-to-baby transmission, and injected drug use are ways in which the virus can get into the body, the vast majority of transmission cases relates to unprotected sex with someone that has HIV. In the UK itself, there’s an estimated 100,000 people living with HIV, with experts suggesting a fifth of those living with it are unaware they have the virus. Today, there is a campaign gaining increasing momentum aimed at promoting the importance of testing, and positively many have backed this drive.

However, whilst testing is needed, it is not enough. The statistics demonstrate there is a lack of importance placed on educating the public (children and adults) on HIV/AIDS, and all other sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).

This last point is crucial to understand since in the discussion of HIV/AIDS, we tend to not always mention STI’s in general.

The angle to focus on here is not education per se, but rather what kind of education is being delivered. When I was in South Africa, I saw large billboards heavily promoting condom use as a prevention to HIV. This is not surprising given that over 6 million people are living with HIV in the country. But similarly, in London, I have passed by adverts in the tube stations detailing the UK’s HPV vaccination campaign for British teenage girls.

The question to ask is, what kind of message is this sending to the community and is it the right message to be sending for the long term? Is this not a case of which social values we uphold and what impact these come to have on us all, since for the vast majority of cases, HIV is linked to individual behaviour.

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programmes do not promote responsibility at the individual level; rather, they promote relaxed attitudes towards sexual behaviour.

The real education from governments and civil society organisations should therefore be aimed at promoting the importance of sex within the confines of marriage. Anything other than this is not a substantive measure and will not cure

dimensions to it requiring integrated remedies.

But where prevention is concerned, this is something that urgently needs a new approach.

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exposing themselves to what is a preventable infection. HIV is after all very closely linked to lifestyle choices. Only a change in socio-cultural values will lead to changes in responsible behaviour. It’s a difficult road, but that should not deter us from advocating this shift in values for the betterment of society.

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Despite these gaps in current research, there Road to Jannah | Address: 147 Balaam Street, Plaistow, Lo has been some progress globally in recent RoadTelephone: to Jannah | Address: 147 Balaam Plaistow, London E13690 8AF | Email: info@ 020 8144 5123Street, | Mobile: 07958 745 Telephone: 020 8144 5123 | Mobile: 07958 745 690 | Email: info@roadtojannah.org.uk years; greater access to treatment is an example Website: www.roadtojannah.org.uk Website: www.roadtojannah.org.uk of this. Yet this is not enough and it is clear Road to Jannah | Address:147 147Balaam BalaamStreet, Street,Plaistow, Plaistow, London London E13 8AF that government policies and community Road to Jannah | Address: E13Street, 8AF to Jannah | Address: 147Plaistow, Balaam Telephone:are 020 8144 5123 745 690Balaam | Email: info@roadtojannah.org.uk Roadin| Mobile: to Jannah07958 |Road Address: 147 Street, LondonPlaistow, E13 8AF L actions aimed at prevention insufficient Telephone: 020HIV 8144in 5123 | Mobile: 07958 745 | 5123 Email:| Mobile: info@roadtojannah.org.uk Website: www.roadtojannah.org.uk addressing the root causes of society.

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ARTICLE

Fundraising in your community Martin Shaw is a partner with fundraising and management

consultancy Midas Charity Appeals LLP. He has experience in working with interfaith groups delivering training and consultancy. His latest book is on fundraising in the faith community

Fundraising in your community is a method of fundraising used by nearly all faith and community organisations.

It has two objectives. Firstly to raise cash, but secondly – and crucially – to get the community more aware about and involved in, the life of the organisation.

Most community groups complain that no one knows of their existence. The most common complaint is that the local newspaper never prints anything about them – well just being

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there is not really news, is it?

So, you need to make yourself newsworthy.

An effective method is to get out there and plan an event in the community. It can get you known, and positive things can happen as a result – people join, people attend your activities people support and people volunteer.

Community fundraising can create opportunities to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and minorities for a

common purpose. Working together on a project and raising funds is a chance for people to share a common goal and to get to know each other.

Sponsored events, such as walks or runs, are well tried and tested methods of raising money, and can help raise the profile of the organisation as the walk or run takes place around the area. Such events often attract the curiosity of onlookers, so have plenty of banners and signs about the charity for the walkers as they go along – and flyers to hand

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out so that people can contact you afterwards.

Sponsorship forms are critical for such events so do include the opportunity for the sponsor to gift aid (and so increase the value of) their contribution. The brilliant Macmillan Cancer Support “Big Hush” Event a few years ago was an example of a sponsored silence for children.

As the website at the time said: ‘Taking part in the “Big Hush” couldn’t be easier – or more fun! You can sign up the whole school or a single group, and organise the children to be sponsored for every minute they keep quiet, or pay a small amount to take part. Every penny they raise will help improve the lives of people living with cancer.’ On a smaller scale, you could ask children (and even teenagers or parents!) to hold their own sponsored silence as one-off event. I am sure that parents and family members (and even teachers) would be delighted to sponsor them!

The Boys’ Club movement used to organise an annual sponsored ‘Cross the London bridges’ walk, when youth club members were sponsored to cross all of London’s

bridges – at that time 26. Not only was it great exercise, it also meant members saw London and the beauty of the Thames. Another way of involving children could be a sponsored

Planning an event is also part of the fun process and the more people involved in the planning, the greater the participation Events are festivals to participate in and the more fun and participation toddler’s bike ride around the playground or car park, getting all the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and family friends to sponsor them for the number of times they go around.

It is good exercise and a lot of fun.

Some other ideas might include: Mosques and schools often will help local charities raise money. Although the activities

will have to be organised by the mosque or school, rather than the charity, it is a good opportunity to create positive links with them. “Bring a teddy” to school is a simple example. Children can donate money to your charity, and run a competition to guess the name of the teddy.

Another fun competition for all of us is a “Guess the baby” competition, with photos of staff or colleagues as babies. Everyone entering need’s to pay a small entrance fee in order to guess the identity of the baby.

So are these fundraising ideas worth your effort?

Well they are – even if sometimes we get a little frustrated. Involvement and participation are key to a group’s success, and fundraising in the community is the ideal tool to facilitate opportunities. Planning an event is also part of the fun process and the more people involved in the planning, the greater the participation Events are festivals to participate in and the more fun and participation, the more we celebrate, and the greater the strength of the group. Oh and, by the way, the money also comes in useful!

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Our work covers five broad areas: Advocacy Governance Skills Research and Development Partnerships

Registered Charity No. 1126638

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Charity Hub, 7th Floor, Westgate House, Westgate, London, W5 1YY tel: +44 (0) 20 8991 3332, info@muslimcharitiesforum.org.uk

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FINANCE ARTICLE

Promoting safer giving to charities

Saif Ullah, is a Policy and Research Officer for the Muslim Charities Forum, an umbrella organisation comprised of the leading Muslim INGOs based in the U.K. Here he argues how stricter financial legislation has hindered the operations of Muslim organisations and need to be reassessed

Despite turbulent economic conditions over the past few years, the British public in general continues to generously support the admirable work of charities in the UK. According to UK Giving 2012, an annual survey produced by NCVO and the Charities Aid Foundation charting the annual charitable giving habits of the British public, approximately 55% of adults in the UK give to charity in a typical month, with a total of ÂŁ9.3bn donated in 2011/12.

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While Muslims make up a small proportion of the overall British population, they are widely considered to be amongst the most generous communities, particularly during the month of Ramadan when many Muslims give even more to charity to help the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world.

While it is important for the giving public to continue to generously support the vital work that charities do, at the same time

there are certain steps that all individuals should take to ensure that the money they are donating goes to the places and causes that they intended.

Giving during Ramadan According to research from Islamic Relief, over ÂŁ100 million was expected to be donated to charity by British Muslims over the course of Ramadan, which took place between July and August 2013.

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While official figures have yet to be gathered, it is likely that this amount is a conservative estimate, given that their study did not include donations to local mosques or nonMuslim charities. Islamic Relief on its own raised £14.4 million during Ramadan in 2012, amounting to a third of its overall income, which highlights the generosity of British Muslim donors and the importance of this holy month to supporting the vital work of charitable organisations.

However, recent criminal cases have highlighted the potential for individuals to abuse the good name of charities and take advantage of the generosity of donors.

Such incidents include criminals posing as charity workers and carrying out fake collections, using the money for their own illicit activities and thereby taking funds away from deserving causes.

According to the Charity Commission, the regulatory body for charities in England and Wales, only 2 out of 5 charity donors make checks when approached for donations, giving greater room for criminals to capitalise on the public’s goodwill.

Promoting safer giving

In addition, MCF is also urging charities when fundraising to ensure that they are transparent about their activities and can demonstrate their operations in the countries for which they are raising funds.

In particular, exhibiting good practice through FRSB membership and adhering to good accountability codes of conduct and practices in the sector, such as Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), Sphere Standards and other accountability frameworks should be commended and highlighted as examples of good practice.

This year, the Charity Commission launched a public awareness campaign aimed at increasing alertness amongst donors about what they should expect of charities to which they are donating. Backed by the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF), an umbrella organisation that supports and represents the largest Muslim charities based in the UK, the campaign lists a selection of tips which people should keep mindful of to minimise the risk of donating to false collections.

Tips before making any donations to a cause include: • Checking the charity’s name and registration number – this can be done through the Charity Commission website.

• Checking public fundraisers have a license from the local authority or police.

• Asking collectors for more information about the charity and verifying their ID. • Making sure that the charity’s fundraising materials feature the charity’s registered name and a landline contact number.

Noor Ul Islam Appeal NOOR UL ISLAM TRUST

was established in 1990 and has built a reputation as an active Islamic organisation catering for the whole community. Our aim is to meet the demands of men, women, youth, children and families.

British Muslims should be lauded for their generosity and willingness to support charities helping those in dire need around the world.

At the same time, it is in the best interests of the giving public to do what they can to ensure that their valuable donations are going to the right places and causes that they intended. By taking a bit of extra time to check a charity’s credentials and being inquisitive when approached by public fundraisers, we can have greater confidence in our donations being used properly.

Support an active Masjid and community centre to expand further. Help NOOR UL ISLAM TRUST raise funds for our rebuild project

We need your help to raise approximately

£8,000,000

for our rebuild project which will serve as a multi purpose centre for all.

Due to lack of space our active organisation has become limited and cannot cater for the populated muslim community efficiently.

Please donate now

Barclays Bank Account Details Noor Ul Islam A/C 73779645 S/C: 20-53-04

artist impression

www.noorulislam.co.uk enquiries@noorulislam.co.uk

Noor Ul Islam Trust 713 High Road, London, E10 5AB T: 020 8558 0786

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CLASSIFIED

Fundraising Manager Noor Ul Islam Trust Salary: £24,000 - £35,000 based on experience and qualification Commencing February 2014- February 2015 (possibility of an extension) Please email yusuf.hansa@noorulislam.co.uk or write to Yusuf Hansa at 713 High Road, London E10 5AB with your CV and a cover letter.

Closing date: 17th January 2014

Video Editor Experienced Video Editor – Min 3 years - Competitive Salary Required to edit Urdu and English programmes Expected to apply a creative style to the edits and keen eye on details Comfortable with editing Documentaries, Shows, Promos, Teasers and Commercials to a high standard Organise data storage and management with proper naming convention Good understanding of different Input and Output formats Logging of each project and tracking till finish Software Experience Needed: Professional Level with Adobe Premier Pro, Sound booth / Audition, After Effects, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

3D & Motion Graphics Designer - Broadcast Experienced 3D & Motion Graphics Designer Min 3 years - Competitive Salary Keen eye on details in each piece of work.

Expected to come up with fresh ideas for branding of each shows graphics package and Virtual sets Organise data storage and management with proper naming convention Good understanding of different Input and Output formats Logging of each project and tracking till finish Software Experience Needed: Professional Level with Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4d / 3DS Max, Adobe Photoshop, & Illustrator Knowing InDesign and Illustrator for print media will be added advantage

Sky Channel 826 www.iqra.tv

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Send your CV to info@iqra.tv or Post it to IQRA TV 109-119 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon CR0 6BE

Al-Khair Foundation, independent, nongovernmental, non-profit organisation (NGO), devoted, on the basis of humanitarian principles to support the vulnerable communities in their plight against poverty for sustainable relief and development.

Senior Programme Manager (Asia Region) Minimum 3 year experience, based in Pakistan with possibility to travel across the region, competitive salary, 1 year fixed term (extendable) Al-Khair Foundation is continuing with its com Fundraising Manager Masajid that were made shaheed in the Pakistan Minimum 3 year experience, based in London with Campaign has now exceeded £1,000,000 with yo possibility of travel internationally, competitive salary, of Masajid have been constructed with many mo 1 year fixed term contract (extendable) Project Officer Minimum 2 year experience, based in London, competitive salary, 1 year fixed term contract (extendable)

Events & Marketing Officer Minimum 1 year experience, based in London with the possibility of travel across the UK, competitive salary, 1 year fixed term contract (extendable) You may decide to support the reconstruction of Closing date: Until post filled aspect of the building. Your donation will go a lon Send your CVrebuild with a covering info@alkhair.org Pakistan their letter livestoand get back to some them a safe place to worship.

Muslim Charities Forum - Training Calendar

SMALL MASJID - £5

The Muslim Charities Forum will be holding a series of training workshops - £10,000 and courses in 2014 to enrich andMEDIUM enhance the workMASJID of the charity sector.

Over the next year we will hold sessions with a seriesMASJID of experienced trainers JAMIA - £12,000 in the fields of proposal writing, defamation and digital fundraising.

JAMIA MASJID & ISLAMIC CENTRE Defamation Law Workshop - Tuesday 28th January 2014, 3pm-5pm This FREE workshop with charity law firm BWB will Please show your generosity and support our M ground you in the basics of defamation law and practical advice based on rebuilding of the many Masajid Shaheed during the experiences of participants. your reward in Paradise.

Successful Proposal Writing - Tuesday 25th February 2014 Facilitated by consultant Willem van Eekelen, this one day workshop

will walk you through the TO different aspects of a proposal how toFURTH DONATE ORand FOR successfully your project funders.+44 Cost £185.

PLEASEsellCALL IS toON: (0)207 084 7199 OR VISI

BY POST: AL-KHAIR FOUNDATION, 109-119 OR Digital Fundraising - Thursday 20th March 2014 CHERRY Host BANK DETAILS: HSBC BANK A/C NAME: AL-KHAIR A/C and facilitated at the offices of Just Giving, this FREE ONE DAY workshop will give insight into digital marketing trends and case studies into digital fundraising.

These sessions are open to all who are interested in these topics and work in the charity sector with all MCF members’ receiving a 20% discount. For more information on these sessions and to register your interest, email training@ muslimcharitiesforum.org.uk or call Naima Korane on 020 8991 3332.

3 Garden Road, Woolmer Green Knebworth, Herts SG3 6JZ T: 020 3011 1786 E: info@alihsantyrust.org

Charity Reg Number: 1152441

We focus primarily on long term development for the most vulnerable poor and needy

Beneficiary Accounts Details: Bank: Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd A/C Name: Al-Ihsan Trust Sri Lanka S/C: 40-50-56 A/C No: 80011800 www.justgiving.com/aitsrilanka

Some of our projects: Ramadan / Eid food project (dry rations) Orphan / Widow sponsorship programme Education for impoverished children Hafiz/Hafiza student sponsorship Building new and renovating existing Masjids Water Hand Pumps / Water Wells Qurbani Some of our projects: Ramadan / Eid food project (dry rations) Orphan / Widow sponsorship programme Education for impoverished children Hafiz/Hafiza student sponsorship Building new and renovating existing Masjids Water Hand Pumps / Water Wells East Africa Welfare and Qurbani

EWADA Development Association

Charity Reg. No: 1128218

HELPING THE POOR & NEEDY EWADA has distributed livestock to the poor families and widows for income generation, and helping people with psychological issues.

EWADA has built orphan centre, houses and school. It has also been involved in free medical camp, winter warmer packs, providing means of improved livelihood, food distribution among the poor peoples.

Bank Details: HSBC Account Name: East Africa Welfare And Development Association 72 Ansell House, Mile End Road S/C: 400233 London E1 4UX A/C 81711385

Tel: 020 7791 7491 E: adam@ewada.org.uk W: www.ewada.org.uk