As we mark the end of the blessed 10 days, I am immensely grateful for all the care and generous support you showed this Dhul Hijjah. Every donation you made helped fill someone’s heart with happiness.
We have witnessed and experienced so much pain and far too many tragedies, from natural disasters to conflict and violence. When tragedy hits, the most vulnerable are often forgotten, left struggling to survive in the worst conditions.
But because of you, this was not the case!
2.2 million people are feeling relief because of your care this Dhul Hijjah.
Your support is so often the gift of life itself and we take special care to reach those who are most at risk. We’ve seen with our own eyes how their lives have been uplifted and transformed by what you give.
May Allah accept your efforts during these blessed 10 days and grant you the ability to continue being a beacon of hope, tackling poverty, inequality, and hunger.
We could not have done it without you, thank you. Your sister,
Aysha Syed Director of Fundraising, Islamic Relief Canada
Thank you for giving from what you love and making the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah especially blessed. In this season of sacrifice and extra reward, your love brought relief to 2.2 million vulnerable people around the world.
193,068 Qurbani / Udhiya Shares Donated
2.1 Million People Received Meat on Eid
22,307 Eid Gifts Delivered to Vulnerable Children
68,111+ People Supported with Emergency Relief
The Qurbani/Udhiya program started in 1986 by Islamic Relief with only 670 Qurbanis worldwide. Now, it's one of our largest annual programs, with 190,000 Qurbanis donated globally, benefiting over 2 million people.
We've developed an efficient and reliable process over 30 years, adhering to Islamic, ethical, and humanitarian standards in the countries we work, from start to finish of the process.
On Eid, sacrifices are done humanely and hygienically, with meat immediately distributed to the needy without waste. Your generosity impacts families in Canada, worldwide, and especially in conflict zones like Yemen and Syria.
Thank you for choosing to do your sacrifice through Islamic Relief!
Islamic Relief field teams assess needs to identify vulnerable communities, including orphan sponsorship households, femaleheaded households, those below the national poverty line, conflict-affected households, and the poorest of the poor.
We collaborate with local communities and agencies to ensure eligible households receive Qurbani and have their needs addressed
Your Qurbani/Udhiya reaches those in need, providing an average of 4 kilograms of meat, feeding a family for a week. Your donations offer access to high quality meat, sometimes the only one they enjoy all year.
Throughout the blessed 10 days, Islamic Relief Canada collects your Qurbani donations to provide Qurbani/Udhiya and feed the poorest of the poor. We prepurchase approximately 20% more animals in order to fulfill all incoming requests.
Our work does not end once a rightsholder receives your Qurbani. They remain in our system to continue receiving support through other projects and funds implemented in the area until they are selfsufficient.
Field offices source high-quality animals (sheep, goats, cows, or buffalo) from local farms and traders, ensuring value for money and providing high-quality meat to rights-holders.
Transportation and logistics are managed for the animals' welfare, and meat handling, packing, and distribution adhere to strict hygiene standards.
Veterinarians and health officials inspect animal health, care, and meat freshness before distribution.
Local Imams, scholars, and skilled butchers monitor and perform sacrifices in compliance with Shariah through community-led action.
Thank you for readily extending your hand to the world's most vulnerable this Dhul Hijjah, and making them a part of your community with love compassion!and
From British Columbia to Halifax, you celebrated the love of community alongside our local partners to help feed over 9,000 low income families, refugees, and food insecure Canadians through your Qurbani. We appreciate seeing our community come together to give back during this season of sacrifice and giving.
Afghanistan
6,857 Qurbanis
68,570 Individuals
Albania
661 Qurbanis
6,610 Individuals
Bangladesh
8,509 Qurbanis
85,090 Individuals
Bangladesh (Rohingya Refugees)
8,187 Qurbanis
81,870 Individuals
Bosnia & Herzegovina
933 Qurbanis
9,330 Individuals
Canada
234 Qurbanis
9,384 Individuals
Chechnya
1,233 Qurbanis
12,330 Individuals
Ethiopia
7,916 Qurbanis
118,740 Individuals
Indonesia
338 Qurbanis
3,380 Individuals
Iraq
589 Qurbanis
5,890 Individuals
Jordan
1,717 Qurbanis
17,170 Individuals
Kenya
18,641 Qurbanis
186,410 Individuals
Kosovo
3,821 Qurbanis
38,210 Individuals
Lebanon
534 Qurbanis
5,340 Individuals
Malawi
12,488 Qurbanis
124,880Individuals
Mali
33,315 Qurbanis
399,780 Individuals
Nepal
2,052 Qurbanis
20,520 Individuals
Niger
34,023 Qurbanis
408,276 Individuals
North Macedonia
374 Qurbanis
3,740 Individuals
Pakistan
7,707 Qurbanis
77,070 Individuals
Palestine (Gaza)
1,007 Qurbanis
10,070 Individuals
Philippines
630 Qurbanis
6,300 Individuals
Somalia
20,187 Qurbanis
201,870 Individuals
South Africa
1,925 Qurbanis
19,250 Individuals
South Sudan
4,181 Qurbanis
41,810 Individuals
Sri Lanka
6,764 Qurbanis
67,640 Individuals
Sudan
984 Qurbanis
9,840 Individuals
Syria
836 Qurbanis
8,360 Individuals
Turkiye
1,410 Qurbanis
14,100 Individuals
Yemen
5,249 Qurbanis
52,490 Individuals
With more than 11.5 million people across Ethiopia requiring emergency food aid throughout the year, meat is a luxury that families can only enjoy during the month of Dhul Hijjah.
This is the reality for Bahriya’s family, “Today, buying and eating meat is extremely difficult. For a household like ours, a kilogram of meat costs more than 1200 ETB [~ $30 CAD]. It is too expensive.”
Bahriya is a mother of 3 and diligently takes care of her household. Her husband Nuri is a street vendor.
"I have no means of income. I spend most of my time taking care of my children at home. My husband, Nuri, sells plastic bags at Mercato as a street vendor. He used to sell his plastic bags for a tiny profit, and this barely covers our daily dietary needs. Unfortunately, he has since stopped working his street business as it needs considerably more money to operate.”
Bahriya has had to sell her jewelry to pay their rent and the family still struggles to make ends meet.
Through Islamic Relief’s Qurbani meat distributions, Bahriya and her family were able to enjoy nutritious meals and meat that will last them 2 months. Bahriya gratefully stated, “I want to thank Islamic Relief and all of those who donated Qurbani meat packs. I also ask Allah (SWT) to accept it as a Sadaqah and bless them.”
For families like Bahriya’s, the thousands of meat packs you have funded act as a lifeline.
Right now, the world stands on the brink of unprecedented famines. Throughout the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, we were able to respond to the conflict, climate and hunger crisis in Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia where more than 20 million people are facing starvation.
Your Zakat helped here!
Ethiopia | Somalia | Kenya | South Sudan | Sudan
We are on the ground in every one of these countries, working to deliver life-saving food, water, and nutritional support to displaced, host and vulnerable communities facing hunger across the region.
As part of the Humanitarian Coalition , your donations made to Islamic Relief Canada between May 1 to June 30, 2023 were matched by the Government of Canada. Through our government matching campaign, your impact was doubled and is helping us to reach more children, women and the elderly suffering from extreme hunger, conflict and climate change.
In Somalia and Kenya, your donations have already provided 18,000 rights-holders with unconditional cash transfers, emergency water trucking and water purification tablets. Plans are underway in Ethiopia and South Sudan to provide cash assistance, support local food systems, rehabilitate water sources, distribute hygiene kits and train rights-holders in best hygiene practices and awareness of gender-based violence.
Hundreds of thousands across Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia are receiving hygiene kits, cash grants, water facilities, training, and awareness campaigns in gender-based violence, nutrition and hygiene. Families fleeing conflict in Sudan are additionally receiving psychosocial support and recreational items.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the support we are providing, and we look forward to reporting on all of our East Africa Crisis Appeal projects YOU made possible at the end of the year, inshaAllah!
RIGHTS-HOLDERS
68,111 individuals
Donations given for
13,125 Qurbanis are being matched to provide additional aid to these communities
5 Ongoing Projects
Your Zakat is an Amanah, and we take that trust very seriously. At Islamic Relief Canada, we follow a scholar-verified Zakat Policy to ensure your Zakat reaches as many poor and needy people as possible to transform their lives.
This ensures that Islamic principles are adhered to every step of the way from project design and community fundraising discussions to project implementation. Our projects take a community-based approach, sourcing essential items from local vendors, creating programs that best serve their needs, and supporting rights-holders to take ownership from start to finish.
We strive to ensure that your Zakat empowers the individuals and families who receive it, and ultimately contributes to bringing them out of the difficult circumstances they are in.
To read more about our scholar-verified Zakat policy, visit us at islamicrelief.ca/zakat-policy
Islamic Relief identifies those well below Nisab, working with the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable. This includes orphan households, single female-headed households, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
Once Zakat donations are collected, Islamic Relief Canada wires funds to be disbursed to the field offices for immediate distribution and implementation on the ground.
Our caseworkers, staff and volunteers in our field offices use a standardized system to collect information, record notes and categorize to determine the support that each individual and family needs.
Your Zakat reaches the hands of those who need it most, providing rights-holders with the tools to support themselves and pass it on to the next generation.
Throughout the year, Islamic Relief Canada collects your Zakat donations to continuously fund projects that assist the poorest of the poor.
Our work does not end once a rights-holder receives your Zakat donations. They remain in our system to continue receiving support through projects and funds implemented in the area until they are self-sufficient.
Your Zakat donations this Dhul Hijjah were allocated to continue funding our many ongoing Zakat-eligible projects, providing for the needs of 908,644 people worldwide.
Thank you for readily extending your hand to the world's most vulnerable, and making them a part of your community with love and compassion!
Impact of Zakat Donations for 2023
908,644+ People Being Reached
55 Zakat Projects Supported
Islamic Relief’s new Qurbani+ microfinance program helps give ownership to local families in need and improves their incomeearning opportunities in the communities where we fulfill Qurbani.
This is how it works:
1. To select these families, our teams conduct a needs assessment, focusing on women-headed, widowed, orphaned and poor households to join the Qurbani+ microfinance project.
2. Our teams in Pakistan and Sudan purchase healthy livestock months in advance. Families then receive the animals along with skills training in animal rearing and climate-resilient practices. This equips them with the knowledge and resources to rear the animals in the best possible way, gaining income from the animals over the year.
3. During the Qurbani season the following year, families can then sell their fattened animals at market price, and invest the profit they gain into purchasing more animals.
Your donation acts as a Sadaqah Jariyah, empowering families and sustaining communities for years to come. This is how the sustainable change cycle continues!
Have been distributed
142 Families Provided Incomegenerating Opportunities
This year, you are helping to fund an Umrah trip in 2024* for the orphan families we serve from Pakistan and Turkiye! Your donations are directly giving poor, orphan families the funds to afford and purchase an Umrah kit, visa, transportation, and other costs related to performing Umrah.
By easing the financial burden and expense of Umrah, you are connecting the poor and marginalized of our Ummah to the sacred and beloved House of Allah. Thank you for sharing the joy of spiritual healing.
Estimated to Travel for Umrah
*This Umrah trip is planned for 2024 inshaAllah. In the event of any unforeseen circumstances that alter plans for this trip, funds collected for this purpose will be directed where most needed to continue supporting orphan families and any critical needs they have.
Your kindness gifted smiles to orphans and vulnerable children on Eid day through new clothes, shoes, school bags and educational material, toys, and sweets. These gifts full of joy were distributed across 18 countries including Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, and Palestine!
Thank you for helping spread the joy of Eid globally to 46,025 children and letting them know that someone is thinking of them.
Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your continued support and kindness for the world’s most vulnerable.
You gave from what you loved, and 2.2 million people felt your love this Dhul Hijjah.
May Allah accept all our efforts and sacrifices in this blessed month and help us continue working together to build a better future for all.
We could not have done it without you, thank you.
