Impact Report 2020 I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
1
2
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Contents 3 INTRODUCTION 4
COVID-19 RESPONSE
8
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
14
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
24
OUR HELP AT HOME
33
ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP
35
SEASONAL PROJECTS
Ramadan Food Packs · Zakat al-Fitr · Fidya
Qurbani & Udhiya · Aqiqah
Winter Warmth
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
1
IN 2020
60+
projects
1.5 million people
2
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
WHO WE ARE Islamic Relief works in over 40 countries worldwide, providing life-saving humanitarian aid to those in need, and fighting poverty through sustainable development projects. Inspired by faith, we serve everyone in need regardless of gender, race or religion. We help impoverished communities access basic services, including education, water, sanitation, and healthcare. Through livelihood projects, skills development and mentorship, we help communities break the cycle of poverty. Our integrated approach to progress helps transform lives worldwide.
OUR WORK THIS YEAR By the Grace of God and your generous donations, we are grateful to share the impact of the work you have supported this year. This impact report features a collection of all the projects we initiated this year, which continue to complement our previous and ongoing work from past years. Because of you, we have reached over 1.5 million people in 2020, and implemented more than 60 projects to help bring relief and break the cycle of poverty. Every donation you made this year, helped fill someone’s heart with happiness.
Thank you for your continued generosity and care.
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
3
4
Covid-19 Response ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
HOW DID THE PANDEMIC IMPACT ISLAMIC RELIEF OVERALL?
HOW DID WE SAFELY CONTINUE TO DELIVER AID?
WHAT DID OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE CONSIST OF?
WHAT WERE WE ABLE TO ACHIEVE?
The Covid-19 pandemic gave way to extraordinary circumstances this Ramadan. As the crisis unfolded, our teams all over the world quickly pivoted to prioritize safety, protection and assistance for those who were most vulnerable.
With every precaution to protect our beneficiaries, staff and volunteers, we continued safely delivering your support in every way possible.
We delivered hygiene essentials to vulnerable populations, as well as masks, gloves, medical equipment and urgent support to health centres. We helped establish isolation centres and strengthen existing health centres.
While the pandemic required us to be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances and safety recommendations, your support allowed us to persevere and continue our service. Despite the lockdown and extraordinary circumstances, your donations remained in safe hands.
To ensure proper considerations were made for the safety of those involved, certain development projects were initially slowed, and are now being monitored and resumed in accordance with public health guidelines. By the grace of God and because of your support, the pandemic did not slow our resolve to continue our work, rather it pushed us to become even more creative and work more collaboratively to reach those most in need.
This meant more careful planning and continuous fever checks, handwashing, protective gear, and physical distancing while preparing and delivering aid. Handwashing stations and distance markings on the floor were prepared in advance to protect our beneficiaries and reduce contact as much as possible.
We worked alongside UN agencies, governments and faith leaders to spread verified messaging on safe practices and protection, through sermons, prayers and messaging via radio, leaflets, posters, and social media. While addressing the primary health impact of Covid-19, we are also protecting against the long term and secondary economic impacts that will continue to affect the most vulnerable in the months and years to come. This means continuing to work across multiple sectors to support children’s education, family livelihoods, orphan sponsorships and the needs of female-headed households.
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
5
WHICH COUNTRIES DID WE PROVIDE COVID-19 RELIEF? In addition to our ongoing projects, Islamic Relief Canada specifically sent Covid-19 relief to the following focus countries with your donations, due to their extreme need and low capacity to handle this health crisis as well as other countries. Other countries were still simultaneously supported by partner Islamic Relief offices and global efforts. In addition to these Covid-19 specific health responses, we also took care to anticipate the exacerbated needs that Covid-19 brought across all other sectors. This meant that for all our larger projects, we integrated components from multiple sectors such as livelihood, protection, and water and sanitation, for a more comprehensive Covid-19 approach to help combat the spread of the virus as well as address the secondary impacts of the pandemic.
6
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
AFGHANISTAN Providing hygiene kits, personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and raising awareness within the communities in Herat. We also worked to support the capacity gaps of the Department of Public Health through facilitating case referrals and assisting with ambulance transportation to hospitals. BENEFICIARIES
33,966 individuals
PALESTINE Enhancing public health measures by providing essential disinfectant material and protection tools, such as 3D printed face shields and respirators in collaboration with Glia. These items are equipping municipalities to disinfect public buildings such as quarantine centers and schools in Gaza. Our response supports the Ministry of Health efforts for health facilities and medical workers who are in need of urgent supplies. BENEFICIARIES
3,945 health workers
PAKISTAN In Balochistan, provided medical supplies, personal protective equipment, sanitizers, gloves, disinfectants, and masks to assist the health department with the management and containment of Covid-19, benefitting 10,657 individuals. In North and South Waziristan, provided medical supplies in quarantine centers and designated hospitals where Covid-19 cases are being managed. This also included the installation of hand washing facilities along with necessary materials needed at designated hospitals. Food supplies and cash assistance are being given to the most vulnerable people affected by Covid-19 due to being in quarantine in very remote regions. These efforts are helping 23,000 individuals.
SYRIA Providing personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gowns and gloves, disinfectants, to 50 facilities in Northwest Syria, as well medical items including antipyretics, nebulizers, nebulization masks, ICU beds and isolation tents. BENEFICIARIES
100,000 individuals
TUNISIA Providing protective gear, medical supplies, aspirators and patient monitors to strengthen Intensive Care Units of multiple hospitals that are treating critical cases of Covid-19. Additionally providing equipment to Al-Alia hospital in Bizerte to facilitate laboratory analysis. BENEFICIARIES
2,500 individuals
YEMEN Creating an isolation centre equipped with medicines, medical supplies, and medical equipment, while also raising awareness and educating the community to control the spread of Covid-19. This also includes providing urgently needed food to patients. The isolation center is considered to be the largest one in the area serving both Amanat Al Asimah and Sanaa Governorates, and all severe Covid-19 cases are referred there. BENEFICIARIES
4 cities
BENEFICIARIES
33,657 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
7
8
Emergency Response ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BANGLADESH Cyclone Bulbul Recovery Project
Early Recovery Assistance to Cyclone Amphan Survivors
Emergency Monsoon Floods Response in Jamalpur
Emergency Humanitarian Support in Cox’s Bazar
Continuing to respond to the aftermath of the cyclone that hit in November 2019, by providing shelter kits, hygiene supplies and living essentials to affected families in the Satkhira District. Helping to restore livelihoods by providing families with agricultural and home gardening resources, as well as cash for work opportunities to rehabilitate community spaces and infrastructure.
Providing aid in the Satkhira District to help survivors of the cyclone that hit in May 2020, working with the poorest and most vulnerable people. This response helped provide food packages, agricultural supplies like high-yielding seeds and fertilizer, and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Hygiene promotion sessions were also conducted to improve hygiene facilities and awareness.
Helping to strengthen the capacity of communities in Jamalpur affected by monsoon floods, as well as supporting local health centres with medical equipment to help fight the spread of Covid-19. This is done through providing access to shelter, dignified sanitation facilities, flood resilient tube wells, fast-growing seeds and fertilizer, immediate food supplies to those most in need, with a special focus on female-headed households.
This response was focused on improving the living conditions of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar. This included building a shelter to provide safety and security for the refugees, along with handwashing stations, bathing facilities and latrines to give them a more dignified quality of life. Solar lighting was also installed to ensure safety for girls and women going to the sanitation facilities. Hygiene kits, PPE and essential supplies were also distributed to families, health staff and volunteers to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
BENEFICIARIES
6,560 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
BENEFICIARIES
5,100 individuals
8,980 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
22,425 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
9
ETHIOPIA & SUDAN Tigray Refugee Crisis Response
Working to urgently assist refugee families crossing over from Ethiopia into Sudan who are in desperate need of health and sanitation support. Assistance is being provided in the form of water storage tanks and emergency latrines, to support immediate needs, as well as hygiene supplies such as masks and disinfectant to protect against the spread of Covid-19. Our teams will be continuously monitoring the situation to assess further unmet needs as a result of this crisis. BENEFICIARIES
1,196 individuals
’
LEBANON Beirut Explosion Emergency Response
Emergency Shelter, WASH, Livelihood and Protection Response
Emergency Food Aid for Lebanese Communities
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, we provided vulnerable families in Beirut with food parcels to cover urgent food needs for 1 month, as well as household hygiene kits to protect against the spread of Covid-19. We also provided medical supplies to two primary health centres that were in need, in a coordinated effort with other humanitarian agencies to support affected hospitals and health centres. Our teams simultaneously were working to clear debris from the streets, buildings and people’s homes.
Continuing a more comprehensive socioeconomic recovery response for vulnerable families and those affected by the explosion. Due to the widespread financial crisis throughout Lebanon, this project is supporting beneficiaries across Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Akkar and Bekaa. Efforts include rebuilding homes, providing safe water tanks, hygiene kits, generating sustainable income activities and prioritizing care for youth, femaleheaded households and gender based violence survivors. The project also includes training and awareness sessions to protect the rights and safety of women and girls, through a collaborative community approach to ensure long term results.
Providing urgent food packs and nutrition supplies to vulnerable Lebanese communities within the Bekaa Valley. As families struggled to feed their families in the face of an economic and health crisis, this support brought relief to those in poor living conditions, remote areas and those who are suffering nutritionally. Distributions were conducted in Bireh, Saadnayel, Lala, Khirbet Rouha, Jub Janine, Bar Elias, Rafid, and Taalabaya.
BENEFICIARIES
9,225 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
8,750 individuals 10
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BENEFICIARIES
5,882 individuals
MALI
PAKISTAN
Emergency Water & Sanitation Response
Emergency Food Response to Conflict Affected Populations
Emergency Winter Response in Balochistan
Flash Floods Response in Karachi
Providing urgent support in the Circle of Gourma Rharous, to families who have been displaced due to violence and are struggling to survive without clean water. This response helped increase access to safe, potable water through the rehabilitation of drinking water points, while consulting and including women and girls who primarily are the ones to collect water. It also focused on strengthening social cohesion through the formation of genderinclusive committees, and conducting training sessions to improve hygiene practices, ensure child protection and help prevent genderbased violence.
Providing urgent food assistance to families displaced because of ongoing conflict and violence who were in critical need of basic food items. Through the use of flexible food vouchers, beneficiaries were able to exchange these for food items of their choice that best met their needs and priorities. Without food reserves, these families were previously struggling to eat one meal a day, and this response helped them secure access to 3 meals a day.
Responding to those impacted by the disastrous winter storms in Balochistan, by providing livelihood, hygiene, sanitation, and health support to vulnerable households. To assist families meet their basic needs in a dignified way, multi purpose cash grants were given to the most vulnerable. Hygiene supplies were provided along with awareness sessions to help communities prevent the spread of Covid-19. Life saving medicine and medical supplies were provided to public health centres in disaster affected areas. Local government authorities were also provided with training on gender protection to enhance gender equality in emergency responses.
Responding to vulnerable families affected by unprecedented floods brought on by severe monsoon rains. To help families meet their basic needs in a dignified way, multi purpose cash grants were given to the most vulnerable. This allowed them to obtain urgent food, basic supplies and living essentials to meet each family’s individual needs.
BENEFICIARIES
6,000 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
2,376 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
2,961 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
43,298 individuals I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
11
PHILIPPINES
SOMALIA
SOUTH SUDAN
SUDAN
Cyclone Emergency Response for Typhoon Goni
Flood Response in Belet Weyne
Terekeka Flood Emergency Response in Central Equatoria State
Shelter and WASH Support for FloodAffected Communities in West Kordofan
This project is providing shelter repair kits and essential supplies to households needing recovery, along with safer shelter construction training. The response will also ensure quality education for children continues by providing teachers and students with the proper equipment and materials. Special priority will be given to advocate for the specific needs of groups of people, based on gender, age, disability or other vulnerability criteria so that they are protected against violence and have equal access to humanitarian aid without discrimination.
For families devastated by flash flooding, we provided cash support especially to femaleheaded households to access urgent food and their most immediate needs in a dignified manner. Shelter materials, mosquito nets, and mosquito sprays were distributed to prevent the spread of malaria and dengue fever.
This response is focused on flood affected groups who are especially vulnerable due to being young children, elderly, people living with HIV –who are immunocompromised and can easily be exposed to several diseases– and being displaced. Families are receiving urgent food supplies to prevent acute hunger and starvation. To increase safety for women and children, they are also being provided with temporary shelter materials and sanitation items. The response includes hygiene training and community capacity building to help prevent the spread of disease as well as the Covid-19.
Our project was focused on improving water, sanitation and hygiene conditions for floodaffected households. This included providing emergency shelter kits, mosquito nets, hygiene and dignity kits and water purification materials. We are continuing to work on rehabilitating water sources and pumps, building and rehabilitating latrines, as well as improving hygiene conditions and awareness. Femaleheaded households, the elderly, children, and people with disabilities were prioritized to ensure that we reach those who are most vulnerable. A gendersensitive approach is also taken to empower women and girls with hygiene knowledge and supplies.
BENEFICIARIES
2,500 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
1,705 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
9,000 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
25,000 individuals 12
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
SYRIA
TURKEY
YEMEN
Emergency Response to Displaced Families from Idlib
Emergency Support for Uighur Refugees
Emergency Food, WASH & Livelihood Assistance in Amran
Responding to the vast displacement of families who escaped deadly escalations and bombardments in Idlib, and were trying to survive freezing temperatures. This included providing highly needed tents, blankets, plastic sheeting and mattresses to vulnerable families through flexible vouchers. This allowed families to select the items of their choice to better meet their specific needs, and helps preserve the dignity of each family.
Distributing urgent food support as well as clothing vouchers to help vulnerable Uighur refugees who were living in harsh winter conditions in Istanbul, and struggling to make ends meet. Our teams are conducted in-depth assessments to appropriately tailor support to each household, with special attention given to women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities due to their heightened vulnerability.
In the face of the devastating impacts of conflict, famine and health crises, this response is assisting families in dire need in the Amran Governorate. Our teams distributed emergency food baskets to households, and are providing employment opportunities to families through cash for work activities. The participants of this project will be engaged in creating, rehabilitating or protecting community assets in their areas. The goal is for the participants to be given ownership and maintain the sustainability of the project. Examples of community assets include roads, small bodies of water such as ponds, agricultural terraces, and more.
BENEFICIARIES BENEFICIARIES
22,519 individuals
4,550 individuals
The response also includes rehabilitating two water sources in Amran, by installing a new water pump and a water pump powered by solar system. This is supplemented by the training of a committee of locals who can take over management of these sources, performing routine water quality testing and distributing chlorine tablets, to ensure that the community has access to safe and clean drinking water. The local committees will also be responsible for hosting hygiene awareness and learning sessions. Hygiene kits were also distributed in the region to protect against Covid-19. BENEFICIARIES
10,360 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
13
14
Development Projects ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
OUR INTEGRATED APPROACH Islamic Relief employs an integrated approach in our emergency response and development work, and that is why we design our projects to combine multiple sectors. This means our projects can address a number of cross-cutting issues at the same time, which allows us to serve communities in the way that best meets their needs, This ensures both an amplified impact and sustainable change.
FOOD
HEALTH
SHELTER
Implementing innovative food solutions globally to improve food security, sustainability, and maternal health, and fight malnutrition.
Saving lives by providing urgent medical support for hospitals and clinics, increasing access to health and psychosocial services, and improving disease prevention.
Ensuring adequate shelter and safety for families, women and children who are affected by conflict, disasters, poverty, and the impacts of climate change.
EDUCATION
LIVELIHOOD
WASH
Increasing access to equitable education, improving standards and facilities, and investing in better capacity for teachers and caregivers.
Empowering families to run their own businesses and implement innovative solutions, as a vital key to bringing communities out of poverty.
Working to ensure that greater water equality, sanitation and hygiene is achieved to improve the basic health of the communities.
EMERGENCY
PROTECTION
Responding immediately in the face of conflict and disasters, saving lives through urgent food, water and medical support, and helping families rebuild after.
Building safer and more equitable communities for women and girls by fighting gender-based violence, inequality and poverty, and advocating for human rights and dignity for all.
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
15
BANGLADESH
JORDAN
LEBANON
Prevention Of Child Marriage
Capacity Building for Women in Cox’s Bazar
Education and Shelter Support for Syrian Refugees and Host Communities
Enhancing Resilience and Improving Food Security For Vulnerable Syrian Refugees
Recognizing the pressing issue of early marriage in Rangpur, this project is working to empower communities to develop new norms and practices to end the practice. It aims to mobilize communities by generating awareness about the harmful effect of early marriage in society. This is done by building wider public opinion about the issue by partnering with local opinion leaders, religious leaders and elected representatives. Selected vulnerable families are also receiving financial support and grants to sustain their livelihoods, which has proven to be one of the drivers for early marriage.
This project is helping to build the capacity of female firstresponders and local female leadership in humanitarian responses, which is necessary to meet the needs of families across the camps. This is done through empowering Rohingya women and adolescent girls to be transformative leaders, through knowledge, skills and community training with cultural sensitivities in mind. Men, boys and leaders will also be engaged to raise awareness and change harmful beliefs about women and girls. Through this project, women are able to meaningfully participate in community management and decision-making, as well as advocate for protecting the rights of Rohingya women and girls.
Providing the children of both refugee and host communities with wellrounded opportunities for education and growth. This project aims to provide online academic support such as remedial classes in Arabic, Math, and English for children who are out of school, orphans, or need a little extra help. It also provides extracurricular activities such as drama, art, sports, storytelling, and basic agriculture along with psychosocial programs in a safe space. Families are provided with rent support to help reduce school dropout rates. This project focuses on the protection of women and children through support for violence survivors, as well as providing hygiene awareness and kits.
Helping to improve the living conditions of vulnerable Syrian refugees living in across 3 different shelters in Saida, through providing food and other essential support. This helps cover the basic nutritional needs of these families who are struggling to survive in the midst of Lebanon’s financial crisis and pandemic restrictions. This response prioritizes female-headed households who are especially vulnerable and unable to feed their families, and helps alleviate negative survival strategies around food, clean water, and health.
BENEFICIARIES
300 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
3,348 individuals 16
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BENEFICIARIES
1,300 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
358 individuals
MALI
MYANMAR
Supporting Economic Recovery and Resilience in the Circle of Douentza
Working across 5 villages, this project is focused on enhancing the resilience and socioeconomic recovery of vulnerable households within the Circle of Douentza. For extremely poor and food insecure households affected by conflict or climate change, cash grants, short cycle seeds, and vaccinated cows are being provided to assist with immediate recovery and increase income levels. A cereal bank is being formed and managed by a women’s cooperative to ensure resilience in lean seasons. A microdam is being established to help
harvest rainwater, irrigate agriculture and increase rice production. Also included is the establishment of fish farming and vegetable gardens, as well as training in climate adaptive farming techniques and business management. A special focus is placed on fostering social cohesion through conflict management and peace plans, as well as working with faith leaders to advocate for the protection of women and children, across the 5 communities. BENEFICIARIES
4,520 individuals
NEPAL
Food Security, Livelihood, and WASH Facilities in Rakhine State
Preventing Domestic Violence through SocioEconomic Empowerment
In this multi-year project, we are providing support to vulnerable households with a focus on women to improve their financial situations. Through skill training for youth and the introduction of income generating activities, extremely poor and vulnerable households are able to generate a steady and livable income. The project is also improving water, sanitation and hygiene facilities through the camps, as well as constructing solar street lights and distributing solar lights to the most vulnerable families to ensure their safety at night.
In the face of extreme poverty and poor social conditions, women in the Rautahat district face the highest physical violence and abuse cases in the country. This project is working to mitigate the violence cycle, by providing women with livelihood opportunities, education and training support. It also provides health and psychosocial counselling, and gendersensitive toilets and washing facilities for an all encompassing approach to ending gender-based violence. BENEFICIARIES
17,933 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
29,394 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
17
PAKISTAN North Waziristan Initiative for Economic Uplifting
Ensuring socioeconomic sustainability and resilience of communities in North Waziristan, with a particular focus on women and girls. The project helps improve food security by establishing fruit and forest plant nurseries, supporting and training farming cooperatives, and equipping women farmers with market-based skill development, kitchen gardening resources, poultry and livestock Environmentally conscious water
18
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Transformation and Adaptation Against Climate Variability
technology is established through rain water harvesting ponds and irrigation structures. Young entrepreneurs and livelihoods are supported through grants and capacity building, and the community is involved in adopting climateadaptive practices and gender-inclusive decision making for better social cohesion and sustainability. BENEFICIARIES
28,503 individuals
This project is focused on increasing drought resilience through water use efficiency and indigenous and sustainable access to food security in the Quetta and Harnai districts, with a focus on women and girls. This includes installing clean water sources for domestic use as well as public water stations, establishing agricultural irrigation systems and constructing water reservoirs for climate adaptive agriculture. This is accompanied by food security training for
farmers and community members to help improve off-season vegetable production, and providing them with drought tolerant seeds. To sustain long term effects, this project also includes policy advocacy for public climate adaptive mechanisms, as well as improved planning and budgeting for better awareness and hygiene practices around Covid-19. BENEFICIARIES
16,800 individuals
PALESTINE
PHILIPPINES
Child Development & Recovering Wellbeing (Phase 4)
Social Safety Net (Phase 2)
Sustaining Transformative & Resilient Initiatives in Vulnerable Communitie
Gaza’s youth are being provided with special support, counselling, workshops, and training to cope and overcome the traumas of war and loss. This multi-year project prioritized the most vulnerable groups and their caregivers, working with local partners to provide psychosocial support services. Our assistance gives these partners a way to continue these much-needed programs long term, and successfully replicate the same program with new groups of children.
Providing protection for the most vulnerable households in the Gaza Strip through food vouchers, rent subsidies, medicines and personal health supplies, school materials and tuition for children with disabilities. Each family receives tailored support based on their individual needs, which helps preserve their dignity in difficult circumstances. This project applies the Family Empowerment Model (FEM) as an integrated approach that aims to transition vulnerable households from dependency to resilience and self-reliance. This focuses on households that have forms of vulnerabilities, but also have high potentials and vision for improving their livelihoods towards a successful future and dignified life.
This 3 year project is helping to revive and strengthen the local economic activities such as farming and fishing, local industries and other forms of livelihoods in Ranao. This is done through the formation of self help groups, enhancing local skills, improving technology and promoting innovative and transformative solutions to resource management and climate change adaptation. Islamic interest-free microfinance is also introduced to enable these communities to access halal and just forms of capitalization and resources. Stipends are also being given to
BENEFICIARIES
10,000 individuals
families to keep 600 young children in school, to reduce drop-out rates, and selected schools are provided with any necessary refurbishments for better access to water and sanitation, libraries, laboratories or recreational materials. Local governance will be supported to implement innovative solutions to outstanding problems of resource depletion, disaster risk reduction, environmental protection and livelihood sustainability. BENEFICIARIES
4,218 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
4,760 individuals I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
19
SOMALIA
SOUTH SUDAN
Health, Education, Agriculture and Livelihood Project (Phase 2)
Promoting Gender Equality and Resilient Livelihoods
This project aims to improve the livelihood of vulnerable communities in five different ways. Providing primary health care services through a health facility. Supporting the current school in the local district through training and teaching materials for students. Increasing food security by supporting farming households with low-cost, highquality agricultural technology to increase food production. Strengthening community level resilience with microfinancing and skills improvements training provided to women. Finally, improving sanitation through construction of culturally appropriate latrines for the affected communities.
This project is helping to increase the resilience of vulnerable populations in the Eastern Equatoria State through a twopronged communitybased approach. The first aspect helps to improve protection and access to structured psychosocial services for survivors of genderbased violence, through the formation of women and child-friendly spaces and community based protection committees. The second aspect helps to enhance livelihoods of vulnerable farmer households, and especially female farmers. Through specialized agricultural and irrigation training, farmers are able to
BENEFICIARIES
90,000 individuals 20
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
tackle the challenges they are facing in food production, and implement sustainable agricultural practices to grow more food and gain better income. To assist with this, solar installations and drip irrigation systems are being upgraded and repaired. Farmers are being equipped with training on disease surveillance and livestock husbandry, as well as much needed vaccinations and restocking of veterinary drugs, to prevent the loss of livestock. BENEFICIARIES
35,700 individuals
SRI LANKA
SUDAN
Improving Living Conditions of Orphan Families & Communities in Ampara District
The project works to provide sustainable solutions and economically empower selected orphan families who are living in extreme poverty. This is done through increasing access to quality education, building individualized family business plans, providing skills development and vocational training, and establishing community self-help networks, with a special focus on women and girls. This will lead to improved skills and livelihoods for widows. Schools will also be rehabilitated with latrines and hand washing facilities, as well as hygiene
Access to Safe Drinking Water for Al Rahad Locality in North Kordofan
awareness sessions provided to help prevent Covid-19. School kits are provided to the orphans, as well as counselling sessions and skill development to encourage their continued education. This will result in a better learning environment and stronger self development for orphans. Support, expertise and training will be provided to the community to enhance child protection and help respond to and prevent gender-based violence. BENEFICIARIES
7,834 individuals
To reduce the cases of water borne diseases and increase access to clean and safe drinking water, this project is installing over 20 hand pumps and upgrading solar power water systems. This includes training the community in health, hygiene and improved water usage, as well as involving communities in the consultation and implementation process to ensure that they get the most benefit out of the project. It also includes establishing a local water point committee who are trained in managing mechanical operations and maintenance funds,
as well as a local team for hygiene promotion and community education. 50% of them are women to minimize gender disparity in access to safe water. Hygiene sessions are focused on the importance of proper and consistent use of latrines, proper handwashing practices, proper storage of water, cholera prevention mechanisms, and Covid-19 prevention. BENEFICIARIES
20,850 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
21
SYRIA
TUNISIA
Water & Sanitation Services in Northwest Syria
Orphanage Support in Aleppo
Supporting Rehabilitation Unit in Sarmada
Supporting Libyan Refugees (Phase 2)
This project aims to help alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable and displaced Syrians and their host communities with emergency water and sanitation services across Aleppo and Idlib. These services included establishing a solar powered network for water pumps and sewage, as well as improving waste disposal, living environments and hygiene conditions. It also focuses on the improved quality of basic education for 2724 school children through the construction and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities in camp schools. To help combat the spread of Covid-19, specialized hygiene kits are being provided along with increased hygiene awareness and promotion.
The ongoing conflict in Syria has resulted in the deaths of many adult men, leaving their children as orphans. This project is designed to support hundreds of orphan children and their families in the Aleppo Governorate, by providing them with monthly food parcels and hygiene kits. This monthly gift helps reduce some of the financial burden faced by the children and their single mothers or other caregivers. This helps alleviate protection risks such as child labour, child or forced marriage of adolescent girls, psychosocial distress, family separation, and lack of basic and societal protections.
The Sarmada Rehabilitation Centre in Idlib opened its doors in 2014. This centre, which is the first of its kind in the city, helps rehabilitate patients experiencing trauma or recovering from surgeries. Other services offered include nursing and physiotherapy departments, a pathology laboratory and ambulance transport. With your support the centre is able to continue providing medicine, specialized treatments and cover operational costs that allows it to keep running.
This project is helping Libyan migrants settle in Tunisia by strengthening their urban settlement capabilities through access to basic services in three different sectors. In the health sector, the project will provide access to quality health services such as doctor consultations, laboratory analysis and medicines. Psycho-social and protection services will continue to be made available for migrants who have experienced trauma as well as more general activities for stress and anxiety relief. Education is another key factor of this project with the provision of school bags, libraries, and training for teachers.
BENEFICIARIES
233,510 individuals
22
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BENEFICIARIES
13,884 individuals
BENEFICIARIES BENEFICIARIES
633 individuals
4,700 individuals
TURKEY Smiles for Syrian Orphans
The project will directly contribute to better integrate orphaned refugee Syrian children in the community and positively influence their personal development through improving their social skills and mental health. The project works to provide a supportive environment for these children through access to meals, art supplies, activities, gifts, and psychological support. This helps positively influence their personal development, social skills and mental health, and helps integrate them into society more easily.
New in 2 0 2 0!
ISLAMIC GENDER JUSTICE DECLARATION
Pakistan, Mali, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jordan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia
To play our part in fighting gender injustice, we have committed half a million dollars to combat gender based violence through the Islamic Gender Justice Declaration. This is a four year-long commitment to achieving gender justice internationally by tackling the root causes of inequality. Practically, this project will help guide advocacy, education, training, tool kits and programs to fight gender injustices across multiple countries. It will also focus on strengthening organizational capacity and community mobilization to transform gender norms within communities.
BENEFICIARIES
500 children
It calls on Muslim and civil society organizations to pledge their support and work to ensure the representation and amplify the voices of Muslim women by advocating for equality, justice and access to opportunities at a global, regional and national level. I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
23
Our Help at Home Building our country up through service and positive contributions 24
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
EMERGENCY RESPONSE Covid-19 Response for Vulnerable Communities During Covid-19 lockdowns, many of us were able to stock up on basic necessities like food, hygiene supplies and toilet paper. But this was not the case for our most vulnerable communities, many of whom already face challenges with food insecurity and poverty. We worked with various partner organizations through the Canadian Muslim Response Network to identify and support many of these families across Canada. For three months, our efforts focused on the provision of family hygiene kits, food kits, financial assistance, masks, face shields and sanitizer to health care workers, shelters
long-term facilities, mosques and vulnerable families and individuals. Financial assistance was provided to vulnerable families, refugees and isolated elderly members of the community through the form of food vouchers to local grocery stores as well as prepaid cash gift cards. This enabled families to purchase what they needed most in a way that preserved their dignity. Through additional grant funding, we also helped supply food boxes to various food bank programs across the country. BENEFICIARIES
51,095 individuals
Fort MacMurray Floods Response
Winter Warmth Response
In Fort MacMurray, Alberta responded to evacuations because of floods in April 2020. Residents were forced to leave their homes with very little to no personal items which added more hardship due to the impact of Covid-19. We assembled and distributed immediate food supplies and other necessities including diapers and water bottles to the residents of Fort MacMurray in partnership with Markaz Ul Islam centre. This also included sponsoring 300 iftar meals during Ramadan for those who were fasting.
Providing thousands of winter kits and hot meals to the unhoused and vulnerable families during the coldest months. With the second wave of Covid-19, we are focused on providing hygiene supplies along with winter warmth items that include warm hats, gloves, waterproof blankets, face masks, sweaters, soap, sanitizer, shampoo and sanitary pads. Hot meals are being provided through various soup kitchens. PPE supplies are also being provided to a number of shelters to keep both staff and beneficiaries safe. These distributions are being carried out across 23 regions and cities in Canada, from Yellowknife to Halifax.
BENEFICIARIES
800 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
15,205 individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
25
EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES Reconnection, Reconciliation, Resiliency Our focus on reliable and continuous programming for Indigenous girls, youth and women promises a more sustainable and adaptable means for their empowerment. This project in partnership with Stardale Women’s Group Foundation encourages Indigenous girls to design, build and share visions for their future through art, writing, sewing, plays and poetry. We helped provide the girls with access to one to one counselling as well as group support, food and meal deliveries, and activities that nurtured their leadership and skills. This project helped them to challenge social norms and build leadership and communication skills alongside local artists and educators. BENEFICIARIES
40 individuals
26
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
EMPOWERING VULNERABLE YOUTH Back to School PPE Supplies
Educational Support for BIPOC Youth
Empowering Youth for Community Service
Eid Gift Toy Box Drive
When schools opened in September, we helped provide individual school supplies including reusable masks and water bottles for vulnerable students at elementary schools in Vancouver and Saskatoon in an effort to help protect families and communities in need. These students predominantly come from low-income families and refugee families, and were in need of school supplies due to their family’s financial circumstances that have been tremendously impacted by Covid-19.
Working with marginalized BIPOC youth in partnership with a grassroots organization BridgeTO. This project works to build the path to success in the transition between high school graduation and adulthood. Activities are focused on providing guidance and support through access to free tutoring, mentoring, scholarships, learning equipment and opportunities to shape the future of these promising youth. This year, 19 students from BridgeTO Youth programs graduated and were accepted in major universities across the GTA from Ryerson to Waterloo. This project is also funded by the Government of Canada and the United Way as part of an Emergency Community Support Fund to help communities access online education opportunities during Covid-19.
This project in Edmonton in partnership with AlRashid Youth is focused on strengthening vulnerable youth through professional and personal development workshops, counselling, and programs that will build their foundation as community leaders. This is done through building selfesteem, communication skills, problem solving, fundraising, budgeting, administrative skills, goal setting, maximizing productivity, team building, program/ project/event planning and management, responsibility, ethics, cross cultural relationships and volunteer management. These workshops were also specifically designed to equip these youth with the skills to organize and manage quality programs that service other vulnerable youth, Indigenous peoples, and refugees.
In partnerships with Muslim-owned toy and general stores we conducted two Eid toy drives this year to make sure kids living in vulnerable and lowincome situations are also able to feel the joy of this special time. On the occasions of Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, we delivered wrapped gifts of toys, books and goodies that you helped select and provide. What started as a small local project soon expanded into a cross-country campaign that brought smiles to children across Canada.
BENEFICIARIES
800 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
BENEFICIARIES
1,800 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
200 individuals
60 individuals I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
27
EMPOWERING VULNERABLE YOUTH Leadership Development for Young Offenders
Legacy 2020 Scholarship
Mental Health Counselling
Quebec Mosque Shooting Orphan Fund
This project is dedicated to helping youth in the GTA that have become involved in the justice system find a support system to help them avoid second charges. This program is in partnership with Direct Your Life, a grassroots support group for offenders in Toronto. Through providing mentorship programs, participants are establishing strong leadership skills, meaningful connections and gaining a healthy and successful integration back to society. With regular activities, youth are able to stay connected to a strong supportive community, while strengthening their leadership and communication skills and directing their energies in positive outlets.
This program celebrated the educational achievement and graduation of Black and Indigenous youth, two groups who are disproportionately impacted by systemic and institutionalized racism. In partnership with Helping Hands International, we were able to provide scholarships to students who demonstrated achievements in community service, and were accepted into major universities and further education programs.
As part of our strategic focus on vulnerable youth, we worked with ISNA Canada to facilitate mental and spiritual development for youth through counselling. This project helped to provide regular counselling sessions for youth struggling through issues of faith, discrimination, conflict, or abuse - who were looking for a holistic counselling approach that was religiously sensitive. It also supports educational workshops on mental health and support groups.
This project is providing financial support to the orphans of the Quebec Mosque shooting. The money that is collected monthly is being distributed equitably between the families who are eligible and who have consented to receiving assistance. This fund helps support the cost of living for families that are having difficulty making ends meet, and helps these mothers build a better future for their children.
BENEFICIARIES
20 individuals
28
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BENEFICIARIES
5 students
BENEFICIARIES
372 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
10 individuals
HEALTH & MEDICAL
POVERTY REDUCTION
Global Child Health Research
Keys of Health Fellowship Program
Nourishing Neighbours
Ramadan Warm Meals
In partnership with SickKids Foundation, supporting the Ibn Sina Scholar in Global Child Health at SickKids to facilitate critically important research and knowledge synthesis for maternal and child health in low resource settings, as well as improved policies that impact disadvantaged children and families around the world.
In response to the severe shortage of subspecialist doctors in Palestine, this project is working with Canadian doctors to boost the quality of Palestinian medical specialities through sponsoring the opportunity for a fellowship program at a Canadian university. Palestinian medical students were selected by the Ministry of Health and Canadian doctors to complete the fellowship program. Upon completion, each successful Palestine Keys for Health fellow will return to Palestine to provide advanced clinical care and to enhance the health care system for millions of Palestinian boys, girls, men and women.
Providing thousands of food packages for the unhoused in Toronto and Hamilton on a weekly basis, with a special focus on youth, newcomers, and Indigenous people, so that they have at least one nutritious meal twice a week. This project is in partnership with ASK Foundation, to supplement the efforts of many shelters and soup kitchens which are operating at capacity. This includes creating better education around homelessness and poverty, as well as creating relationships with other service providers to better help those in need.
Due to the increased food insecurity due to Covid-19, meals were provided to impacted families and individuals who experienced financial hardship due to unemployment and job loss. Families were able to receive warm meals to break their fast and ease financial and psychological burden. Beneficiaries that received hot meals were young students, newcomers and refugee and low income households. We partnered with 10 restaurants in multiple cities that provided halal option meals for 2 weeks, delivered before Iftar time.
BENEFICIARIES
10,400 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
2,331 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
7 fellows
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
29
POVERTY REDUCTION Water Bottles for the Unhoused Delivered reusable water bottles in Edmonton to support better access of clean water for unhoused populations. This is in response to an appeal by two community service centres after a publicly accessible water fountain was shut down due to Covid-19 restrictions. This negatively impacted their beneficiaries who were already facing barriers in accessing clean drinking water and increased their vulnerability amidst hot summer temperatures and Covid-19. BENEFICIARIES
6,720 individuals
REFUGEE SUPPORT Muslim Community Counselling and Psychotherapy Hub Providing accessible and culturally relevant mental health support for low income people, newcomers, and women experiencing domestic violence, among other vulnerable groups in the Ottawa region. In partnership with Muslim Family Services of Ottawa, this project facilitates counselling sessions by professionally trained counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers to help respond to the grave shortage of culturally sensitive services in the Ottawa Muslim community. BENEFICIARIES
100 individuals
30
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Barakah Box
Helping to support the operations of the Barakah Box food bank which provides monthly food packages to over 400 families in the Hamilton area, in partnership with Mishka Social Services. Food packages contain nutritious, halal and culturally sensitive food to low income and refugee or newcomer families who are in need of support. BENEFICIARIES
4,200 individuals
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Building Capacity at Willow’s Place
Community Change Starts with Me
Working to help women in need find compassion, safety and the services that they need at Willow’s Place, in partnership with Mission Services Hamilton. This has been achieved by increasing staff capacity to permanently extend hours of opening, and increase services. This has meant that hundreds of new women were able to access Willow’s Place as a result, with thousands of meals and emergency packs provided, and more than 2,000 referrals made to community-based support for women experiencing violence. With some community programs and spaces still shut down, and not enough dedicated programming for women experiencing homelessness and poverty, Willow’s Place is filling an even larger gap than before.
Facilitating an online lifeskills workshop series geared to strengthen women who are isolated, victims of abuse or living in vulnerable situations, in partnership with the Amal Centre for Women. This intensive and hands-on experience was tailored to the specific needs of the center and its networks. This type of educational experience is key for our clients, who often live in precarious situations and are sometimes unable to make long-term commitments towards a more prolonged learning
Fostering Healthy Families method. Workshops (whether offered as a short series, or a one-time event) offer the advantage of being informal, community-building and participatory, while delivering on specific objectives. The Amal Center is one of the few places where these women can access services confidentially, in their language, with a culturally sensitive staff, and receive access to educational resources. BENEFICIARIES
90 individuals
This project supports victims of genderbased violence through an after-hours helpline staffed by trained social workers trained in spiritual and culturally sensitive coaching, through the Islamic Family & Social Services Association in Edmonton. The project also supports those social workers and our clients with a clinical director and registered psychologist. The afterhours helpline especially helps to support victims of gender-based violence who can’t access the office. BENEFICIARIES
100+ individuals
BENEFICIARIES
400+ individuals
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
31
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Les Voisines Program
Supporting Female Entrepreneurship
Support Services to Keep Families Safe and Strong
Ending homelessness means thinking differently and working together to find lasting solutions to a social problem that traps people in a state of perpetual emergency. In partnership with Old Brewery Mission, the Les Voisines Program helps women aged 18 and older who are unhoused to find refuge and safety so they can rebuild and regain control over their lives. This has meant that with your support, over 30 women have been able to leave chronic homelessness and regain autonomy.
Helping support the establishment of a self-sustainable and successful social enterprise that is owned and run by visible minority women. This initiative is focused on developing the capacity of this enterprise so that it can employ and provide income for refugee women, with the aim of improving the unemployment rate of these women along with their wellbeing and integration into society.
This project continues to address and respond to the gaps of services for Muslim families with complex needs and those at risk of violence through a Culturally Integrative Family Safety Response service model, in partnership with the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration in London, ON. Through spiritual support and faith-based guidance, along with the provision of professional mental health and social services, this project helps families and individuals who are struggling with mental health issues, family conflicts and family violence as well as stressors related to post-migration challenges.
BENEFICIARIES
40 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
3 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
155 individuals
32
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Orphan Sponsorship Your kindness transforms lives I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
33
With your support, our Orphan Sponsorship Program has helped transform countless lives, families, and communities around the world. We’ve grown exponentially – ten years ago, we sponsored 198 orphans around the world. Today, this number is over 16,900 alhamdulillah.
Male orphans
9,308
Female orphans
7,654
34
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Your sponsorships protect the wellbeing, safety, health, education and social environments of orphans. We work hard to ensure the well being of the children in our care. Our field officers conduct yearly assessments, in addition to periodic check ins to ensure the children are safe and looked after.
This allows them to be individually supported, improves family stability and helps sustainable development for the entire community. It’s your generosity that helps fill the gap in their lives. You’ve shown them that they are not alone.
16,962 ORPHANS SPONSORED BECAUSE OF YOU AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA BANGLADESH
1,358 155 1,420
BOSNIA
326
CHECHNYA
290
ETHIOPIA
425
INDIA
488
INDONESIA
275
IRAQ
432
JORDAN
317
KENYA
663
KOSOVO
114
LEBANON
319
MALAWI
369
MALI
1,115
NIGER
1,055
PAKISTAN* *Includes orphans sponsored in Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir
1,187
PALESTINE GAZA
2,244
SOMALIA
1,065
SOUTH AFRICA
208
SRI LANKA
239
SUDAN
778
SYRIA
1020
TUNISIA
173
TURKEY
280
YEMEN
655
Seasonal Projects
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
35
Ramadan Food Packs Zakat al-Fitr · Fidya Feeding the poorest communities in the blessed month
With your support, we distributed food packs in impoverished communities to provide relief during the blessed month of Ramadan. Through this effort we also distributed your Zakat al-Fitr, Fidya and Kaffara payments in the form of food supplies to the poorest of the poor. Food items are procured locally within each country whenever possible to ensure that they’re appropriate for the recipients and beneficial to the economy.
36
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
BANGLADESH
120,871 PEOPLE WERE SUSTAINED THIS RAMADAN BECAUSE OF YOU
(ROHINGYA REFUGEES)
13,238
LEBANON
12,048
MYANMAR
8,600
PAKISTAN
17,491
PALESTINE
16,168
SOMALIA
11,924
SYRIA
24,833
YEMEN
16,569
75lbs FAMILY OF 5-7 Depending on the region, each food pack holds around 75 pounds of food and is designed to help a family of 5-7 people for one month. The food items are purchased through local markets to help the local economy. While the contents vary according to region, local diet customs, and availability, each food pack usually contains: • Dates • Lentils • Rice • Sugar • Oil • Wheat • Canned meat and fish
Qurbani & Udhiya Aqiqah Sharing the joy of Eid Al-Adha with families in need
Qurbani & Udhiya is among the first programs started by Islamic Relief in 1986, and recurs every year when Muslims around the world commemorate Eid Al-Adha and sacrifice livestock to feed the needy. To fulfill your sacrifice, our offices organized everything in advance, buying high quality animals from local farms. On Eid, we ensured that your sacrifice was done humanely and hygienically. Meat was then immediately distributed to the most needy, without waste.
AFGHANISTAN
2,831
BANGLADESH BANGLADESH (COX’S BAZA AR)
404,139 PEOPLE FELT THE JOY OF EID THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF YOU
MALI
75,831
12,504
MYANMAR
10,152
19,430
NIGER
90,668
PAKISTAN
14,867
PALESTINE
43,363
SOMALIA
43,317
SRI LANKA
13,994
SYRIA
21,093
BOSNIA
1,539
ETHIOPIA
8,817
INDIA
5,109
JORDAN
2,541
KOSOVO
797
LEBANON
4,299
(NORTHERN SYRIA)
YEMEN
32,987
2-5kg FAMILY OF 4-8
Your generosity reached families right here at home in Canada, all around the world, and especially in conflict zones like Yemen and Syria.
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
37
Qurbani & Udhiya Aqiqah Sharing the joy of Eid Al-Adha with families in need
EID GIFTS FOR YEMEN With your support, we provided Eid gifts in the form of new toys and sweets to 610 orphans and vulnerable children in Yemen. This helped make Eid a little better for them and let them know that someone is thinking about them. BENEFICIARIES
610 children
38
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
AQIQAH A total of 112 Aqiqah sacrifices were made this year to celebrate the births of our donors’ newborn children, with quality fresh meat distributed to families in extreme need. Priority for beneficiaries was given to orphans and vulnerable children, families caring for orphans, women, the elderly and people with disabilities. We utilized a
community-led approach in the process of sacrifice and distribution to involve these families along with staff and provide dignified paid labour opportunities for those in need. BENEFICIARIES
876 people
Winter Warmth Protection from harsh winter climate and illnesses for refugee and displaced people
Providing families in vulnerable conditions with essential items to protect against harsh winter conditions. These include fuel and heaters, warm blankets and bedding, winter clothing and shoes, construction and insulation materials, as well as tents and shelter supplies. These efforts especially serve orphans, single mothers, refugees and poor families.
AFGHANISTAN
4,550
BANGLADESH
14,100
(COX’S BAZA AR)
BOSNIA CANADA
46,225 PEOPLE SURVIVED BECAUSE OF YOU
CHECHNYA
975 15,205 140
JORDAN
1,830
LEBANON
4,300
SYRIA
5,125
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
39
40
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Thank You for Your Support! Thank you for your continued support and kindness for the world’s most vulnerable. 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. We could not have done this without you, thank you. “Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve his hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter...” – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
41
3501 Mainway Burlington, ON L7M 1A9 www.islamicrelief.ca 1-855-377-4673 (HOPE) Registered Charity No. 821896875RR0001
42
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA