Ramadan Impact Report 2024 | Islamic Relief Canada

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PART 1 Introduction

PART 2 Food Packs

PART 3 Zakat

PART 4 Gaza, Sudan & Yemen

PART 5 Orphan Sponsorship

PART 6 Eid Gifts

PART 7 Local Initiatives

PART 8 Thank You!

Thank you!

Through Your Support

As we mark the end of another blessed Ramadan, it is impossible to ignore the pain that grips our hearts as the suffering of our Ummah persists.

Yet, in a year overshadowed by pain and tragedy, we have witnessed our community's remarkable resilience and compassion. Time and time again, you rose to the occasion to support our mission of bringing real change and justice to Palestine, serving as the fuel that kept us going.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Every meaningful step you took toward advocating for change filled me with hope and determination, and your commitment to the cause has been nothing short of inspiring.

Your willingness to stand up, speak out, and join us in solidarity to relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters worldwide was the reason 4.3 million people are feeling relief from our efforts this Ramadan.

Your support is often the gift of life itself, and I pray that you hold onto that commitment. We have always been stronger together, and your support this Ramadan has been a true testament to that. I pray that urgency and sincerity continue to guide you to drive real change.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and for your generosity, which has uplifted and transformed the lives of millions. We could not have done it without you.

May Allah accept your efforts and continue to use you in His service.

Aysha Syed Director of Fundraising, Islamic Relief Canada

4.3 million People Reached

80+ Projects Supported

Your Impact This Ramadan

You made it a Ramadan with solidarity, liberation, and hope, rising to the challenge when crises struck and helping to create unprecedented change both here at home and around the world.

Because of you, they feel relief. Thank you for your continued generosity and care!

Ramadan Food Distributions

Feed the Needy · Zakat al-Fitr · Fidya and Kaffara

With your support, we distributed 160,508 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 those most in need.

What’s Inside a Food Pack?

Depending on the region, each food pack holds around 125 pounds of food on average and is designed to provide the essentials for a family of 5-7 people for one month.

Food items vary according to regional cuisines and are purchased through local markets to support local livelihoods and the local economy and ensure high quality of products.

Each food pack usually contains:

+ Dates

+ Lentils + Rice + Sugar + Oil + Wheat

+ Canned meat and fish

125 lbs = FAMILY OF 5-7 FOR ONE MONTH

Your Donations in Action this Ramadan

1.14 Million*

People Were Sustained This Ramadan Because of You

31 Countries

*These numbers are a reflection of Islamic Relief’s global efforts, including the 13,500 food packs funded

Canada and then distributed to rights-holders across 15 countries by the respective field offices.

Torpaykai from Afghanistan, 60

60-year-old Torpaykai is the sole breadwinner of her household, earning only 500 AFN ($7 CAD) per month to support her daughter, blind and sick husband, and 2 orphaned grandchildren. Most months, this is not nearly enough to get by

“No one works in my family except myself. I work as a house cleaner. Sometimes my clients give me food, money, and old clothes to take home, but during Ramadan, there is no work to do. Nobody calls me to clean their homes. I was really worried about how we would survive.”

Afghanistan’s complex humanitarian crisis has drastically impacted families like Torpaykai’s, pushing millions into poverty and starvation. Fasting has become a regular practice beyond Ramadan. For millions in Afghanistan, they have no other choice.

But you do. This Ramadan, your generosity changed their qadr. It guaranteed warm and nutritious meals for millions, ensuring families like Torpaykai’s had food to break their fast with every single day of this blessed month.

“Life was difficult before your help arrived. There was not enough food for us to eat at home. Alhamdulillah, the food packs lifted a burden from my shoulders. Thank you so much for your help. I wasn’t expecting it to come, but Allah SWT is the best of planners.”

Rights-holders

Testimonial

Diri’e Ahmed from Somaliland, 55 years old

“I lost my right leg during the civil war in 1990. Ever since then, I’ve been heavily relying on my brothers and extended family to support my family of 10 with our basic needs. We regularly struggle with eating enough food, clean water, and access to healthcare. There are times when cooking the usual three meals is simply not possible, so we eat two meals instead.

Alhamdulillah, Islamic Relief has provided us with food packages containing rice, wheat flour, sugar, dates, and cooking oil this year! We are immensely grateful for their unwavering support, which has alleviated our worries about having enough food for this blessed month.”

Your Zakat in Trusted hands

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.

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

Our Zakat Distribution Process

Rights-holders

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.

Needs Assessment

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.

How Funds are Used Locally

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.

Your Donations in Action

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.

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!

Collecting Zakat

Throughout the year, especially in Ramadan, Islamic Relief Canada collects your Zakat donations to continuously fund projects that assist the poorest of the poor.

Your Impact

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.

Bangladesh

Your Zakat in Action this Ramadan

Your Zakat donations were allocated to fund the Zakat-eligible portions of our Zakat Catalogue projects this year, as well as many ongoing Zakat-eligible projects for the year!

The following 10 projects , which were a part of our Zakat Catalogue, are just a snapshot of an ongoing 66 projects in 2024 which contain Zakat-eligible components. These 66 projects are providing for the needs of nearly 1.7 million people worldwide.

Impact of Zakat Donations for 2024

66 Zakat Projects Supported 1,682,869+ People Being Reached

Impact of Zakat Catalogue Donations

Your Zakat helped here!

Safe Water and Hygiene Awareness

Your Zakat is helping local communities in the disaster-prone districts of Sunamganj and Jamalpur improve access to clean water, sustain their livelihoods, and reduce their vulnerability to disease.

Working alongside local communities, our team in Bangladesh is installing 200 deep-set pumps and 200 shallow tube wells, hosting hygiene awareness sessions, and distributing hygiene kits. Community members have also been assigned key responsibilities as part of a local task force to support the upkeep of water infrastructure and ensure community needs are addressed.

16,000 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

10 Zakat Projects Supported

239,038+ People Reached

Indonesia

Sustainable Livelihoods Through Islamic Social Enterprise

Communities in Central Sulawesi are still rebuilding their livelihoods after a tsunami and earthquake struck their homes 4 years ago. Your Zakat is assisting them with long-term development support in the form of cash grants.

Vulnerable disaster-stricken families receive your Zakat-eligible cash grants to kickstart business endeavours and earn a sustainable income. Rights-holders are also being supported with business operations training, mentorship opportunities, and business incubation via self-help groups to encourage group production, services, and trading.

6,000 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

Iraq

Clean Water and Sanitation Support for Displaced Families

Your Zakat is enhancing access to safe drinking water through water trucking and maintenance of water distribution networks across 3 camps for internally displaced and returnee communities in Erbil, Iraq.

Our team on the ground is also building bathrooms and facilitating the proper removal of waste within these camps. An important component of our work in Iraq is ensuring accessibility for all and includes the installation of inclusive latrines designed for persons with disabilities.

By prioritizing dignity and cleanliness for all, your Zakat is helping to reduce health risks and improve the well-being of vulnerable communities in Iraq.

13,790 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

Jordan

Fueling Economic Futures for Youth

Jordan hosts 1.4 million Syrian refugees, many of whom struggle to make ends meet. This project focuses on youth of all ages in North Irbid, Karak, and Zarqa through the rehabilitation of schools, construction of playgrounds, and entrepreneurship skills training.

Your Zakat will strengthen resilience among vulnerable youth of Syrian and Jordanian backgrounds to tackle the root causes of poverty in the region. Youth will attend skills training classes and gain access to educational supplies and mentorship opportunities, all with one goal in mind: seeing our next generation of leaders flourish and strive for their dreams.

6,250 Youth Reached Upon Project Completion

Your Zakat helped here!

Your Zakat helped here!

Your Zakat helped here!

Kosovo

Lebanon

Niger

Your Zakat helped here!

Agriculture Growth Potential

In a nation driven by agriculture and farming, your Zakat has the power to uplift entire communities out of hardship! Farmers in the Kosovo municipalities of Gjilan, Han i Elezit, Kacanik, and Podujeva are receiving livestock, water wells, greenhouses, and agricultural machines and tools.

Poultry farming support, livestock, and greenhouse construction are already underway and have provided these vulnerable farming households with the income and food needed to become self-sufficient. Your Zakat is helping families create sustainable livelihoods, become food secure, develop new skills, and become selfsufficient, alhamdulillah!

1,120 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

Your Zakat helped here!

Food Assistance in Bekaa

To address food insecurity in Lebanon, our team is providing food assistance to those most in need through food packs and vouchers. Your Zakat is reaching women, children, the elderly and those in poverty living within the Bekaa area, ensuring vulnerable families can access essential food supplies for 12 months.

Each food parcel contains:

• Brown & red lentils

• Camolino rice

• Coarse white bulgur

• Vegetable ghee

• Sunflower oil

• White flour

• Tomato paste

• White sugar

• Vermicelli

• Loose black tea leaves

• Khodari dates

• Canned fava beans

3,825 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

Your Zakat helped here!

Harnessing Opportunities for Poverty Eradication

Through your Zakat, healthcare workers are now able to provide optimal health and nutritional services through training on prenatal consultations, malnutrition prevention and treatment, and best maternal health practices. This will address vital health needs in the region and support mothers and their young children with nutrition.

Additionally, vulnerable households are receiving vouchers, hygiene kits, and monthly stipends for tuition, with 2 solar-powered mini water supply systems being constructed to facilitate access to clean water.

This is being done with the aim of moving ultra-poor households on an upward trajectory out of poverty, gradually improving their living conditions and future prospects. Your Zakat will uplift vulnerable households through food security and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, social inclusion and protection, and livelihood support!

7,375 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

Pakistan Palestine Somalia

Your Zakat helped here!

Flood Recovery in Sindh and Balochistan

After Pakistan’s worst climate disaster in a decade, our efforts are focused on providing livelihood assistance, establishing disaster risk reduction teams, and rehabilitating water infrastructure. Islamic Relief is constructing water systems and hand pumps, distributing water storage kits, conducting hygiene awareness sessions, and rehabilitating school facilities.

Your Zakat is installing disabilityinclusive water collection points, sanitation facilities, and permanent shelters, as well as providing water storage kits, assistive devices, and cash grants to flood-affected communities in Sindh and Balochistan. 420 of these families are also being supported with needs-based skills development and business grants to create a sustainable living for themselves.

By prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability in our work in Pakistan, your Zakat can help ensure accessible and safe drinking water for all while allowing entire flood-affected communities to thrive!

5,230 Rights-holders

Reached Upon Project Completion

Your Zakat helped here!

Emergency Relief for Gaza

We are providing multi-sectoral support in the form of daily ready-toeat meals, hygiene kits, food packs, bedding, and psychosocial support for children. Islamic Relief is on the ground in Gaza, having already delivered 13 million Zakat-eligible ready-to-eat meals within Khan Younis, Deir Al Balah, Zawayda, and Rafah.

In Gaza this Ramadan , your Zakat helped distribute:

• Daily ready-to-eat warm meals to 147,000 people

• Food parcels and fresh vegetables to 27,270 households

• 1,756 mattresses, blankets, and plastic sheets

• Psychosocial support to 962 children per week

176,988 Rights-holders*

Reached Upon Project Completion

* Given the nature of the emergency and our team’s efforts on the ground, which prioritize the immediate distribution of life-saving aid, this figure is a conservative measured estimate of the number of Palestinians your Zakat donations supported during the month of Ramadan.

Your Zakat helped here!

Flood Recovery in Beledweyne

You are helping to improve the lives of flood-affected and vulnerable internally displaced communities and vulnerable households in Beledweyne. Your Zakat is providing 410 households with unconditional cash transfers, shelter items, hygiene kits, and jerry cans for water collection.

Through the monthly transfer of $95.91 CAD ($40,000 Somali shilling) over the course of 3 months in the immediate aftermath of the floods, families have been able to purchase food, pay their rent, and attain essential needs. These households are also receiving blankets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, tents, and hygiene kits containing soap, menstrual hygiene products, washbasins, and towels.

Your Zakat is strengthening community-level resilience and transforming lives in Somalia!

2,460 Rights-holders Reached Upon Project Completion

PART 4 | GAZA,

SUDAN & YEMEN

Reaching Those Most In Need

Your support in action for Gaza, Sudan and Yemen

Because of you, the most vulnerable in our Ummah did not go unseen this Ramadan. With your support, we were not only the first on the ground to reach those affected by disasters, violence or conflict, but we also advocated fiercely for some of our most vulnerable communities. This is an overview of the key responses you helped fund and support this Ramadan, in addition to many of our ongoing projects.

PALESTINE

In response to the ongoing escalations of violence in Gaza, Islamic Relief prioritized ensuring a dignified Ramadan, targeting the most vulnerable, including those who are displaced, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities within Khan Younis, the Middle Area, and Rafah.

Islamic Relief worked closely with four implementing partners, Beit Lahia Development Association, Gaza Culture and Development Group, Unlimited Friends Association for Social Development and Bayader for Environment and Development Association, to provide emergency relief:

• Food assistance through daily hot meal distributions, food packages, and fresh produce

• Vital medical resources to six local hospitals for immediate use

• Clean water through water trucking and solar-powered tanks

• Bedding, hygiene kits, and clothing supplies

• Psychosocial support and recreational activities for children

Additionally, through our partnership with the World Food Programme, we have access to food supplies coming in and are able to distribute these in an effective manner. We have allocated over $30,000 per day to implement daily hot meal preparation.

Between March 10 to April 10, 2024, you helped distribute:

Over 8.5 million ready-to-eat meals to 241,000 people

Fresh vegetables to 35,759 households

Psychosocial support to 3,850 children

Food parcels to 35,750 households

6,500 mattresses, blankets, and plastic sheets

10,000 people had access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities

2,010 people received access to healthcare services

35,109 people received a lipid-based nutrient supplement

Clean drinking water was distributed over 1 million times in total

(daily average of 80,000 people)

400,000+ Palestinians*

Reached in Ramadan

via all responses supported by Islamic Relief Canada together with global Islamic Relief offices

Advocacy Wins for Palestine

On Monday, March 18, 2024, the Canadian parliament passed a motion supporting Palestinian human rights. This came after 5 months of intense Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and Canada’s arms exports to Israel, as well as unrelenting advocacy efforts from our community.

It included an announcement that Canada would suspend all arms export permits to Israel, which was an encouraging and critical moment in the fight for Palestinian rights. And it could not have happened without YOU!

Thank you for joining hands with 25,000+ concerned Canadians to demand the Government of Canada halt the transfer of weapons and immediately suspend all arms export permits to Israel. At Islamic Relief Canada, we will continue to monitor and ensure our government honours its word with action.

* Given the nature of the emergency and our team’s efforts on the ground, which prioritize the immediate distribution of life-saving aid, this figure is a conservative measured estimate of the number of Palestinians your donations reached during the month of Ramadan.

SUDAN

In response to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Islamic Relief is working diligently to provide relief across multiple sectors, including the provision of food, healthcare and medication, clean water, cash support, temporary shelter, psychosocial support, and more.

Thanks to your support as well as efforts from our global Islamic Relief family, internally displaced people, host community members, and refugees have received the following:

7,000 households received multipurpose cash assistance to help them cover their basic needs of food and other lifesaving items

2,000 culturally appropriate hygiene kits, 3,000 water storage kits, and 100 water tanks

Livelihood opportunities and vocational training for 2,000 households

Medicine and fuel to 18 hospitals and 6 healthcare clinics, including fuel, saline, syringes, bandages, and paracetamol

New and rehabilitated sanitation facilities, water sources, and 20 latrines

2,500 women, girls, and children affected by conflict are provided psychosocial support, dignity kits, and recreational items to address safety concerns and improve their well-being

As a result of the civil war, the Islamic Relief Sudan team relocated its main office from Khartoum to Gedaref, with some staff working out of Port Sudan. Though the situation is constantly changing, resources have been limited, and travel routes are impacted, our team is working around this by procuring aid from local markets in Sudan's central and eastern regions.

This includes receiving supplies from the World Food Programme to deliver aid to vulnerable communities in the Central Darfur State. Alhamdulillah, our staff are highly trained and have a firm understanding of the local context, giving them the ability to continue their work even in challenging circumstances.

Our ongoing work and projects in Yemen could not be possible without you! Your support allows us to distribute cash grants and hygiene kits to meet immediate food and hygiene needs, rehabilitate water systems, and offer livelihood support through mentorship and business training opportunities.

To address healthcare needs, Islamic Relief is supporting health centers and 4 hospitals through the procurement of essential medicine and healthcare equipment, rehabilitation efforts, stipends and training programs for healthcare workers, and the assembly of mobile health teams to provide services to internally displaced communities.

Additionally, we're fostering the well-being and unity of families and children by revitalizing water supply systems, ensuring schools and communities have ample water, upgrading classrooms, conducting comprehensive teacher training, and furnishing essential school supplies.

398,513 Rights-holders Are Being Reached

via all programs currently implemented by Islamic Relief Canada in Yemen

Orphan Sponsorship

Your kindness transforms lives

With your support, our Orphan Sponsorship Program has helped transform countless lives, families, and communities around the world.

Through your monthly cash transfer donations, your sponsorships protect the well-being, safety, health, education and social environments of orphans. 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!

Orphans in Gaza

When tragedy struck in Gaza late last year, countless children paid the heaviest price. Newly orphaned, they were deprived of their basic rights and protection and subject to vulnerability amidst the loss and destruction.

Despite the ongoing devastation, our team has managed to resume our Orphan Sponsorship Program in Gaza. We have registered hundreds of children and continue to do so each month, ensuring care for those who are newly orphaned.

This is where you stepped in! This Ramadan, your kindness sponsored 687 orphans in Gaza so far, with many more sponsorships waiting to begin — bringing them the promise of hope and a brighter future.

Ramadan 1,456 Orphans Were Sponsored Because of You

Stories of Your Impact

“When I received the notification that my child would receive sponsorship, I cried tears of joy. My words are insufficient to express the gratitude I feel towards Mariam’s sponsor for their support during our dire circumstances.”

– Mother of Mariam, a sponsored orphan in Gaza

“Everything has changed. All of my hardships have changed. All of my daily needs are fulfilled, and my kid’s educational needs are fulfilled, unlike before we got the sponsorship. ”

– Mother of Sawitra, a 12-year-old sponsored orphan in Indonesia

"Rugaiah's acceptance into the sponsorship program was the turning point she needed in her life. Her studies flourished, and she found solace and encouragement like never before."

– Mother of Rugaiah, a sponsored orphan in Yemen

“I’m happy to have your kind support. There are no words to express my feelings. The financial assistance you are providing to me and my family helped us be at ease in our lives. I always remember you in my prayers.”

– Mother of Hamza, a 6-year-old sponsored orphan in Pakistan

Eid Gift Distribution

Sharing the Joy of Eid with Children in Need

Your kindness gifted smiles to orphans and vulnerable children on Eid day through new clothes, shoes, school bags and educational materials, 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 63,287 rights-holders , letting orphans and vulnerable children know that someone is thinking of them.

63,287 * Individuals

Felt the Joy of Eid!

In Your Community

From Coast to Coast

Grand Iftars

From Surrey to Mississauga to Halifax, you joined us to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Yemen, as well as ensure that 818 orphaned children in Gaza would never go without a meal again.

We hosted 18 Grand Iftars across Canada to make it a Ramadan with Solidarity, learning about the power of love, community, and care from our special guests: Ustadha Ieasha Prime, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Shaykh Navaid Aziz, Shaykh Majed Mahmoud, and other inspiring changemakers.

Thank you for coming together as one Ummah in the spirit of resilience and hope!

95,956 Rights-holders Impacted Across the World!

18 Cities 665 Volunteers

6,000+ Attendees

“Sometimes we ask ourselves, what does love have to do with it? I’m here to tell you that love has everything to do with it. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another.” So do everything with a good heart, expecting no reward except from Allah.”

- Imam Siraj Wahhaj

“When we’re standing with our brothers and sisters, we’re not just standing in solidarity; this is “you are me.” So we’re asked to stand with them in resilience, faith, and courage and to do everything we can in this moment. This is what you do with privilege. Because none of you is a believer until you want for your brother and sister what you want for yourself.”

- Ustadha Ieasha Prime

Cakes for Palestine

Across 21 cities in Canada, we delivered 596 cakes in varying flavours to raise funds for our Palestine Emergency Appeal! Thank you for your sweet tooth, as your generosity touches the lives of countless people in need in Gaza.

794 Rights-holders Supported in Palestine

Food Hampers for our Neighbours

Throughout the year and especially during Ramadan, we adopt a community-driven model to support diverse communities across Canada. We provide warm meals to the unhoused, seniors and low-income families, as well as assemble food hampers to ensure everyone can enjoy healthy, balanced meals during Ramadan.

With the help of 175 volunteers across 15 Canadian cities, we distributed over 3,000 boxes of food containing essential staples such as rice, flour, sugar, salt, and more. Thank you for making it a Ramadan without hunger for our neighbours across Canada.

15,975

Canadians Were Fed this Ramadan

Crowdfunding

We called on our community of changemakers, and you truly answered the call! You got creative with your crowdfunding pages, posted across social media, and brought together your friends, family, and classmates to raise funds and awareness for causes dear to you throughout the blessed month.

This Ramadan, you helped us reach a record-breaking number of people. Your support is providing nearly 8,000 of our brothers and sisters in Gaza with life-saving food, clean water, urgent medical aid, and more! That’s not all: you are also helping to build 10 water wells and support 265 orphans with medical treatment, tuition fees, shelter, and food.

380 Total Campaigns

$1.3 Million Raised

44,850 Rights-holders Will Feel the Relief

Jazakum Allahu Khairan for the continued support and solidarity you showed our Ummah’s most vulnerable this Ramadan. We are extremely grateful to donors like yourself for contributing to our work around the world, speaking out when we needed your voice, and showing up when we needed your support. Your continued kindness will never be forgotten. Their lives will be forever changed, and their futures made brighter.

We could not do it without you, thank you.

“Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve their hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for them in this world and in the Hereafter..."

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

3501 Mainway

Burlington, ON L7M 1A9 www.islamicrelief.ca 1-855-377-4673 (HOPE)

Registered Charity No. 821896875RR0001