Islamic Relief USA

IRUSA Team in Palestine

2011-07-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

IRUSA's communications specialist, Reem El-Khatib, sends a special thank you from our beneficiaries in Palestine.July 2-3— A tiring, long trip—48 hours or so—and the IRUSA staff has finally arrived in Ramallah, Palestine. This West Bank town is one of the best known, not just for its famous Rukab ice cream or Al Manara Square, but for its crisp night breeze and its literal closeness to the

IRUSA Team Bids Farewell To "Umm Al-dunia"

2011-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />IRUSA Communications Specialist Reem El-Khatib sends us some final words from last days in Egypt.June 30-July 1, Al-Ayyat, Egypt -- I'm ending my trip to Egypt, where and when I started it: around 3 a.m., overlooking a bustling Cairo. The few days that IRUSA has spent in Egypt has been absolutely amazing, between meeting

IRUSA Team Visits El-Minya, Egypt

2011-06-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

IRUSA communications specialist Reem El-Khatib reports to us from Egypt on the living conditions and needs of one Egyptian family. June 28-29 -- She fainted and my heart stopped as I innately yelled, "Ya Allah." Ilham, a 15-year old girl, fainted as I was interviewing her mother about the conditions she and her children face on a daily basis. Ilham, her sister Hala (16), her brother Mohammed (8),

IRUSA team: In Helwan

2011-06-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

Children study at the Early Intervention Rehabilitation Center in Egypt. Photo by Reem El-KhatibIRUSA communications specialist Reem El-Khatib offers a first-hand account from the field in Egypt about ongoing programs supported by IRUSA in the region. June 27-28—Helwan is a city whose history starts as a recreational destination for jet-setters and the rich. After it was converted to an

Hope and Help in Egypt

2011-06-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

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World Refugee Day: Supporting refugees worldwide

2011-06-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Aisha is 10 years old. She used to live in Nalut in western Libya. Then, early this year, violence erupted in Libya, and Aisha and her mother and four

Recent Visit Earns Praise for Islamic Relief's Children Education Initiatives

2011-06-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Friday, June 17 Update. Antonio Guterres, High Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, visited the Ramada camp for Libyan refugees in Tunisia last week to check on the progress of Islamic Relief's Child Protection program for Libyan children, a program that has provided support, schooling and after school activities to refugee children. News crews including CNN and

A School That Brings Smiles to Libyan Children

2011-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Asma Yousef, Islamic Relief USA's public relations representative, is on the ground in Tunisia at the Ramada camp run for Libyan refugees. The following is her first-hand account of how the camp is serving some of its most precious and vulnerable members—the children.Thursday, May 19It is 2:00 p.m. local time. An announcer through a microphone reminded residents at Ramada camp, a camp run by the

Aiding Alabama

2011-05-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

On April 27, some 150 tornadoes tore through six southern U.S. states, decimating communities and destroying lives. More than 230 people died in Alabama—the hardest-hit state.In cities across Alabama, damage estimates range from millions to billions of dollars. Birmingham’s mayor William Bell suggests that removing debris may cost some $10 million while insured losses are expected to exceed $2

Motherhood brings unspeakable joy, but all moms know it’s not easy

2011-05-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Mother's Day, May 8, 2011, Lina Hashem, Islamic Relief USA communications specialist and mother of two, writes about the significance of being a mother. The early years can mire a mother in diapers, midnight feedings, lack of sleep. Then you watch your child grow older and head away from you – onto the bus for first grade, behind the wheel of a car, off to college, down the

Journey Through Pakistan: Eight Months After the Floods, How is the Country Faring?

2011-04-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Anwar Khan, Islamic Relief USA'S vice president of fund development, is on the ground in Pakistan, and gives a first-hand account of how the country and its people are faring post flood.Sunday, April 17I returned to Southern Punjab which was devastated by the floods last year, as was large amounts of Pakistan. I was eager to see how people were doing eight months later. The floods were akin to a

IR USA Receives Top Charity Rating For Eighth Consecutive Year

2011-04-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Islamic Relief USA last week earned its eighth consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the United States’ largest and most respected overseer of US charities. The 4-star rating – Charity Navigator’s highest mark – recognizes IR USA’s sound fiscal management. “Only 2% of the charities we rate have received at least 8 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Islamic Relief USA

New projects on the West Bank

2011-03-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

Three new Islamic Relief projects have reached momentous stages in Palestine’s West Bank: A new school opened in February, a kidney dialysis center is preparing to open and a land rehabilitation project is getting under way. School The Askar Camp School is a modern campus for 550 students in grades 1-9. Before the school opened, children traveled all the way to other end of the refugee camp,

IR USA commemorates World Water Day … every day

2011-03-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

A sanitary, convenient, modern well provided by Islamic Relief in Mali.Today, on World Water Day, take a moment to consider … how did you use water this morning?A 10-minute shower?Brushed your teeth?Flushed the toilet?Washed your hands?Maybe made some coffee, washed an orange and boiled an egg?Then washed the pot, plate and cup?All of that is perfectly reasonable. This morning routine would

IR USA's CEO meets with officials in Egypt

2011-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2011 -- Islamic Relief USA’s CEO, Abed Ayoub, is in Egypt this week, meeting with high-level officials in an effort to expand IR’s programs to help the needy in the country and throughout the region. Ayoub has met with Minister of Health Ashraf Hatem, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and Al-Azhar Shaykh Ahmed el-Tayeb and has scheduled a meeting later this week with Minister of Development

IR distributes food to 500 families in Egypt

2011-03-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, March 10, Islamic Relief aid workers responded to immense need and distributed food parcels to 500 impoverished families south of Cairo, Egypt, in the city of Minya. More than 10 million Egyptians cannot meet their daily food needs, according to the United Nations. Impoverished Egyptians have been hard hit by spikes in the cost of their basic supplies such as rice, meat,

IR monitoring situation: Pacific Rim tsunami

2011-03-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan, and an ensuing tsunami is sweeping the north-east of the country.It is feared that the tsunami will continue to advance upon a wider region stretching as wide as Indonesia in the west, through to South America in the east.Islamic Relief, which has several offices in the region – including China, Indonesia and Malaysia - is

Aid worker diary: Joining hands to help Libya's refugees

2011-03-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

IR USA staff member Seyed Mowlana has been sending diary entries from the Libyan border in Tunisia, where Islamic Relief is managing a refugee camp housing 15,000 displaced persons. Below are excerpts from Seyed's last diary entry before leaving Tunisia.It’s still a sad scene at the camps as the numbers multiply but the situation at the campgrounds has seen tremendous improvement. In the last

U.S. Officials praise IR’s work after visit to refugee camp on Libyan border

2011-03-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

March 9, 2011- U.S. officials today praised Islamic Relief’s work of camp management after visiting a refugee camp near the Libyan border in Tunisia. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Eric Schwartz and Assistant Administrator of USAID Nancy Lindborg, along with the United States Ambassador to Tunisia Gordon Gray– met with IR USA VP of Programs Adnan Ansari at

IR USA commemorates International Women's Day

2011-03-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

Among Islamic Relief programs that help women are water-assistance efforts that relieve women from the burden of collecting and carrying water from far-away wells each day, freeing them to instead pursue income-generating work. Photo by Mohammad Mertaban (© Islamic Relief USA)In honor of International Women’s Day March 8, Islamic Relief is marking the day by sharing the work we do all year to

Aid worker diary: Tense situations

2011-03-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

IR USA staff member Seyed Mowlana is on the Libyan border in Tunisia. He is reporting his experience daily. Below are excerpts from his latest diary entry.March 6, 2011The sound of gunfire rattled the air, bringing the swarm of people at the Libyan border to attention. As I made my way through the crowd to assess the scene, it appeared that the shots were fired in order to control the

Aid worker diary: IR USA at Libyan border

2011-03-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

IR USA staff member Seyed Mowlana is at the Libyan border in Tunisia, assisting with Islamic Relief's efforts to aid Libya's refugees. Below, he shares his reaction to what he is seeing.March 5, 2011As we reached the end of our journey for the day, heading into Ras Jedir, a city bordering Libya, appearing before us were large groups of people on footattempting to cross into Tunisia.I couldn’t

Aid worker diary: The simple things

2011-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Islamic Relief aid worker Salah Aboulgasem is currently at the border of Tunisia and Libya, delivering aid. Follow his regular blog.03 March 2011Saad and Imaad are two men from villages of Egypt who had been working just outside of Tripoli in Libya for the past two years to support their families. I sat with them for a while to understand their story and their needs. As we talked, the sun began

Aid worker diary: Supporting refugees crossing into Tunisia

2011-03-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Islamic Relief aid worker Salah Aboulgasem (not pictured above) is currently in Tunisia, delivering aid to refugees escaping the violence in Libya. Below is an excerpt from his latest diary entry.2 March 2011Today we arrived in Tunisia, and even after traveling all night to catch our flight from Egypt, we still had a long journey ahead of us. Within 24 hours, we had been to three different

Aid worker diary: Eyewitness to the destruction

2011-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Islamic Relief aid worker, Salah Aboulgasem (not pictured above) is currently in Libya, delivering aid on the border area with Tunisia. Below is a diary entry before he and the IR team embarked from Eastern Libya to the west.27 February 2011In Benghazi, our day began with the encouraging site of young people out on the streets helping to keep the city functioning, directing traffic and picking