World Food Day is an annual call for awareness and action on behalf of poor, hungry, and food insecure people around the globe. Today, discover more about Islamic Relief’s work to provide life-saving nutrition and to empower poor communities to provide for themselves.
Delivering emergency food aid
For three decades, Islamic Relief has been providing a lifeline to those affected by disasters and crisis around the world. Currently, we are responding to four of the gravest humanitarian crises in the world today – and our emergency programmes include much-needed food aid.
We have distributed thousands of foodpacks to Muslim and non-Muslim families affected by fighting in Central African Republic (CAR) and Iraq.
As part of our response to violence in South Sudan, we are planning to upscale our distribution of food and other aid items. In addition, we are providing food and other vital assistance to people caught up in Syria’s brutal war.
Enabling communities to achieve food security
As well as providing immediate relief from hunger, Islamic Relief also links its work in nutrition with projects to empower communities with the means to achieve long-term food security.
In the world today, 805 million people live in hunger, and every year 3.1 million children under five die as a result of poor nutrition.
For example, our rainwater harvesting systems and specialist agricultural training are enabling Malian communities to carry out sustainable farming that secures a route out of poverty. In Tunisia, we banished hunger from the classroom for hundreds of children, so they could unlock the benefits of education.
In addition, our integrated sustainable development programming includes work at Osizweni Community Centre in South Africa to support homestead gardening that feeds around 200 of the poorest people in the community.
Every year, millions of people benefit from our Ramadan and Qurbani food programmes. Poor families that receive food for the holy month and religious festivals typically benefit from other schemes designed to lift them out of poverty, such as our orphan sponsorship programme or livelihood support projects.
As well as meeting the urgent food needs of vulnerable families, Islamic Relief delivers sustainable development that enables some of the world’s poorest communities to break out of aid dependency and build futures free from hunger.