Islamic Relief Worldwide’s new annual report shows record income and expenditure, huge reach in emergencies, high-impact development, and strengthened interfaith collaboration.
In 2024 Islamic Relief spent more money than ever before supporting the world’s most vulnerable people – thanks to the generosity and trust of supporters and partners around the world.
The charity’s new 2024 Annual Report shows it received record income and spent £303.8 million to deliver lifesaving and life-changing aid to over 14.5 million people in 38 countries.
While many governments are cutting global aid budgets, the report shows the enormous positive impact that humanitarian and development assistance has on communities.
Islamic Relief responded to many of the year’s biggest emergencies, providing humanitarian aid to more than 7.2 million people, including 600,000 in Gaza and over 1.2 million in Sudan. Despite last year being the deadliest ever for aid workers, Islamic Relief staff and partners delivered aid such as food, water, medicine and psychosocial support. They also continued to respond to protracted crises, such as preventing child malnutrition in Yemen, providing water to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and expanding operations in Syria following the country’s momentous political developments.
With the climate catastrophe affecting growing numbers of people around the world, Islamic Relief stepped up work to help communities adapt and mitigate the impact. In drought-affected parts of Ethiopia, an Islamic Relief project to improve irrigation and strengthen early warning systems helped increase farmers’ crop yields by 85% and reduce livestock death and illness by 96%.
Islamic Relief also expanded its long-term development work, helping impoverished families access education, healthcare and sustainable livelihoods with dignity. Many projects specifically supported women and girls, including helping Afghan women set up small businesses and supporting Pakistan’s first emergency helpline for survivors of gender-based violence.
Launching the new report, Islamic Relief Worldwide’s Chief Executive, Waseem Ahmad, said:
“Growing global hunger, a worsening climate crisis, and rising inequalities mean communities need Islamic Relief’s support more than ever. Rising impunity has brought sustained attacks on civilians with devastating consequences. I am haunted by the harrowing stories survivors shared with me when I visited Sudan, and immensely grateful that Islamic Relief has been there to ease their suffering. Thanks to our incredible global family of staff, supporters, volunteers and partners, Islamic Relief touched millions of lives in 2024.”
Islamic Relief Worldwide’s 10-year global strategy aims to strengthen its advocacy to address the root causes of poverty and suffering, and in 2024 Islamic Relief called for climate justice – demanding that rich nations responsible for the climate catastrophe pay for the loss and damage suffered by poor communities – and campaigned against the incessant violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza and Sudan.
Islamic Relief continues to partner with international governments and a range of global institutions and UN agencies such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Islamic Relief also signed a major new partnership agreement with Misr El Kheir, one of Egypt’s largest non-profit organisations.
The report highlights the vital role that faith and faith-based actors play in responding to emergencies and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In the Philippines, Islamic Relief worked with local Catholic church networks to quickly support families affected by Typhoon Kristine. At the global level, Islamic Relief and Christian Aid held a landmark Faith and Development Conference, bringing together faith actors from around the world to share learning and develop strategy.
Islamic Relief’s innovative orphan sponsorship model supported over 97,700 orphans to stay in school and access healthcare, shelter and food. The charity’s seasonal distributions provided food parcels to nearly 1.3 million people during Ramadan, and qurbani parcels to more than 3 million people for Eid al-Adha.
The year also marked 40 years since Islamic Relief was founded in 1984. Haroun Atallah, the Chair of Islamic Relief Worldwide’s Board of Trustees, said:
“Reflecting on 40 years of life-saving and life-changing work, this year we renewed our commitment to serve those most in need. We are humbled by the trust placed in us by millions of people to deliver their help to those in need and by the resilience and patience of the vulnerable people whom we exist to serve. Islamic Relief is a lifeline for people pushed to the brink of survival in many parts of the world.
“The suffering to which we responded in 2024 – and throughout our history – is often rooted in poverty, vulnerability, inequality and injustice. For many, these deep-seated issues appear intractable. However, Islam and its teachings are clear that they are not inevitable. To end suffering, we must tackle these big issues, and the way we must do this is together with like-minded people from all backgrounds and beliefs.”
Notes
The organisation’s 2024 income of £275.6 million was its highest ever and has almost doubled in the past five years.
Islamic Relief worked in 38 countries last year. Its biggest programmes in terms of the number of people supported were in Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Mali.
