24 June, 2022 Islamic Relief’s emergency response team is today distributing food parcels to families in Afghanistan’s Paktika province who were made homeless by Wednesday’s deadly earthquake. In one village the team met survivors and heard how nine people from a single family, including four young children, were killed. They were asleep in…
Read moreAn Islamic Relief aid worker based in northwest Syria tells Metro his story after 11 years of the Syria crisis. Mohammad Al Akhdar talks about his plans after graduation, being trapped under siege in Eastern Ghouta – surviving off scraps of food in the streets or eating leaves off trees, then escaping to…
Read moreClimate change is leading to increasingly frequent and severe droughts in the Horn of Africa, which is now facing an unprecedented fourth successive failed rainy season. Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Somalia, Aliow Mohamed, spoke to CBC Radio’s The Current for an in-depth discussion on how climate change is fuelling the threat of…
Read moreIslamic Relief worked with photographer Peter Caton and the Guardian to show how Muslims in drought-stricken parts of Kenya are marking the holy month of Ramadan this year. Farmers like Mama Shakila are finding it hard to cope with a worsening drought and rising food prices, and her family is one of many…
Read moreAmani Alwarafi, an Islamic Relief field worker, wrote for The New Humanitarian about the situation in her town of Taiz in Yemen and how the ceasefire is going. Read Amani’s full report in The New Humanitarian: In Yemen’s Taiz, hope and disappointment one month into ceasefire “This month, for the first time ever,…
Read more29 April, 2022 Ahead of Eid-al-Fitr, Islamic Relief calls for more support to families affected by rising global food prices Islamic Relief has provided food parcels to more than 1.3 million people during the holy month of Ramadan, despite unprecedented challenges with rising food prices and lack of availability in many countries. The…
Read moreIslamic Relief’s Fernaaz Hussain spoke to The Guardian about South Africa’s worst floods in 60 years. She describes “sheet upon sheet of relentless rain” that washed away entire houses, bridges and roads, killing about 450 people and making thousands homeless. “It was just relentless. There was just sheet after sheet and you couldn’t…
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Adnan joined Islamic Relief in 2004 as a regional fundraiser in the UK. He worked in multiple roles over 10 years at Islamic Relief UK, including setting up the first digital team and leading the growth of digital fundraising and engagement. Adnan also led numerous fundraising and marketing campaigns, which played a significant part in the growth of Islamic Relief UK.
Having moved to Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2014, Adnan has held different roles that have helped grow Islamic Relief’s global digital footprint into new geographic territories, supporting Islamic Relief members with their digital and marketing growth as well as developing new products and initiatives for the Islamic Relief family.
Adnan graduated in Industrial Design and Technology from Loughborough University. He has since completed an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from Durham University and a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Institute of Data and Marketing.
Nadeem Azhar
Nadeem joined Islamic Relief Worldwide in September 2022. He has worked in the charitable sector for over a decade.
He studied Modern History and Politics at Manchester University, and at the University of Law in London before qualifying as a solicitor in 2011.
Nadeem is an experienced corporate, commercial and governance lawyer, having worked with various faith-based and grant making charities as well those in health and education settings. He was a partner at a law firm in London before moving in-house where he focused on setting up and restructuring charities and social enterprises.
Most recently, Nadeem was Lead Counsel at Mind, a leading mental health charity, where he co-authored a new federation agreement, revamped legal processes, and played a major role in developing its strategic and fundraising partnerships.
Nadeem has been a charity trustee for the Seafarers Charity, as well as many grant-making bodies and theatre companies.
Adnan Hafiz
Adnan joined Islamic Relief in 2004 as a regional fundraiser in the UK. He worked in multiple roles over 10 years at Islamic Relief UK, including setting up the first digital team and leading the growth of digital fundraising and engagement. Adnan also led numerous fundraising and marketing campaigns, which played a significant part in the growth of Islamic Relief UK.
Having moved to Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2014, Adnan has held different roles that have helped grow Islamic Relief’s global digital footprint into new geographic territories, supporting Islamic Relief members with their digital and marketing growth as well as developing new products and initiatives for the Islamic Relief family.
Adnan graduated in Industrial Design and Technology from Loughborough University. He has since completed an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from Durham University and a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Institute of Data and Marketing.
Martin Cottingham joined Islamic Relief in 2012 as IRUK Media Relations Manager, and was appointed Head of Communications in 2015 before taking up his current position as Director of External Relations and Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide.
Martin has helped Islamic Relief to increase its mainstream media profile and expand its campaigning work, producing hard-hitting advocacy reports on floods in Pakistan (2011) famine in Somalia (2012) disaster risk reduction (2013) and aid to Afghanistan (2014). He has over 20 years’ experience working in media, communications and marketing roles for international development and environmental charities.
Martin graduated from the University of London with a degree in English and Drama (1982-85) then trained as a journalist with a postgraduate diploma at City University (1986-87). He has previously worked for Christian Aid as Editor of Christian Aid News and Media Relations Manager (1988-97) for Oxfam as Regional Campaigns Manager (1997-2000) and at the Soil Association as Marketing Director (2001-2006), as well as working for a wide range of organisations as a freelance writer, researcher and communications consultant.
Waseem Ahmad joined the Islamic Relief family over 24 years ago, serving as Programme Officer in the Balochistan province of south-western Pakistan before becoming Head of Programmes in Pakistan. Waseem then moved to Oxfam and Tearfund before returning to Islamic Relief to establish our mission in Malawi. Later serving as Head of Programme Funding and Partnerships, Waseem led the response to major crises across the globe, including the East Africa drought, Pakistan earthquake and the Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Waseem then served for nearly 6 years as our Director of International Programmes, during which time the charity secured and retained the coveted Core Humanitarian Standard certification in recognition of the quality of our programming. He was appointed CEO of Islamic Relief in May 2021.
With a special interest in community mobilisation and infrastructure, Waseem received an MSc in Project Planning and Management from the University of Bradford, as well as an MSc in Economics from Arid Agriculture University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Waseem has also worked for Lepra Health in Action and is a member of the International Civil Society Centre’s Board of Trustees. The father-of-3 enjoys walking and playing football, and is a keen birdwatcher.
