Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Islamic Relief’s Foundation Day. In the years and decades since, we have grown into a leading international charity working across continents to alleviate the suffering of millions of people.
We’re thankful to our generous donors whose kindness and support fuels us every day. Our work would not be possible without you.
To mark this milestone, we’re sharing 42 facts about Islamic Relief.
1. Islamic Relief was founded in 1984 – Our founders, a group of medical doctors and activists, were moved by the suffering caused by the 1984 famine in Sudan. Working with an enthusiastic team based out of a small office in Birmingham, they raised £100,000 to help those affected.
2. Our first ever donation… was from a 9-year-old boy in Cairo, Egypt. His donation of his 20p pocket money started us on our journey. From a small act of kindness, enormous impact has grown.
3. 90p of every pound donated is spent on helping those in need – For every £1 donated to Islamic Relief, we spend 90p directly on helping people in need. The remainder goes towards raising more funds and essential administrative costs to support the professional delivery of everything we do.
4. We work in more than 40 countries – From our beginnings in the United Kingdom, Islamic Relief has expanded to deliver aid and fundraise in more than 40 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
5. Inspired by faith – Islamic Relief’s faith-based approach informs the work we do to help people in need. Inspired by the Islamic faith, we envisage a caring world where communities are empowered, social obligations are fulfilled, and people respond as one to the suffering of others.
6. Committed to long-term response – Even when long-running crises including those engulfing Syria and Yemen drop from the headlines and public consciousness, Islamic Relief is committed to continuing its work to help those affected rebuild their lives. In 2024, we reached more than 1.85 million people in Yemen with vital humanitarian support, while in Syria, we delivered aid to 1.82 million people.
7. Supporting more than 85,000 orphaned children – Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme, established in 1986, helps support children across several continents. The assistance of our generous sponsors ensures children can attend school and receive the healthcare they need.
8. Working to tackle climate change – Climate change is one of the greatest moral, social and environmental challenges facing humanity. Islamic Relief works to help communities and governments adapt to and mitigate climate change, while also working to reduce our own carbon footprint.
9. Our qurbani programme feeds millions each year – Islamic Relief’s qurbani programme fed more than 3 million people in 30 countries in 2024, distributing more than 543,000 food packs to families in time for Eid al-Adha. Our criteria ensures that meat goes to those most in need during the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, one of the holiest periods in the Islamic year.
10. Certified against the CHS – In 2023, Islamic Relief was recertified against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), a rigorous global standard for humanitarian work. We are one of only 5 UK-based charities to have been certified, and to date we are the only UK-based faith-inspired charity to hold the certification.
11. Standing up for gender justice – Islamic Relief is committed to ending gender injustice in humanitarian and development contexts, creating a brighter future for women and girls. Our programming and advocacy work aims to address 3 main issues: gender-based violence, female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C) and early/forced marriage.
12. Improving financial inclusion for all – Since 1994 we have provided Islamic microfinance to people who would otherwise be excluded from financial services. With our interest-free Shariah-compliant loans, entrepreneurs start up or expand small businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. So far, we have circulated well over £60 million in social investment.
13. First Muslim non-governmental organisation to receive UK government funding – In 1994, we received £180,000 to fund a training centre in North Kordofan, Sudan.
14. Recycling clothes to support projects – Islamic Relief established TIC International, a clothing recycling company, in 1993 after receiving an influx of clothes in response to emergency appeals. The Birmingham-based firm now manages a national chain of charity shops, helping with fundraising efforts.15. More than 20 years of supporting survivors of the Indian Ocean Tsunami – Islamic Relief was among the first aid agencies to deliver lifesaving aid after one of the most catastrophic disasters in modern history. We distributed food, safe drinking water, medicine, tents and hygiene supplies, provided ambulances and mobile health clinics, and sent 2 cargo planes packed with medical supplies and hygiene items. In 2024, we told the story of that dark day in December 2024 and shared Islamic Relief’s role in supporting individuals, families and communities in Indonesia’s Aceh province – the worst affected area.
16. Protecting families during winter – Storms, blizzards and freezing temperatures heap challenges on those living in damaged shelters, or with no shelter at all. Every winter, Islamic Relief helps those at risk over the colder months with food, fuel and other winter essentials.
17. Registered with the UK Charity Commission for more than 30 years – Since 1989, Islamic Relief has been registered with the UK government body that regulates charities in England and Wales. This helps ensure donors and other members of the public can trust the work that we do.
18. Supporting those affected by HIV/AIDS – Islamic Relief pioneered discussions on Islam and HIV/AIDS at a 2007 conference in South Africa, and we continue to support those affected by the HIV virus in the country and elsewhere through prevention programmes, support groups and youth education initiatives. In 2025, we worked with UNAIDS on multiple projects in Kenya to combat the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.
19. Delivering life-saving aid in Gaza – Since October 2023, we have provided over £51 million worth of aid and helped ease the suffering of over 600,000 people in Gaza. We have distributed over 70 million hot meals to displaced families as well as clean water, healthcare, education and psychosocial support. We have also expanded our Orphan Sponsorship Programme by more than 70% since the crisis began, with over 21,000 orphaned children in Gaza now sponsored by Islamic Relief.
20. Signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct – In 1999, Islamic Relief signed the Red Cross Code of Conduct, committing to this international standard of how to provide aid to people affected by emergencies in a non-biased manner. Humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence are the core principles.
21. Helping refugees – Islamic Relief works to support refugees and displaced people around the world. At the peak of Europe’s ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015, we provided food packs in Macedonia, hygiene kits and blankets in Germany, advice and translation services for new arrivals in Greece and Italy, and short-term shelter and warm clothing in Sweden.
22. Responding to disasters – Islamic Relief has decades of experience responding to natural and man-made disasters, ranging from earthquakes, floods and tsunamis to conflict. Each year, we rapidly respond to emergency situations, striving to meet the immediate needs of those affected, while working to develop a long-term response.
23. First to deliver aid to Grozny – When war broke out in Chechnya in 1995, Islamic Relief was the first relief agency to deliver aid to the area’s capital, Grozny. We supplied food, blankets, clothes, and medicine to those affected by the fighting.
24. Extensive support in Pakistan – Islamic Relief began working in Pakistan in 1992, responding to devasting flooding in Punjab. In the decades that followed, we continued to provide life-saving aid and life-changing humanitarian and development interventions, including throughout the catastrophic flooding in 2022, which submerged a third of the country, and the heavy monsoon floods that killed 1,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2025.
25. Recognised by the European Commission – In 2002, Islamic Relief signed a Framework Partnership with the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department. The move recognised our capacity to deliver aid to a high standard.
26. Thousands raised during Bosnia appeal – Working with the UK-based newspaper The Independent, Islamic Relief raised £37,000 in 1993 to support aid efforts throughout the war in Bosnia. Throughout the conflict, we remained by the side of Bosnians, making us one of the few international organisations operational in the country during the war, supporting Bosnians during the Siege of Sarajevo and later supporting survivors of the Srebrenica Genocide.
27. Striving to ‘Do No Harm’ – Islamic Relief is committed to the principle of ‘Do No Harm’. We strive to ensure our programmes are appropriate for the communities we serve, and to understand and minimise any potential negative impacts of our work.
28. More than 25 years of the International Waqf Fund – In 2000, we created the International Waqf Fund to implement waqf projects, reviving the great Islamic tradition of sustainable charitable investments alongside charitable giving. The fund helps to provide money to feed families during Ramadan, improve water and sanitation, and support health and nutrition, among other endeavours.
29. On the ground in conflict zones – Islamic Relief works to support people affected by conflict around the world. We respond to emergencies and carry out long-term projects to help communities rebuild their lives. In 2003, we were one of the few international aid agencies assisting people in Iraq when war broke out, providing £9 million worth of aid.
30. Providing assistance based on need – We support those in need regardless of their religion, race or sexual orientation, and do not discriminate in any way. Islamic Relief works to ensure that those we help know our assistance is unconditional, and that we welcome feedback and complaints.
31. Member of the UK’s Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) – Islamic Relief was the first Muslim charity to join the DEC, an umbrella organisation which brings together 15 leading UK-based aid charities in times of crisis to raise funds. We joined in 2005, the same year we launched our biggest-ever operation in the United States, supporting those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
32. Continuing our work in Afghanistan – Islamic Relief has worked in Afghanistan for more than 23 years. We provide a lifeline in a country gripped by multiple humanitarian crises. Today we work in 11 provinces delivering development projects, as well as responding to emergencies elsewhere as needed, such as the September 2025 earthquake in Kunar province.
33. Responding to a global pandemic – Throughout the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, Islamic Relief adapted projects and programmes to deliver life-saving support where we could. Throughout 2020 alone, we ran 122 Covid-19 prevention and support projects, reaching 1.5 million people.
34. Part of historic interfaith collaboration – In 2014, Islamic Relief began a partnership with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in the first collaboration of its kind between global Islamic and Christian humanitarian organisations.
35. Saying ‘never again’ – July 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by Bosnian Serb forces. To mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, Islamic Relief honoured the memory of victims and paying tribute to the strength of those who survived. On this solemn anniversary, we urged the international community to remember the lessons of the past and to ensure similar events never happen again.
36. Advocating for an end to FGM/C – Female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) is practised in many areas of the world and affects the physical and mental health of millions of women and girls. Islamic Relief’s work includes engaging with local scholars to educate communities to help bring an end to the practice.
37. Committed to localising aid – As well as assisting those in need directly, Islamic Relief is committed to localising aid by helping local partner organisations build their capacity. They could be first responders with a deep understanding of community needs, or a smaller non-governmental organisation working on one particular challenge in a country or region.
38. Working to end early and forced marriage – Our faith perspective gives Islamic Relief a special role in working to end early and forced marriage, which affects millions of girls each year. We believe early and forced marriage violates God-given human rights as well as the sanctity of marriage and family in Islam. We are committed to working with faith leaders to change harmful cultural norms.
39. Ensuring those with disabilities are not left behind – Islamic Relief recognises that people living with disabilities are often at a greater risk in times of disaster, conflict, or great need. We are working to ensure our projects and programmes are accessible to everyone that needs our help by embedding accessibility into the planning and design stages, and creating clear guidelines developed with people living with disabilities.
40. 40 years of service – In 2024, Islamic Relief celebrated our 40th anniversary, marking the occasion by releasing a treasure trove of previously unpublished stories and photographs. The first resource of its kind, the interactive timeline is packed with facts, quotes and images covering the width and breadth of Islamic Relief’s 40 years of existence covering major milestones from the opening of our first offices in Birmingham, to our lifesaving and life-changing work.
41. The Islamic Relief Games – Did you know we used to host a yearly community Olympic Games? Inspired by a teenager who embarked on a sponsored swim to raise money for a fledgling Islamic Relief, the first edition was held in 1989 and took place every year until 1997.
42. We couldn’t do this without you – Over the last 42 years, the generosity of our donors has made it possible for Islamic Relief to help millions of people around the world. Sadly, humanitarian crises continue to grow in number and severity, leaving more people in need of assistance.
Please continue to support us with the vital work we do around the world. Donate today.
