The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. While Ramadan is best known for the fasting undertaken during the month, it also represents a time of required charitable giving. This giving, known as zakat, takes many different forms. One way that Muslims give during Ramadan involves making donations to charities, such as Islamic Relief USA. These funds support projects in areas suffering from conflict, famine, disasters, and other crises.

How Ramadan Giving Was Used to Support Islamic Relief USA Projects in 2024

The donations that Islamic Relief USA received during the 2024 Ramadan were used in a variety of ways and in many different projects across 31 countries, providing food support for 640,000 people at risk of malnutrition. The funds supported targeted projects in countries suffering from ongoing crises, such as Sudan, Palestine, and Yemen. Other countries that received food aid include Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, and even populations in the United States.

Food Distribution

Islamic Relief USA distributed over 59,000 food packets during Ramadan, most of which were supported by Ramadan giving. The food packets are customized to regional cuisines and traditions and have essentials to support a family for one month. In some countries, different packets are available, and recipients can select the one that is most appropriate for their family’s diet. The packets typically have dates, rice, lentils, sugar, oil, wheat, and canned meat and fish.

The United Nations reported that 2.4 billion people around the world experience moderate to severe food insecurity. Another 900,000 suffer from critical food insecurity. More than 3 billion people—or nearly half of the world’s population—cannot afford healthy food. In many crisis areas, the rate of malnutrition in children and pregnant or nursing mothers is so high that it is expected that many people will die from starvation. Food distributions supported by zakat are one way of mitigating this problem.

Relief Work in Palestine

Islamic Relief USA has a partner on the ground in Palestine that surveys conditions in identifying the most vulnerable and needy in the region. They are provided with food, medical care, and other essential services through a variety of programs. Since the recent conflict escalation began, Islamic Relief USA and its partner organizations have distributed 2.2 million hot meals to nearly 200,000 people; delivered food packets and vouchers for foodstuffs to 155,000 displaced people; provided medical care to nearly 85,000 people and medical supplies to more than 330,000 people; outfitted three hospitals with much-needed medical supplies and essentials; given immediate trauma care to more than 150,000 people; and provided hygiene kits, clothing vouchers, and bedding to more than 32,000, 15,000, and 11,800 people, respectively.

Supporting Displaced People in Sudan

Sudan has been suffering from internal conflict since April 2023, with millions of people displaced by the violence and at risk of malnutrition and starvation. Islamic Relief USA is supporting them by offering food, water, healthcare, and shelter whenever possible. To date, food has been provided to nearly half-a-million people; water storage kits have been provided to nearly 7,000 people; health care services and medicine have been provided to nearly 75,000 people; psychosocial support has been provided to more than 3,500 people; and hygiene kits, cash assistance, and shelter assistance have been provided to more than 10,600, 82,000, and 3,800 people, respectively.

Islamic Relief USA also supports displaced people living in countries such as Chad and Egypt. In Chad, the focus is on shelter assistance, with nearly 28,000 newly arrived Sudanese refugees.

Other Programs

The organization works with a number of partners in providing much-needed aid and relief services in a number of other settings, including food, water, healthcare, and winter aid in Yemen; orphan sponsorships around the world (more than 80,000 orphans are sponsored through Islamic Relief USA); and mother and baby support in countries such as Yemen, Niger, and Afghanistan.

Islamic Relief USA’s Zakat Policy

To ensure that donations are used properly and benefit as many people as possible, Islamic Relief USA uses a scholar-verified zakat policy. The organization has created a zakat advisory board that oversees and verifies distributions made by IRUSA, ensuring that the principles of ihsaan (excellence) and amana (custodianship) are always followed.