Tag: Impact

Yemen’s food security outlook remains extremely bleak, with serious challenges expected to continue through 2026, according to the United Nations. After 11 years of crisis, many families do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Here, Amr Amin, Islamic Relief Yemen’s Head of Food Security & Livelihoods (pictured below), discusses the challenges Yemeni families face.

Q: How severe is Yemen’s food crisis right now?

A: The situation is extremely serious. According to the latest IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) analysis, over 18 million people – nearly half the population – were severely food insecure during February 2026. There’s a risk that this number will remain unchanged, or worsen, in March as pressures mount. If we look back to January, Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimates put Yemen among the world’s most food‑insecure countries in January 2026.

In government-controlled areas, recent central bank interventions have temporarily strengthened the Yemeni riyal. They have also lowered food prices, making food easier to buy. However, these improvements are highly fragile.

In other areas, agricultural production prospects are weak. The likelihood of restoring large-scale humanitarian food assistance or other sectoral support also remains very low.

Yemen remains at risk of famine conditions in 2026. This risk will only intensify if the decline in humanitarian assistance continues or if new shocks – economic, climatic, or conflict-related – occur in the coming months.

Q: How many people depend entirely on humanitarian aid for food?

A: The most recent IPC analysis (covering conditions up to February 2026) indicates an estimated 18.3 million people (52% of the population) are acutely food insecure, facing IPC Phase 3+. This means they are unable to meet their basic food needs without external assistance.

Q: Funding for Yemen has been cut significantly. What has that meant in real terms for families on the ground?

A: Funding cuts in 2025 have pushed families deeper into hunger. In 2025, Yemen’s humanitarian response came under severe strain as the UN’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) received only 28% of the required funding – the lowest level since 2015.

This unprecedented gap has forced all humanitarian clusters to scale back, including Islamic Relief. Alarmingly, contributions to the World Food Programme (WFP) fell by over 70% between 2024 and 2025.

Islamic Relief has been working to enhance nutritional interventions to treat acute malnutrition in Yemen by distributing medicines and working with government health offices

Many households are skipping meals, relying on poor‑quality food, pulling children out of school to work, and selling their last remaining assets just to survive.

In areas not controlled by the government, all WFP operations have remained suspended since September 2025 due to operational access constraints.

Q: Are you having to choose who eats and who doesn’t? How are those decisions made?

A: Islamic Relief provides food assistance to those in need in Yemen throughout the year. We also provide additional support through our seasonal programmes, including Ramadan and zakat-ul-fitr food packages and qurbani meat distributions.

However, with the level of funding received in 2025-2026, the humanitarian community simply cannot reach every person in need.

Support now focuses on areas facing the most severe food insecurity. Families with children under 5, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and those in active conflict zones or flood‑affected areas are considered at the highest risk.

These decisions are not made lightly. Yet, the painful reality remains: every time one family is prioritised for assistance, another equally desperate family is left without help.

Q: Is donor fatigue setting in after years of conflict? Why is funding declining despite clear humanitarian need?

A: Yes, donor fatigue is increasingly evident. Around the world, multiple crises are stretching donor budgets thinner than ever.

Islamic Relief is providing food assistance in Yemen throughout the year, as well as additional support through our seasonal programmes, including Ramadan and zakat-ul-fitr food packages and qurbani meat distributions

Within Yemen, operational challenges, particularly access restrictions, have made it harder for agencies to reach people in need, complicating donor engagement.

Q: If funding levels don’t improve, what will Yemen look like 6 months from now?

A: If current funding levels do not change, the outlook is deeply concerning.

Malnutrition rates are expected to worsen, particularly in the western coastal governorates, where vulnerabilities are already acute.

As resources shrink, more families will be driven toward harmful coping mechanisms – taking on unmanageable debt, moving in search of assistance, and resorting to early marriage or child labour for survival.

Q: What is your message to the international community watching this crisis unfold?

A: My message is both urgent and hopeful.

Yemen’s hunger crisis is severe, but it is not irresolvable.

Millions of people who once depended on humanitarian assistance are no longer receiving it, while food prices continue to rise and livelihoods continue to collapse.

However, with adequate funding, sustained humanitarian access, and support for livelihood recovery, the trajectory of this crisis can still be changed.

The window to prevent famine in Yemen is narrowing, but it has not yet closed. Now is the time to act and help ease suffering in Yemen.

Ibrahim Haidar Ja’man, 60 years old, lives in the Al-Judhoor area of Al-Tarf Al-Shami in Bayt Al-Faqih District, Yemen.

His extended household consists of six immediate family members: three sons and three daughters, who are all married. The sons have six children, and the daughters have ten children. In total, the entire extended family lives together in one compound.

The family’s home is primarily constructed from bamboo reeds, mud, and basic materials. One of Ibrahim’s sons has managed to build a stone room, and Ibrahim himself has also added a
small room. However, the rest of the structure remains made of reeds, wood, mud, and simple
bricks.

Heavy rains pose a significant risk: without covering essential belongings and food with plastic sheets, everything becomes damaged. In the first year of heavy rainfall, all the small huts in the compound were destroyed.

The broader area in Yemen, which includes Al-Judhoor, Al-Jarmouzi, and Al-Baziq, has only one school and one health post. There is no doctor available. In the case of illness, families must travel for an hour by motorcycle to reach Bayt Al-Faqih to find medical assistance.

Due to the lack of healthcare services, community members often resort to buying antibiotics, tablets, and injections from pharmacies and administering them at home without medical supervision, which sometimes results in injury or complications.

Education is also limited. The nearest functioning school is in Al-Jarmouzi, about 3 km away. Children attend irregularly because there is effectively no accessible school in their immediate area.

There is no public electricity. Previously, the family relied on kerosene lamps, gas lamps, and handheld torches. Today, thanks to small solar panels, they have basic lighting, but they still lack appliances such as fans, which are essential during extreme heat.

Residents in the area have long suffered from difficult economic conditions. Families collect firewood and sometimes charcoal to sell at the market. However, income is uncertain. Sometimes buyers are available, and other times people cannot afford to purchase.

Since childhood, Ibrahim recalls his father walking long distances to fill water containers from public wells or distant sources. Water collection was physically exhausting and often dangerous. Containers frequently fell and broke during transport, worsening the hardship.

A displaced man from “Kilo 16” later observed the community’s difficult situation and donated a small solar-powered system with a water tank located 3 km away. Families used to make the trip twice a day to fetch water.
The government had once installed a large water tank for the village, promising piped water, but when the war broke out the system was never completed and the tank remained unused for 20 years.
Recently, Islamic Relief assessed the abandoned tank and agreed to rehabilitate it. They repaired and
restored the structure, installed a solar pumping system, filled the tank, and connected pipelines to all the houses in the three nearby villages.

Today, water is available for every household, thanks to the functioning solar-powered water system. Only the installation of household taps remains to allow water to flow directly inside each home.

The new system has greatly eased the community’s suffering. Access to water, considered the most essential necessity of life, has brought significant relief, especially after years of walking long distances under the harsh sun.

Ibrahim expresses deep gratitude to the donor and Islamic Relief for providing water to every home:

“May God reward you and bless your path. Just as you provided us with water, may God provide you with goodness.”

Despite this major improvement, the community still faces significant needs related to: Food assistance, agricultural support, livestock support, and additional livelihood opportunities.

Islamic Relief has been supporting the people of Yemen since 1998. Please help us to continue this vital work.

Islamic Relief looks back on a year of standing in 2025 with communities suffering through crisis and hardship, with the support of our incredible donors and partners around the world.

Together, we touched an estimated 26.7 million* lives in 2025.

Across 35 countries, our staff and partners helped empower vulnerable communities to lift themselves out of poverty and weather desperate crises.

We delivered 607 projects, including 137 humanitarian aid interventions and 466 development projects.

As we reflect on some of the biggest moments of the year, we are grateful for the continued trust placed in us by the communities we serve and our donors, volunteers and colleagues.

January

The first weeks of the year bring some respite to the desperate crisis in Gaza when, after almost 500 days of relentless bombardment, a ceasefire comes into effect.

Islamic Relief begins expanding our support for vulnerable people in Gaza by working with our partners to provide more emergency relief, and making plans to scale up our response.

Heartbreakingly, the people of Gaza are plunged back into an unrelenting nightmare as Israel ends the ceasefire by resuming bombing and blocking aid.

In Gaza and around the world, Islamic Relief’s Winterisation program is helping families to survive the coldest months. In Bangladesh, we provide blankets, fuel and warm clothing to families in need.

While in Afghanistan, your donations help us bring warmth and hope to the country’s poorest province.

February

With the sighting of the crescent moon, Muslims around the world begin observing the holy month of Ramadan. Our annual Ramadan distribution program reaches more than 844,400 people in 32 countries with food to break their fast and ease their suffering.

March

Yemen marks the grim milestone of a decade of protracted crisis. Over the last 10 years, its people have weathered a brutal war, the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, malnutrition and severe economic decline.

Almost half of the population do not know where their next meal is coming from, and many have lost their livelihoods. Amid chronic desperation, Islamic Relief remains committed to providing lifesaving and life-changing support to Yemenis in need.

April

The crisis in Sudan enters its third year, with no end in sight to the conflict. An Islamic Relief aid worker on the ground writes of his unwavering humanitarian commitment amid a relentless cycle of displacement, hunger and fear.

May

Hunger remains 1 of the world’s most pressing crises, with millions of people around the world unsure where their next meal is coming from. On World Hunger Day, we highlight voices from Sudan, where families are surviving on the brink of starvation.

To alleviate hunger, our annual qurban distribution begins, bringing the joy of Eid and a rare opportunity to eat meat to many families in need around the world.

June

World Environment Day and World Refugee Day bring opportunities to spotlight 2 issues at the heart of Islamic Relief’s campaigns.

We share stories of how boreholes are beating plastic pollution in Somalia. Innovative latrines are restoring comfort and dignity in Bangladesh’s waterlogged villages.

July

Islamic Relief marks 30 years since the Srebrenica Genocide with a major campaign. We share stories of survival and resilience from families still picking up the pieces of their lives.

We also published our 2024 Annual Report, looking back on a year marked by enduring and devastating crises. A year in which we spent more money than ever before to support vulnerable people worldwide.

August

Severe flooding sweeps across large regions of Pakistan, affecting an estimated 6.9 million people. Islamic Relief is on the ground supporting affected families in Punjab within 48 hours. By mid-September, we reached over 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people continue to return to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries each day. They arrive as a part of a mass exodus that has been ongoing since September 2023. From morning until night, Islamic Relief staff work to support the returnees with information, food and water.

September

Islamic Relief launches an emergency appeal as Afghanistan is rocked by powerful earthquakes, which kill thousands and displace thousands more. We provide medical aid and begin distributing tents and meals to people who have lost everything.

October

October brings 2 grim anniversaries as both Gaza and Lebanon mark 2 years of crisis. We launch a campaign to secure sponsorship for the more than 7,000 orphaned children on our waiting list in Gaza as another ceasefire is agreed.

Islamic Relief also launches an appeal to support people affected by the strongest storm to hit Jamaica in modern history. The island was battered by Hurricane Melissa, which left people without homes and parts of the country submerged.

Amid these disasters, Islamic Relief staff also took time to reflect on the past, with an aid worker in Pakistan remembering the deadly Kashmir earthquake 20 years on.

November

Political leaders, civil society organisations and activists from around the world convene in Brazil for COP30. The annual climate summit brings tentative agreements on concrete steps needed to tackle the climate crisis, but many parties remain focused on reacting to short-term challenges, rather than planning for the future.

Islamic Relief launches our annual Winter Appeal to help vulnerable people stay warm during the harshest months. We also publish a new report on how community-led kitchens are saving lives in Sudan.

December

As 2025 draws to a close, Syria marks 1 year since the momentous political change created new opportunities to address the country’s prolonged humanitarian crisis.

Islamic Relief has been working in Syria since 2011, remaining on the ground as the crisis erupted, deepened and stretched on.

In 2025, we continue to work to meet the needs of vulnerable Syrians as the situation on the ground changes. We rebuilt homes, schools and livelihoods to help build a better future.

Devastating flooding sweeps across several Asian countries, affecting more than 1 million people in Indonesia and devastating parts of Thailand and Sri Lanka.

More than 1,000 people are killed and many more left homeless as roads remain impassible and food shortages loom. Islamic Relief begins working with the Indonesian navy to bring supplies to flood-affected areas, and launches a response in Sri Lanka.

We look towards 2026 with renewed vigour and determination to continue to honour your trust in us.

We know that the world’s crises will not end with the calendar year and that the suffering of many of the communities we serve will continue in 2026. The need for our work has never been greater, nor has our gratitude to the donors and partners who make it possible.

Thank you, once more, for your continued support.

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*Editor’s note: Figures are estimates based on projects’ whole duration, and include duplication. For example, one family in Gaza may have received a Ramadan food parcel and a winter survival kit, and so will have been counted twice in estimates.

Islamic Relief will publish our official impact data, which is subject to rigorous scrutiny and audit, in our 2025 Annual Report. The annual report will be published summer 2026.

Nada Abu Taleb has documented Yemen’s silent suffering as Islamic Relief’s Media and Communication Coordinator in the country. Now, she reveals what humanitarian work truly means in one of the world’s most neglected crises. 

World Humanitarian Day is a moment to pause, reflect, and remember why we choose to stand together amid crises. After nearly 15 years of humanitarian work, I have learned that to #ActForHumanity is not simply a theme; it’s a daily commitment, deeply personal and urgent, especially here in Yemen. 

As a Yemeni who has lived and worked through this crisis, I know that suffering is not a distant headline; it confronts us every day. I see it in the strained expressions of my neighbours, hear it in the despair of families struggling to survive. But amid these painful encounters are moments of profound dignity that stay etched in memory. 

I recall a mother who had just received a modest cash assistance package. Her hands held her child tightly. They were visibly malnourished, yet her eyes expressed overwhelming gratitude rather than complaint. In that moment, aid became about more than food or money; it became about dignity, it became about making people feel seen and valued. 

Another defining moment was my encounter with a displaced father living in a makeshift shelter after losing nearly everything: his home, livelihood, and even family members. Despite his burden, his greatest concern was maintaining his children’s sense of normality. “Even when we have nothing,” he said quietly, “I still make sure my children feel safe, clean, and believe things will get better.” This humble, steadfast courage reshaped my understanding of dignity. Humanitarian work is not merely about distributing aid; it’s about honouring people’s resilience, acknowledging their identity, and protecting the fragile sense of hope they still hold. 

Education: Yemen’s silent crisis 

While the world rightly recognises and responds to immediate crises like hunger and the need for shelter, Yemen’s overlooked crisis is the systematic erosion of our education system. Schools are emptying, teachers haven’t been paid, and children’s dreams are fading. I remember a classroom without doors or windows, children huddled together sharing torn notebooks. When asked about his dreams, one boy replied earnestly, “I want to be a pilot, but I don’t know if I will ever fly a plane. We can barely eat.” 

This stark realisation hit me deeply. Education is not a luxury, it’s the promise of a future. Without schooling, children lose more than knowledge; they lose structure, security, and the ability to envision a better tomorrow. Protecting education is protecting hope itself, yet this urgent truth rarely makes international headlines. That’s why Islamic Relief teams in Yemen are working to rebuild classrooms, train teachers, and create safe learning spaces in some of the hardest-hit communities. 

Finding strength in small acts 

Humanitarian workers frequently grapple with overwhelming despair. I recall one particularly difficult day, consumed by endless stories of families skipping meals, children leaving school, communities crushed by hardship. The scale of suffering was paralysing. 

But what pulled me back was the quiet joy of Eid celebrations. Families smiling because their children had new clothes, or because, for the first time in months, they had meat on their table. I remembered a father weeping quietly with relief as he watched his daughters recover from malnutrition, their laughter a testament to a small triumph. These moments of humanity remind me why this work matters, small gestures can reverberate deeply, sustaining hope amid despair. 

Innovating amid challenges 

The complexity of Yemen’s crisis, which is marked by checkpoints, instability, and dwindling funds, often hampers our physical presence in affected communities. Our office responds creatively, training colleagues in remote areas in photography and storytelling so the voices of the communities we support can be heard. This initiative ensures we can document, communicate, and respond swiftly, preserving transparency and maintaining critical connections even amid logistical nightmares. This adaptive resilience underscores the resourcefulness required to deliver impartial and dignified humanitarian assistance under seemingly impossible circumstances. 

Women’s silent strength 

Throughout this crisis, I have come to see my fellow Yemeni women quietly shoulder extraordinary burdens. Their courage often lies not in grand gestures but in daily persistence despite exhaustion, fear, or loss. Witnessing their quiet determination consistently reshapes my understanding of what true bravery looks like.  

But some of their strength also comes from Yemen’s extraordinary community solidarity. Where official systems fail, neighbours have stepped forward, sharing limited resources, organising responses, and ensuring no one is abandoned. This local strength profoundly shapes our humanitarian approach, reminding us that true assistance is collaborative, respectful, and humble. Our role is not to lead from above, but to support and amplify the resilience already thriving on the ground. 

The world’s shared responsibility 

Today, when global attention feels overstretched and crises rage everywhere, from Gaza to Sudan, solidarity is not a limited resource; it’s our shared responsibility. Acting for humanity means refusing to normalise suffering, no matter how frequent it becomes. It requires compassion, dignity, and fairness, consistently and urgently, even when no one is watching. 

Yemen is often misunderstood, painted simplistically as a land of endless conflict and helplessness. In reality, Yemenis are remarkably spirited and resourceful. Our task as humanitarian workers is not to save them, but to stand beside them, preserving dignity, amplifying their voices, and working towards sustainable recovery. 

On World Humanitarian Day, let us remember that behind every statistic, there’s a person with a story to tell. That is my job as a communicator. To act for humanity is to remain present, compassionate, and brave, even in the face of immense challenges. This work is not just our choice, but our collective answer to a world that desperately needs humanitarians. May our actions always reflect that calling. 

Families in Yemen are fighting for survival every day. With your support, Islamic Relief can deliver life-saving aid to those who need it most. Your donation can help provide food, medicine, and hope to vulnerable communities. Please donate to our Yemen Emergency Appeal today. 

As systems fail, displaced doctors operate without pay, families shelter strangers, and aid workers navigate chaos. Ahead of World Humanitarian Day, their #ActForHumanity in Sudan defies despair.

Two years of war have shattered Sudan’s already limited health services, leaving communities to shoulder the crisis. In Gedaref’s Alameen Hospital, an eastern Sudanese facility near the Ethiopian border, overcrowded wards force two patients to share a single bed. A third rests on a couch. Others, with nowhere else to go, receive treatment and vanish back into the streets they walked in from, carrying wounds and illnesses back to makeshift shelters.  

“The responsibility grows heavier every day,” says Dr. Abdalbasit Alameen, the hospital’s director. “People arrive having lost everything: homes, livelihoods, even the certainty of their next meal. Now imagine they also need lifesaving antibiotics we cannot provide.” 

A health system on life support 

When Khartoum’s medical factories were bombed, supply chains snapped. Now, Dr. Alameen’s hospital – serving 200,000+ displaced people - functions at 30% capacity. His team reuses gloves, rations anaesthesia, and faces impossible choices: “Repair the last infant incubator or buy malaria pills for 50 children?” Across conflict-affected areas, many facilities have shut or can no longer function safely, forcing families to travel long distances or go without care.  

As World Humanitarian Day approaches under the banner #ActforHumanity, the stories emerging from Gedaref, a border state absorbing wave after wave of displacement, reveal a painful truth: when institutions collapse, only the compassion of people and the persistence of aid workers keep the system going. Our organisation, alongside other international NGOs, works hand-in-hand with local communities to patch together what remains. 

Filling cracks in a system that is shattered 

From Islamic Relief’s field office in Gedaref, country director Elsadig Elnour witnesses both the desperation and determination. “We are not saviours but partners in a collective effort,” he says. “Our goal is to fill the gaps left by the shattered infrastructure, and ensure essential supplies and support reach those trying to survive in displacement camps and overstretched hospitals.” 

The complexity of Elsadig’s role mirrors the crisis itself: ensuring his staff coordinates deliveries of scarce medical supplies, emergency nutritional support, and logistical aid through fractured routes and volatile zones. “Every shipment we deliver represents days of negotiation, planning, and risk management,” he explains. “But the relief in exhausted doctors’ eyes and the quiet thanks from families remind us why we stay.” 

Communities as first responders 

About 70 kilometres from Gedaref town, in the village of Hamra in Gedaref State, Rabha Saeed has rebuilt a life in displacement.  “When displaced people approach your home, you simply take them in. You share your bread,” says Rabha, herself displaced from Omdurman after burying her sister amid airstrikes. She now shares a cramped home with 7 family members. “We arrived with nothing. No money, no food. But thank God, the community welcomed us.” 

This grassroots compassion defines Gedaref’s response. University students ran Ramadan campaigns collecting clothes, mosquito nets, and sorghum for new arrivals. Locals converted schools into shelters despite overcrowded classrooms and children sleeping on mud floors during the rains. Still, as Rabha notes, solidarity has limits: “If displaced people cannot find work, the burden falls on those who host them.” Rabha says. She is among many who lost government employment during the crisis. “INGOs gave us monthly support. When they left, we were left crying for ourselves.” We need organisations like Islamic Relief that stay back when most leave.  

Stand for humanity 

Elsadig echoes her call for action. “Humanitarian response isn’t just about immediate relief,” he says. “It’s about helping communities stand on their own again. Islamic Relief is committed to staying, but this work needs sustained investment and collective global action.” 

“The international community must act, not tomorrow, now. Our shared humanity demands it.” 

Donate to our Sudan emergency appeal now to help empower Sudan’s communities as they rebuild their own future. 

Displaced from Gaza and now living in another country in the Middle East, Islamic Relief’s Mariam* continues working tirelessly to support vulnerable people back home in Gaza, including her colleagues, who are facing incredible hardship. This World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to humanitarian workers doing all they can to support the people of Gaza. 

Mariam carries the weight of 2 wars.  

By day, she documents Gaza’s collapse in stark statistics: 90% of the population displaced, often multiple times; 71,000 children under 5 years old acutely malnourished, and critically, over 100 confirmed deaths from malnutrition so far – deaths that include children under 5. and no hospitals in North Gaza functioning as they either have been destroyed or forced to cease operations.  

By night, she counts personal losses: How many days since she last heard from her brother in northern Gaza, how long it’s been since her husband – also still in Gaza – last ate, how many nights she’s spent lying awake worrying about her sister and family. 

Since Mariam left Gaza 16 months ago, 2 phones are her tether to home. While a work device blinks with constant reports from colleagues, her personal phone holds precious voice notes from her husband. 

“This is my reality now, supporting and monitoring food distributions while wondering if my husband ate today,” says Mariam, who has been working for Islamic Relief for 16 years.  

“I review reports of infants starving to death in northern Gaza, then make breakfast for my own children.” 

When the helpers need help 

Now displaced and still supporting Islamic Relief’s response remotely, Mariam embodies both the extraordinary strength and impossible choices facing Palestinian aid workers.  

“My colleagues who are still in Gaza work under bombs with no safe place to sleep. All of them have been displaced – most more than once – yet they continue their work. I sit here with a roof and running water, supporting their efforts remotely. But we hold our breath every day until we know they are safe. We try to take as much workload off them as possible, even though we are under pressure ourselves, because we know they are working under unimaginable conditions. They are exhausted, traumatised, yet still show up every single day. How can I not do the same?”  

Over 483 aid workers, including 326 UN staff, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Mariam recounts an attack on a UN school sheltering displaced families – one of numerous such incidents targeting civilian shelters this year. In July this year, 3 staff members from Human Appeal were killed while doing their job.  

“That could have easily been one of us”, Mariam says. “I was working inside Gaza under the same risks, moving between distribution points and shelters, fully aware that any moment could be my last. The only difference between me and those we lost is chance. 

“This isn’t collateral damage, it is targeted,” Mariam adds. Among those killed were colleagues she once worked closely with, people she considered friends. One was Aseel Khudr, a nurse who lost her life while treating patients at Al-Sahaba Medical Centre. Another was a healthcare worker at an organisation Islamic Relief partners with, killed while fulfilling their humanitarian duty. 

The statistics Mariam monitors tell the story of Gaza’s collapse as a result of Israel’s systematic and deliberate destruction of everything people need for survival. Even after Israel allowed aid into Gaza in July, only 40% of UN-led convoys were completed. The rest were either denied or impeded by Israeli forces or suspended due to insecurity. 2 million people – almost everyone in Gaza – face acute food insecurity. People have been gunned down and bombed while trying to get food, with over 1,239 civilians killed and more than 8,152 wounded while seeking humanitarian assistance since May 2025. 

But numbers alone can’t capture what it means to deliver aid when the rules of war are being completely ignored with impunity. 

The women keeping Gaza alive 

What sustains Mariam is the women of Gaza — the doctors performing surgeries by the light of their phones, the teachers holding lessons in bombed-out buildings, the mothers inventing ways to stretch a cup of flour into 3 meals. She describes colleagues who spend mornings documenting war crimes and afternoons searching for firewood. 

“Before this war, we had washing machines, universities, and cinemas,” Mariam says. “Now, women wash clothes in sewage-contaminated water and teach maths in rubble.”  

Mariam pushes back against the stereotype that Palestinian women are somehow ‘used to’ hardship – that’s simply not true. “People looking from the outside might think we had lived like this all our lives, but in reality, [since October 2023] we have had to reinvent everything just to survive.” 

Mariam shares the story of Fatema, a graduate of Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Program, who is now an aid worker herself.  

“I first met her when she was 12, when I was starting my own career. She was bright, writing poetry despite losing both parents,” Mariam says. “Years later, she joined our team.”  

Fatema’s husband and son were killed in an airstrike while she was at work.  

“When I saw her on TV crying, holding the toy she just bought for her son, my heart broke into pieces. Later, I learned she went back to work, with even more determination, because somehow, she didn’t let it break her. For me, she is the true meaning of strength and dignity in the middle of so much pain. Whenever I feel like giving in to exhaustion or despair, I think of her, and she reminds me why we keep going. 

What acting for humanity really requires 

For Mariam, this World Humanitarian Day’s slogan, #ActForHumanity, isn’t just a hashtag, but a daily practice with concrete demands: 

First, stop the weapons fuelling this catastrophe. “No more ‘deep concern’ statements while bombs keep falling. We need enforceable arms embargoes now.” 

Second, pressure Israel to end its blockade and guarantee unfettered aid access. “Every day our convoys are blocked means more children like Fatema’s son are buried in mass graves.” 

Right now, people are starving, drinking polluted water, and dying, not just from bombs but from hunger and preventable diseases. No hashtag can replace trucks filled with food, medicine, and fuel. Nor can it rebuild the homes, schools, and hospitals, reduced to rubble. 

Mariam adds that “acting for humanity also means seeing us as people, not numbers. For Gaza, it means listening to communities, respecting their dignity, and ensuring aid reaches the most vulnerable, in a fair and dignified way. It also means holding those who violate humanitarian law accountable, because silence in the face of this suffering is complicity.” 

And finally, she says, remember the displaced. “Whether in neighbouring countries or elsewhere, many Palestinians outside of Gaza are living without residency rights, school access, and healthcare. Survival shouldn’t be the endpoint of dignity.” And for those forced to flee Gaza, the right to return must never be forgotten.  

On World Humanitarian Day, Mariam hopes her message cuts through the noise: because true solidarity means showing up, not just when it is trending, but when it is terrifying and the world looks away.  

Islamic Relief continues delivering lifesaving aid in Gaza against almost-impossible odds. Support our Palestine Emergency Appeal today. 

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality 

Saddam, a father from the remote Al Zuhrah district in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, faced an unimaginable challenge when his son was born with severe health complications.

“His body was so weak,” Saddam recalls. “He was always sick, crying, his skin stuck to his bones.”

Despite his wife’s efforts to breastfeed their child, the boy’s condition continued to deteriorate. Living in a village where employment is unstable and access to healthcare is limited, Saddam struggled to find answers—or help.

“I don’t have a stable job. I work wherever I can, whenever the opportunity arises,” he explains. 

The nearest health centre is 10 kilometres away, serving over 20 villages. The burden on this facility is immense. In turn, for many families like Saddam’s, reaching it is a challenge in itself.

A ray of hope for families like Saddam’s

Yet when Islamic Relief began supporting malnutrition interventions in the area, a ray of hope appeared. 

Saddam’s son was referred by Islamic Relief to a hospital in Abs. There, he was admitted into intensive care for close observation. Thanks to continuous follow-up, regular checkups, and the provision of proper medication and nutrition, his son’s condition began to improve.

“We now have weekly appointments. They give him the right vitamins and nutrition every time we go,” Saddam says. “He’s doing much better than before. Alhamdulillah.” 

Though he admits he doesn’t fully understand the leading reasons behind malnutrition, Saddam speaks with clarity about its root causes: poverty, lack of employment, and the inability of parents to provide basic needs. “When fathers can’t find jobs, they can’t take care of their families. That’s what leads to illnesses like this.” 

Despite these hardships, Saddam’s gratitude is powerful and deeply felt. “I just want to say thank you to Islamic Relief for taking care of our children and listening to their suffering.” 

His story is a testament to the importance of accessible healthcare and nutrition support in crisis-affected communities. To the resilience of parents fighting to save their children, one small victory at a time.

In just the first half of 2025, your generosity changed millions of lives. Because you’ve helped Islamic Relief respond effectively to eight major emergencies across the globe.

From deadly floods and earthquakes to conflict and forced displacement, your kindness ensured that vulnerable communities received urgent assistance when they needed it most.

Thanks to our Emergency Fund and the commitment of donors like you, we were able to act without delay, delivering life-saving aid to families facing some of the harshest conditions on earth.

8 Emergencies. 8 Countries. One Global Response. 

Between January and June 2025, Islamic Relief responded to critical humanitarian crises in: 

• Mali – Floods 
• Nigeria – Conflict 
• Democratic Republic of Congo – Floods 
• Ethiopia – Earthquake 
• Afghanistan – Forced Repatriations 
• Pakistan – Conflict 
• Myanmar – Earthquake 
• Indonesia – Floods

These emergencies spanned multiple regions, but they all shared one thing in common: communities in urgent need of help. With your support, we were able to reach them swiftly and with care. 

What Your Donations Helped Deliver 

Your contributions made it possible for Islamic Relief teams and partners to provide:

• Life-saving medical supplies 
• Emergency food assistance 
• Shelter and protection for displaced families 
• Support to maintain dignity and safety for the most vulnerable

Whether we were distributing hygiene kits in Myanmar, food packs in Afghanistan, or emergency tents in Ethiopia, your donations were at the heart of every action we took. 

A Coordinated, Timely Emergency Response 

Islamic Relief’s global emergency system ensures that when disaster strikes, we’re ready. In the first six months of 2025: 

• 75% of emergency panel meetings were held within one day of receiving the alert. 
• 37.5% of emergency alerts were raised within just 72 hours of the crisis occurring. 
• £575,000 (approx. $1.1 million AUD) was allocated to these eight emergency responses. 
• 78.3% of these funds were used in countries where Islamic Relief already operates, enabling rapid mobilisation. 
• 21.7% supported efforts in countries without an existing IR presence through trusted, local partners.

This coordination is only possible because of the Emergency Fund. It allows us to act immediately, without waiting for donations to be raised after the disaster has already happened. 

A Closer Look: Impact in the Field 

In Afghanistan, thousands of families faced forced repatriation. There, we provided essential aid, including food parcels, hygiene kits, and warm clothing for children. 

In Myanmar and Ethiopia, earthquakes destroyed homes and infrastructure. Our teams moved quickly to deliver temporary shelters, clean water, and medical supplies to those affected. 

In Mali, DRC, and Indonesia, destructive floods displaced entire communities. Your support enabled us to distribute vital food, clean water, and emergency kits to help families survive and recover. 

And in Pakistan and Nigeria, where conflict continues to uproot lives, your donations helped provide safety, protection, and dignity to those caught in crisis. 

Why the Emergency Fund Matters 

Emergencies strike without warning. When they do, every hour matters. 

Our Emergency Fund is what makes rapid response possible. Rather than waiting to raise funds after a disaster hits, we’re able to respond immediately, getting aid to where it’s needed within days, not weeks. 

Your support of this fund means that families impacted by floods, earthquakes, or conflict don’t have to wait for food, shelter, or medical care. It means relief can reach them immediately when they need it most. 

Looking Ahead: A Call for Continued Support 

The first six months of 2025 were a stark reminder of how quickly lives can be turned upside down. But it was also a testament to what we can achieve together. 

Thanks to you, we were able to help thousands of people in their darkest moments. But the need hasn’t ended. New emergencies continue to emerge, and Islamic Relief must be ready. 

By donating to our Emergency Fund today, you ensure we can respond rapidly to the next crisis, whenever and wherever it occurs. 

What would you do if your child needed urgent medical care, but the nearest clinic was an exhausting hour-and-a-half’s walk away? Would you risk the journey in the rain, through snow, harsh mountain winds or scorching sun? Would you carry a sick child in your arms in the hopes of getting there safely?

In Lailour Pain village, a remote part of Yakawlang district in Afghanistan’s Bamyan province, these questions were once part of everyday life. For Khadija and many other mothers, accessing healthcare was an uphill battle. But all that is changing now.

Living with uncertainty

Khadija, 45, has spent her entire life in Lailour Pain, a village her family has called home for generations. Together with her husband, Abdullah, she cares for a large family of 14: 3 sons, 4 daughters, 2 daughters-in-law, and 3 grandchildren.

“My husband is 58 and works as a farmer. Our income comes from the crops we grow on our farm. If the crops grow well and there is enough water, we manage. But if there’s a drought, we have nothing. It becomes very difficult to survive.”

The family’s modest 4-room mud house provides shelter but lacks the comfort and warmth of a proper home. They struggle with poor harvests year after year, leaving them with no choice but to purchase food from Yakawlang city, around 20 kilometers away — a journey that is both expensive and physically demanding. Access to clean drinking water remains limited, with the family relying on a shared community well from which they must draw water each day by hand. While Khadija’s daughters are continuing their education at a nearby primary school, access to even the most basic health services has always been out of reach for the family.

A new beginning for the community

In September 2024, with support from the Health and Livelihoods Promotion (HeLP) project, Islamic Relief built a clinic in Khadija’s village. Every day, the facility serves around 100 patients, not only from Lailour Pain but also from several neighbouring villages who previously had no access to nearby healthcare.

For family’s like Khadija’s, the new clinic has been life-changing.

“My eldest daughter, who is 25, has kidney problems and needs regular medical attention. Before, it was a long journey to get her help,” Khadjia says.

“We had to walk for an hour and a half to reach the nearest health centre. It was very tiring. I have back pain myself, and making that journey was hard.”

Many villagers, especially mothers and elderly people, were unable to make the long trip. Even when they did, there was no guarantee that the clinic would have the medicine they needed. Illnesses, particularly among children, went untreated. Health education was non-existent.

“There were times we had to cut back on food just to afford a trip to the city for medical treatment. It was painful, especially in winter,” Khadija recalls.

The new clinic offers a wide range of services. It includes outpatient consultations, antenatal and postnatal care, psychosocial support, and nutrition programs. Children who need specialised care are referred for treatment, and families receive counselling on hygiene and wellbeing.

For months, Khadija lived with chronic back pain. Even simple chores such as cleaning and cooking became a struggle for her. After visiting the clinic, she received pain relief medication and advice on how to manage her condition at home.

“It changed our lives,” Khadija says quietly. “Now, when we’re sick, we go to the clinic nearby. We receive medicine, guidance, and care. I feel better, and I can do my daily chores without pain.”

Women in the village, who once hesitated to seek care, now feel safe and confident visiting the clinic. Health awareness has also improved, and with it, the overall quality of life has improved.

Khadija emphasises the importance of expanding the services. “We need delivery care. Complications during childbirth are common, and these services would save lives.”

A mother’s wish

For Khadija, the clinic is more than a health centre—it’s a promise of a brighter future.

“I want my children to be healthy. I want them to study, grow, and have better lives than we had. This clinic gives me hope that it’s possible.”

She sits quietly, her dark green and black shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders, her voice soft but steady. “We are thankful to Islamic Relief. What you’ve done here has changed our lives.”

Across Afghanistan, countless families like Khadija’s continue to face major challenges in accessing basic healthcare. Long distances, poverty, and a lack of local services put lives at risk, especially for women and children. With your support, Islamic Relief is working to change that by building clinics, training staff, and delivering life-saving care to some of the most remote communities.

Gadarif state in Sudan was once a quiet agricultural region. Now, it is a reluctant refuge for thousands of families fleeing Sudan’s spiralling conflict.  

Among them is mother-of-5 Rayan, whose life has been reduced to a daily struggle for the most basic necessities: food, shelter and safety. 

Her story is a snapshot of the global refugee crisis, one that forces us to confront the human cost of displacement, not as a distant tragedy, but as a relentless reality for millions. 

The night everything changed in Sudan

Rayan’s family once had a home in Khartoum, a modest but stable life. Her husband ran a small business and her children went to school. “It was not luxury,” she recalls, “but it was ours.”  

That changed overnight when fighting reached their neighbourhood last year. With bullets flying and shops ablaze, the family abandoned everything they had known. Joining the endless stream of displaced individuals searching for safety, they drove first to Singa in the Blue Nile region and then on to Gadarif after renewed clashes.  

“We left with nothing,” she says. “No money, no belongings, no papers, just the clothes we were wearing.”  

Today, the family of 7 live crammed into a host family’s compound. Plastic sheeting covers gaps in the walls; a single jerry can stands in place of household furniture.  

Rayan’s husband searches the market each dawn for day labour. On good days, he earns approximately $5.20 AUD loading grain sacks and stacking produce carts. On the many bad days, he returns empty-handed.

The world’s largest displacement crisis  

The speed of displacement in Sudan has been staggering: the United Nations estimates that over 11 million Sudanese are now uprooted, the largest internal displacement crisis on record.  

Yet Sudan is only one fault line in a global pattern. Worldwide, 122.6 million people – three-quarters of them women and children – live in limbo after fleeing conflict, persecution, and disaster. 

Displacement triggers a chain reaction of suffering. Children drop out of school, families sell all they have, and illness spreads where healthcare is scarce.  

In Gadarif, the hot nights lead to increased health risks for displaced families, including young children who are particularly vulnerable to malaria. Rayan’s 2 -year-old daughter has already fallen ill. 

For adolescent girls, the crisis brings an additional layer of anxiety. Sanitary pads are expensive luxuries, and makeshift alternatives raise health risks and keep girls indoors.  

Islamic Relief delivers lifesaving aid in Sudan

Islamic Relief distributed aid to Rayan’s neighbourhood supported by the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF). Each household received a dignity kit, which included 2 mosquito nets, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, soap, blankets and headscarves, plus a cash grant.  

“The mosquito net was a small thing that gave us much peace,” Rayan says. Her youngest now sleeps through the night. The cash covered a month’s rent and also stretched to cooking oil and lentils. “For the first time in many weeks,” she adds, “I bought meat.” 

Islamic Relief colleagues in Sudan emphasise that cash restores choice and dignity. “It allows families to decide what they need most,” explains Adam Yagoub, Islamic Relief Sudan’s communication officer. “Some buy food, some pay medical bills, some save a little for the journey home, when return is possible.” 

A fair chance at survival  

Sudan’s conflict shows no sign of abating; humanitarian corridors remain volatile, and funding gaps widen as new crises compete for attention. Islamic Relief’s latest Sudan appeal is only 42% funded. 

Rayan understands these numbers translate into rationed assistance. “We do not expect comfort,” she says, “just a fair chance.”  

Her wish list is simple: regular food parcels, safe shelter, mosquito spraying across the settlement, and, above all, peace so her children can return to school. 

Donate to our Sudan emergency appeal now to help families like Rayan’s survive with dignity.