Inside Islamic Relief USA’s Recent Trip By Nabeeha Shah Pakistan has been facing the worst climate disaster in 30 years. The rise in global temperatures has triggered unprecedented glacial melting and monsoon rains, causing disastrous floods in all four provinces of the country including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab. One third of the country is submerged and a staggering 33 million people have been affected by this devastating crisis.  Up to 2.2 million people have lost their homes and are without clean water or food, forced to spend their days hungry under the open sky. Over 1.1 million livestock have perished and more than 4.4 million acres of crops…

East Africa Emergency By Nabeeha Shah The threat of famine looms over countries across East Africa including Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia as conflict and climate induced drought have left nearly 20.5 million people without food. The number is projected to increase to between 23 and 26 million by February 2023 if immediate action isn’t taken. Over 8.9 million livestock, a main source of food and livelihood for farming communities across the region, have perished. The struggle to find food and water has forced hundreds of thousands of people across the region to migrate in order to survive, further escalating the crisis. The impact of the war in Ukraine is also…

Hurricane Ian By Samiya Majid My motivation for wanting to be a doctor [isn’t traditional.] Instead, it comes from my desire to be a more helpful volunteer. I’ve always loved volunteering. I think it just made me feel useful and more fulfilled in my heart. In middle school, I would spend my lunches going to the library to help organize the books. My [desire] to [become] a doctor came from watching videos of Doctors Without Borders and seeing the incredible work they did, [and imagining] the fulfillment [they] felt. I knew I wanted to do [something similar] with my life, but I stuck to local volunteer opportunities, and hoped for…

The 51st Annual Legislative Conference By Syed M. Hassan Staff from Islamic Relief USA attended the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st Annual Legislative Conference at the Washington Convention Center in D.C. between September 28-30. IRUSA had a booth set up at the marquee event, which featured top lawmakers, media personalities, nonprofit leaders, and faith leaders, among others. IRUSA’s ties to the Black community stretches back to its founding nearly three decades ago, and has only increased during that time. Many of the community-based organizations that received support during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic are entities run by members of the Black community. The pandemic has been known to…

This Sunday, October 16, 2022 is World Food Day, a day to promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from food insecurity. Across 150 countries worldwide, hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, the media, and the public with the common goal of leaving no one behind when it comes to food security and healthy diets for all.  In addition to reaching out to our community in digital spaces this World Food Day for food aid support, IRUSA is also hosting a Day of Dignity event in Southern California (look for live footage from the event on our social media). Along with food,…