Assalamu alaikum. Compared to other relief organizations, how quick was Islamic Relief to respond to the crisis in Niger?
Thank you
Answer
Assalam alaikum.
Islamic Relief was one of the first NGOs to respond to the current crisis in the region. We have an office in neighbouring Mali and have set up an office in Niger a few months ago. This allowed to prepare for a proper response according to the needs of the people. We have plans to stay in Niger to help with the longer term development of local communities.
Name
Ibtesam
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
Which countries does Islamic Relief currently have missions in? What is the role of these missions?
Answer
Islamic Relief currently has field offices in Albania, Kosova, Bosnia, Chechnya, Palestine, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Pakistan ,Afghansitan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, Iraq, Egypt and India. In some of these countries we have emergency relief operations (e.g. Niger, Indonesia, Iraq, etc) while in others we have missions that aim to empower local communites to become self sufficient.
We are now moving more towards long term development projects through local capacity building that creates a sense of self confidence in areas where we work. We are a right's based organisation focusing on the rights of individuals and communities to have their basic needs fulfilled.
Examples of our long term work include water & sanaitation, health & nutrition, orphan welfare, income generation, and skills training.
Name
Sara
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Based on your experience in Islamic Relief work, is it true that some relief agencies send their people to countries to convert people to Christianity? Does Islamic Relief try to convert people to Islam? Thank you for taking the time to answer this.
Answer
As far as I know this is not the case. Islamic Relief is an humanitarian aid organisation. This means that we help people without a religious, racial or political bias. I cannot speak for sure about other relief organisations.
Name
Mohamed
- Australia
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikum. I've heard conflicting stories about how bad the situation actually was/is in Darfur. Did the situation there really need all the media attention it got, or was that just a political maneuvre to get governments to move against Sudan?
Answer
The humanitarian situation is very bad especially for those people who have been displaced. They have little acccess to water, food and shelter. There is little diagreement on this. The humanitarian situaion does need the media attention.
As a humanitarian organisation we usually do not make political statements.
Name
Safa
- Bangladesh
Profession
Question
What kind of relief does Islamic Relief provide to the people in Niger right now? What exactly is its role?
Answer
At this moment Islamic Relief in Niger is focusing on three components:
1. Nutrition: we have five nutritional feeding centres (in the region of Tillaberi, south west of Niger) to provide nutritional care for the most vulnerable. The patients are assessed to see how malnourished the children are. If they are moderately malnourished they are put on a special diet by the specialists. The most severely malnourished are transferred to the region's only therapeutic centre.
2. Primary Health Care: Islamic Relief has provided medical equipment and medicines to the region's main district hospital to treat anyone who has suffered from the current food crisis.
3. Blanket food distrubition: Food has been distributed to the most vulnerable households in the areas most affected by the food crisis. This has been done in conjuction with the World Food Programme.
On top of this we also have plans to provide health care, training, and school feeding as part of a longer term strategy.
Name
Amin
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
What is the current situation in Niger? What did you see while you were there? Are people really so hungry that they eat leaves and grass? Are there any health epidemics?
Answer
The current situation in Niger is very bad. It is true that people in the worst parts of the country are eating leaves and other wild foods. These foods often provoke abortion with pregnant women. I have seen people prepare these plants for their next meal. There are even reports that people have started to eat rats!
I listened to some very disturbing accounts of how the food crsis has affected individuals, families and communities. Chilldren are increasingly becoming sick, people are selling personal belongings and cattle. In some cases people are leaving their home to seek food. When this becomes common we have a full-fledged famine on our hands.
So far it has not reached that level in most of the country, although it is bad in some parts of the country.
One village chief I spoke to mentioned how this food crisis is deteriorating communal life in his village. People he said are now only concerned about their own survival and no longer share with others. This was not the case in the past, he said. As a chief, he has lost respect of the people because he does not know how to feed his people.
In another case a man threw himself into a well after loosing his livestock to the drought. All his cattle died.
The most frequent comment I heard was "Give us food, we have nothing!"
As for health problems, malnourishment amongst children, pregnanat women and the elderly is a major problem.
Name
Murad
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Salam. I would like to know if your NGO's activities affected by London explosions and latest anti terorism laws in GB?
Answer
So far Islamic Relief has not been affected by the recent London bombings and the current anti-terrorism laws have not affected us. As a UK-based NGO we have increased transparency with regards to how we use the money we collect.
Name
Sohaib
-
Profession
Question
The situation in Niger is now spreading to other parts of Africa. What is Islamic Relief doing to keep up with this?
Answer
The situation was bad in other areas before. We as an NGO are focusing on Niger and northern Mali with our currrent resources. Please keep in mind that most NGOs work in a coordinated manner. So if Islamic Relief is not in Burkina Faso then another NGO will be there. The same would apply for Mauritania. Conversely, other NGOs would allow Islamic Relief to work in the areas it was allocated to.
Name
Karim
-
Profession
Question
How can we donate to Islamic Relief? What exactly is done with these donations?
Answer
You can donate by visiting our website: www.islamic-relief.com, or by telephoning: +44121 622 0 622.
These donations are then transferred to our account in the UK and then allocated to the appropiate country fund. Money is transferred to our local offices in Niger and Mali. Money will not be given to others NGOs or organisations to handle.
Name
hamora
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
asalaamu calkeykum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh. my question is:how do you determine or what rules does Islamic releif agency follow when determining which country is qualified for aid. my other question is, as you mentioned the countries that islamic relief has missions in, how come Somalia was not included.
Answer
Please note that Islamic Relief is different from Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) and from the International Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO).
People often confuse the three but we are a British based NGO.
We aim to work in as many parts of the needy world as possible. Where we work depends on the situation in the country in question, Islamic Relief's available resources, and whether there is a demand from our donor base or not. We are more likley to work in a country and get registration in the vent of a major crisis. This ensures that funding is there in the short and medium term. Sometimes local goverments are reluctant to issue registrations to too many NGOs for various reasons.
As for Somalia, I believe that we are planning to send an assessment team in the next month or so to see the sitaution with the intention of obtaining registration.
Name
Fayzul
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Assalamu’alikum.
Does Islamic Relief work closely with other Islamic Charities i.e. planning for a task so it is not duplicated and efficient?
If not, why not?
Answer
All charities in the field have to work in a co-ordinated manner to avoid duplication of work. This is standard practice as far as I know.
Name
Selma
- Australia
Profession
Question
Niger is full of wealth and mineral resources - why is it so poor and people are starving? is this also the case in other African countries, if so, why don't the people do something about it?
Answer
Much aid has gone into Africa over the past few decades. This aid has helped many millions of people. However ultimately it is up to the people of Africa at all levels to make the major changes that are needed to help Africa come out of its current situation. Islamic Relief and other NGOs can help in this process.
Name
Roy
-
Profession
Question
Does Islamic Relief only help Muslisms and muslim countries? Give us an example if it helps others.
Answer
No. Like I said earlier, Islamic Relief helps people in need, regardless of religion, race and culture. This is according to the teachings of Islam.
During the earthquake in El Salvador we sent aid to the predominantly Christian country. Our work in China invloves helping people of other faiths, to name just two examples.
Name
Nafisa
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Even without the famine like what is happening now, are the people in Niger and surrounding areas usually poor? can u explain why poverty has become a way of life in such countries?
Answer
Even prior to the famine , Niger was the second poorest country in the world. This meant that over 60% of the population was living under $1 a day. Now the situation is even worse. Poverty in the region has continued accordng to some people as a result of lack of skills training, lack of infrastructure, low levels of education, poor management over the years, political instability in the region (although Niger and Mali have become more stable recently) are just some of the reasons put forward by commentators.
The recent G8 and 'Make Poverty History' highlighted three main areas of concern that have kept Africa back.
1. High level of debt to oversea institutions such as the World Bank. This sometimes takes away a large amount of a nation's Gross Domestic Product.
2. Unjust trade practices imposed on the developing countries often means that the poorest countries don't get a fair chance in the world market.
3. Lack of appropriate aid. Most of the aid in the past had come with conditions that made it difficult to target the right issues.
The UK 'Make Poverty History' campaign of which Islamic Relief was a part highlighted all three areas.
Lastly, Islamic Relief is officially part of the UN appeal for Niger and is all part of the UK government backed Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). Islamic Relief is the only Muslim member of the DEC.
