Islamic Relief USA

Food security and livelihood:includes activities related to fisheries, livestock, pests, pesticides, seed systems, agricultural inputs, veterinary medicines, and vaccines. Also includes activities related to long-term and short-term economic asset development, asset restoration, market infrastructure rehabilitation, micro-credit, microfinance, and temporary employment such as cash for work.examples include, but are not limited to, the following:in bosnia, irusa funded a sustainability project that focuses on livelihood and food security. Through this project of agricultural start-up for poor people, 81 households received greenhouses and 39 households received food dryers.in palestine, irusa-supported projects are training youth and palestinian women in important business and life skills in order to have productive income and support their families.in afghanistan, irusa funded projects to provide food items, non-food items, and hygiene kits to internally displaced persons, poor families, and host communities. In afghanistan, irusa funded a project that reduced the poverty of the most vulnerable households in balkh, nangarhar, bamiyan, and herat provinces in afghanistan, by promoting more profitable and resilient livelihoods, strengthening the saffron value chain, and introducing green energy.in myanmar, irusa funded a project that ultimately aimed at the most vulnerable and mistreated extremely poor stranded communities in pauktaw and buthidaung townships in rakhine state have improved socio-economic conditions with increased access to livelihood means and wash facilities.in pakistan, irusa funded a project that supported sustainable economic growth initiatives in district bagh & haveli of azad jammu and kashmir (ajk) with particular focus on institutional strengthening in the areas of food security livelihoods and integrated water resource management complemented through climate-friendly programmingin pakistan, irusa funded a project that, strengthen the resilience of communities with khyber pakhtunkhwa for improved food security situation and sustainable income through climate-sensitive livelihood programming at the community level through capacity building and utilization of local resourcesbeneficiaries: 1,316,958

Emergency response & preparednessthis category includes activities focused on the immediate lifesaving needs of a population at the onset of a disaster, such as providing clean water, sanitation, food, temporary shelter, household items, and emergency medical assistance. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:in bosnia, after the floods in ilijas municipal, irusa helped provide 200 households (660 beneficiaries) with heating material, clothes and shoes, repair, and painting of walls, painting tools, and 3 moisture drying machines.in kosovo, irusa supported a project to provide warm clothing to afghan refugees residing in a camp after evacuation from afghanistan a few months prior. The intervention also provided vision exams as well as corrective lenses for those who needed them.in the philippines, irusa funded a project that improved access to quality food and hygiene for the 1,200 households affected by tropical storm megi (l.n. Agaton). The 1,200 affected households received quality food packets, and hygiene essentials with safe water containers.in south sudan, emergency food packs were able to save lives by reducing hunger and increasing access to food intake for 18,960 individuals in tonj north through the two-round food packs distribution hence boosting their immune system and reducing incidences of acute malnutrition among children under 5 years, elderly, pregnant and lactating women.in ethiopia, kenya, somalia, south sudan, and sudan cash assistance, construction and rehabilitation of water structures, livestock distribution, agricultural tools and seeds distributions, and training on disaster response and resilience were implemented to respond to the ongoing drought and to prevent famine. Beneficiaries:1,536,567

Orphan support: irusa's work in this sector focuses primarily on monthly support to orphans to supplement their basic needs, such as food, education, health care, and clothing.irusa supported 30,690 orphans in the following 24 locations through the orphans 1-2-1 sponsorship program: afghanistan, albania, bangladesh, bosnia, chechnya, ethiopia, india, indonesia, iraq, jordan, kenya, kosovo, lebanon, malawi, mali, niger, pakistan, somalia, south africa, sri lanka, sudan, tunisia, turkey and yemen. In addition to the 1-2-1 program, irusa also implements additional orphan support programs. In afghanistan, irusa funded a project, that intended to achieve sustainable socioeconomic development of 700 orphaned families in jalalabad, balkh, and bamiyan provinces in afghanistan, restore their social dignity and protection; enhance economic productivity, income, livelihood security; promote rights and protection of the orphan children; and bring the orphaned families out of poverty.

Us grants - irusa offers 501(c)(3) organizations opportunities to apply for grant funds. This funding helps facilitate projects such as food programs, health and wellness initiatives, and livelihood assistance, in addition to other domestic initiatives. Us grants focus on providing 501(c)(3) organizations with funding opportunities that cover a broad array of social issues, addressing one or more of the following: short-term poverty and hunger alleviation through the provision of critical emergency supportsupport for refugee or immigrant integration through programs enabling refugees and immigrants to become economically self-sufficient and develop stronger social networks. Community-based primary medical care for people living in poverty long-term programming designed to create greater self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods, including specialized education programs, prisoner reintegration programs, and community development initiatives with the goal of bridging the gaps between communities to build solidarity and promote social justice. Beneficiaries: 130,049seasonal programs -ramadan food boxes: irusa facilitated the procurement and creation of 557,351.65 pounds of food boxes to be distributed to 501(c)(3) organizations across the united states. Each food box contains a sufficient amount of food for a family of five for two weeks and consists of basic food staples. Irusa hosted distributions at 59 sites across 11 states and served 76,997 clients with 557,351.65 pounds of food. Beneficiaries: 76,997qurbani (meat distribution): irusa's annual u.s. qurbani program addresses food insecurity and provides freshly slaughtered beef and/or lamb, distributed in frozen or refrigerated packets, to vulnerable communities (e.g. Immigrants, refugees, minorities, disabled, low-income households, and the elderly) across the united states. The program focuses on providing 501(c)(3) organizations with an efficient process to distribute halal meat to families in need. This process will be implemented by using grants and direct services via local vendors. This program allows irusa to help the community fulfill their religious obligation to feed the needy. The program has been implemented in approximately 40 cities across 20 states, which served an estimated 90,000 clients through 45 partnerships.total amount of meat for all approved partners: 117,949 lbs.beneficiaries: 90,000summer food service program (sfsp): the sfsp supplements and supports the usda in its effort to provide food to children in need during the summer. Irusa provides financial support in the form of a grant to organizations to be able to start a usda-approved site, increase the capacity of their current usda-approved site(s), or develop their role as the meal-providing sponsor to sub-grantees. This program allowed irusa to help rural and urban communities combat food insecurity. Irusa served an estimated 76,787 clients through 12 partnerships and an estimated 1,381,365 pounds of food had been distributed.beneficiaries: 76,787thanksgiving turkey distribution: the irusa u.s. turkey distribution program combines providing food security to underserved communities with bringing the joy of celebrating an american tradition in a dignified manner by providing halal turkeys to beneficiaries through our partners this program allows irusa to assist partner organizations in providing support for clients who face food insecurity, as part of irusa's food security program and seasonal programs. Irusa served 82,400 clients through 40 partnerships. Beneficiaries: 82,400martin luther king jr. (mlk) day of service: in celebration of the mlk day of service, irusa provided assistance to vulnerable people affected by the covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in meeting their basic food and safety needs. Irusa distributed packages consisting of hot meals, hygiene kits - including masks and hand sanitizers, and coats. Beneficiaries: 2,400 in 7 statesday of dignity (dod) - the day of dignity program provides the provision of food, clothes, medical screenings, and referral services for underprivileged populations (homeless, refugee, poor working communities). Day of dignity is irusa's flagship effort to reach out to the community along with grantees and partners to promote services for those most in need. The day is meant to build relationships with interfaith partners and local government. The dod builds relationships and encourages local organizations to have a transformative impact in their community. It is also an effort to provide basic living essentials and medical services to people lacking these essentials. Beneficiaries: 31,448 in 11 stateshot meals program - hot meals program was initiated in 2021 to address the issue of food insecurity in urban areas. The goals of this program are to provide regular nutritional hot meals to the very needy and vulnerable people in major urban cities across the USA. Contribute to alleviating the burden on the very needy and vulnerable people in major urban cities across the USA. By providing them with nutritional hot meals, they will save their resources for other critical expenses. Build a platform to engage volunteers on a weekly basis and to expand fundraising for us programs through irusa's engagement with the private sector and more corporate giving. The program is running in two states: new york and chicago. Beneficiaries: 32,495 (15845 was during ramadan 2022)community response initiative grants - to continue the community response grant track in collaboration with cfd, to provide $5-$15k grants in support of community-based organizations' distribution of food, hygiene, ppe, school supplies, and other essential items to vulnerable communities in the united states. Other valuable projects related to social service programs and community development may also be proposed and approved. Beneficiary count: 22,541vmo meal packs: in 2022, Islamic Relief USA (irusa) successfully packaged two types of dry ingredient meals: the rice and bean meal, and the pasta with red sauce meal. These meals were specifically developed as supplemental options to provide much-needed nutrition to beneficiaries facing food insecurity. Each meal package was thoughtfully designed to cater to up to 6 beneficiaries, with the simple addition of water. The primary objective behind packaging these meals was to offer a basic, yet nourishing, meal solution. Recipients were actively encouraged to enhance the meals by incorporating additional protein or vegetables, tailoring them to their local dietary preferences and resource availability. These meals were not only distributed domestically within the united states but also made their way to communities in need worldwide. The overarching objective was to extend assistance to as many beneficiaries as possible, irrespective of their geographic location. By offering these meticulously packaged meals, irusa aimed to combat hunger and guarantee access to nutritious food for individuals and families. This collective effort significantly contributed to addressing the pressing issue of food insecurity and provided vital support to vulnerable populations, both within local communities and on a global scale. Beneficiary count: 1,312,346

Water, sanitation & hygiene:includes activities related to environmental health, hygiene promotion, sanitation, and water supply.examples include, but are not limited to, the following:in yemen, irusa is supporting the rehabilitation of 12 municipal-level water sources in four governorates. Implementation began in late 2021 and ended in early 2023. The rehabilitation process includes testing the water sources' water quality and quantity, rehabilitation the pumping, including installing solar panels to power the pump, and adding piping to bring the water into the targeted communities. Water management committees are formed in each community to maintain the well and hygiene information and kits are distributed to particularly vulnerable residents. The project team also used cost savings to build a treatment plant for one rehabilitated well that would have otherwise been unusable due to high iron content.in pakistan, irusa funded a project to improve existing water, sanitation, and hygiene (wash) and livelihood practices in the peshawar and orakzai districts of khyber pakhtunkhwa. In sri lanka, irusa funded a project that supported improving water and sanitation services to vulnerable communities in the country.in nepal, irusa funded a project that provided awareness on wash, through activities including wash awareness campaigns, households were provided with knowledge in improved personal hygiene behavior. This also allowed beneficiaries to continue the information dissemination to further educate the wider community, spreading the lessons of good personal hygiene. Likewise, these activities mainstreamed wash policy at the rural municipality and ward level.in malawi, communities were supported through the provision of access to safe and clean water infrastructure. In south sudan, conflict-affected communities were able to have access to improved sanitation and hygiene through the rehabilitation of boreholes.beneficiaries: 365,142

Health and nutrition description:includes activities related to communicable diseases, health education/behavior change, health systems and general health, medical commodities and pharmaceuticals, non-communicable diseases, reproductive health, infant and young child feeding, management of moderate acute malnutrition, management of severe acute malnutrition, nutrition education and behavior change, and nutrition systems. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:- in kosovo, the project provided free home health care for the residents of the municipality of obiliq, with a special attention for maternity women, new born babies, persons with disabilities and old people. 5000 total beneficiaries received free healthcare. - in jordan, irusa is supporting a project that provides syrian refugees and vulnerable jordanians with free primary healthcare via its two mobile clinics and a third mobile medical team. The project is also covering the cost of urgently needed surgeries. The surgeries are sometimes done in coordination with other organizations running medical missions, which allows for more specialized interventions as well as lower costs.- in south sudan, primary health services were enhanced through the reconstruction and equipping of facilities. Projects also contributed to the increased capacity of health care providers and increased access to immunization, reproductive and maternal, newborn and child healthcare services. Programming has also resulted in equitable access to life saving nutrition sensitive and preventative services to children, pregnant and lactating women with acute malnutrition.- in niger, projects have contributed towards improving access of children under five in the district of ouallam to quality and timely nutrition health care services through effective community based malnutrition management practice reinforcement, enhancing human resources for effective malnutrition management and nutrition services in health centers, ensuring women have increased control over nutrition-responsive food production systems (household consumption of diversified and nutritious foods), and that nutrition sensitive and gender responsive community disaster risk reduction planning is undertaken in targeted communities and at authority levels.- in nepal, irusa funded a project that strengthened the life skills abilities and positive behaviors that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. According to who, life skills may be defined as "abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life". These skills include confidence, assertiveness, critical and creative thinking, decision-making, and developing healthy relationships. - in niger, irusa distributed two 40-foot containers of medical supplies and medical equipment in eight national and regional hospitals in niamey and seven district health centers in boboye, dioundou, dogondoutchi, dosso, falmey, loga, and tibiri. The distribution of medical donations improved access to quality health services in the target hospitals and district health facilities. According to health workers in the target hospitals and health facilities, the availability of the medical supplies and equipment such as the blood transfusion set up, blood bank refrigerators, and delivery tables enabled them to reduce the number of referrals from district care facilities to national and regional hospitals, which contributed to the reduction of infant and maternal mortality cases. Beneficiaries: 1,259,926

Educationincludes activities related to facilitating access to quality education, whether formal education or informal education.examples include, but are not limited to, the following:in afghanistan, irusa funded a project to improve the educational status of girls and boys in target districts of balkh, kandahar, and nangarhar provinces in afghanistan. In sri lanka, irusa funded a project to encourage students to go to school by providing them with learning support materials and bicycles as the pandemic affected their lives and made them more vulnerable.in kenya, schools benefited from the rehabilitation of classrooms, teacher training for teaching pedagogy with a focus on special needs education, and the provision of assistive learning materials.in sudan, communities were supported through the rehabilitation of primary and secondary schools, the connection of water infrastructure to schools, and the distribution of uniforms, textbooks, and school supplies for children. Beneficiaries: 30,175