"Over 1 million Zakat beneficiaries through the Refugee Zakat Fund", UNHCR reveals, urging continued Islamic Philanthropy contributions amid COVID-19 emergency

- In 2019, the Refugee Zakat Fund has received a total of $43,165,000 allowing UNHCR to provide lifesaving support to over 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons

- The United States is the among the top 10 Refugee Zakat Fund digital donors, accounting for 10.9% of digital donations

- UNHCR urges Muslims to support refugees struggling to cope with the repercussions of the global COVID-19 outbreak through the Refugee Zakat Fund. Zakat will reach families affected by lockdowns and lack of economic opportunities

News provided by

UNHCR

Apr 20, 2020, 16:37 ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched on Sunday the findings of its 2020 Islamic Philanthropy Report, highlighting the impact of the Refugee Zakat Fund on vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the globe. The Report revealed that in 2019, the Refugee Zakat Fund received a total of over USD 43 million, including the largest ever single contribution made by the Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund of over USD 35 million.

Eleven-year-old Reem is an internally displaced Yemeni girl with a serious medical condition. She lives in Sana’a and needs regular medication. Through its partners, UNHCR helped her mother with cash assistance which she used to buy medicine, pay off overdue rent and buy food for her four children. “I cried when I got the money because I was able to cover Reem’s medicine for one month,” her mother told UNHCR. “Before I got the cash I didn’t have any food in the house to feed my kids - not even a grain of rice.” ; In 2019, the UN estimated that 80 per cent of Yemen’s 24 million population required humanitarian assistance or protection due to the ongoing conflict. Some 3.65 million civilians have been displaced since the war began in March 2015. Tens of thousands have been killed or injured, among them at least 18,000 civilians. Conflict has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and humanitarian needs are the most acute in governorates most affected by conflict, including Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah and Al Dhale’e, where fighting and civilian impact is recorded daily. UNHCR provides humanitarian support for the internally displaced and around 275,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who have remained in Yemen despite the fighting. It provided cash assistance to more than 167,000 families in 2019.
Eleven-year-old Reem is an internally displaced Yemeni girl with a serious medical condition. She lives in Sana’a and needs regular medication. Through its partners, UNHCR helped her mother with cash assistance which she used to buy medicine, pay off overdue rent and buy food for her four children. “I cried when I got the money because I was able to cover Reem’s medicine for one month,” her mother told UNHCR. “Before I got the cash I didn’t have any food in the house to feed my kids - not even a grain of rice.” ; In 2019, the UN estimated that 80 per cent of Yemen’s 24 million population required humanitarian assistance or protection due to the ongoing conflict. Some 3.65 million civilians have been displaced since the war began in March 2015. Tens of thousands have been killed or injured, among them at least 18,000 civilians. Conflict has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and humanitarian needs are the most acute in governorates most affected by conflict, including Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah and Al Dhale’e, where fighting and civilian impact is recorded daily. UNHCR provides humanitarian support for the internally displaced and around 275,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who have remained in Yemen despite the fighting. It provided cash assistance to more than 167,000 families in 2019.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees' statement on Muslim refugees having to experience Ramadan amid the coronavirus crisis, living in overcrowded conditions and with no access to soap and water.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees' statement on Muslim refugees having to experience Ramadan amid the coronavirus crisis, living in overcrowded conditions and with no access to soap and water.
Eleven-year-old Reem is an internally displaced Yemeni girl with a serious medical condition. She lives in Sana’a and needs regular medication. Through its partners, UNHCR helped her mother with cash assistance which she used to buy medicine, pay off overdue rent and buy food for her four children. “I cried when I got the money because I was able to cover Reem’s medicine for one month,” her mother told UNHCR. “Before I got the cash I didn’t have any food in the house to feed my kids - not even a grain of rice.” ; In 2019, the UN estimated that 80 per cent of Yemen’s 24 million population required humanitarian assistance or protection due to the ongoing conflict. Some 3.65 million civilians have been displaced since the war began in March 2015. Tens of thousands have been killed or injured, among them at least 18,000 civilians. Conflict has caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and humanitarian needs are the most acute in governorates most affected by conflict, including Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah and Al Dhale’e, where fighting and civilian impact is recorded daily. UNHCR provides humanitarian support for the internally displaced and around 275,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who have remained in Yemen despite the fighting. It provided cash assistance to more than 167,000 families in 2019.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees' statement on Muslim refugees having to experience Ramadan amid the coronavirus crisis, living in overcrowded conditions and with no access to soap and water.

Other donations to the UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund were from individuals, institutional partners and philanthropists. These donations have helped provide lifesaving assistance to a total of 191,497 vulnerable families (1,025,014 individuals).

On March 25th, UNHCR appealed for $255 million for its urgent push to curb the risk and lessen the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks on vulnerable communities. Funds are critical to urgently support preparedness and response in situations of forced displacement over the next nine months.

"Imagine trying to cope with this (the coronavirus pandemic) crisis with no access to soap and water to wash your hands. No hope of isolating yourself because of overcrowded conditions. No shelter to stay safely inside. Imagine having to do this after already having been forced by war to flee your home and your family. This is the tragic reality today for far too many refugees and displaced families around the world," said Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a video statement.

The Refugee Zakat Fund was launched by UNHCR in 2019, as a trusted, compliant and effective distributor harnessing the power of Zakat to transform the lives of the most vulnerable refugee and IDPs. Since its first year of inception in 2019, the fund has assisted more than one million vulnerable beneficiaries worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Raefah Makki
Campaign and Advocacy Officer, UNHCR MENA
[email protected]

SOURCE UNHCR

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