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Surrey donates almost $30,000 in ICNA Relief Canada Fundraising Iftar & Dinner for East Africa Famine Relief
6-13-2017
ICNA Relief Canada (IRC) organized Fundraising Iftar & dinner to raise funds for and for the international and domestic relief programs including the East Africa Famine Relief. The august event was held at the Riverside Signature Banquet Hall in Surrey on June 4, 2017. The formal proceedings of the program started with a beautiful recitation, by Br Farooq Azam, of the holy verses of Surah Al-Baqara from the divine book, Holy Qur’an followed by a nasheed “Allah is Calling you”, prepared by female children volunteers led by Misbah Memon. Later, Br. Ghulam Mustafa, pioneer of the ICNA Relief Canada Resource Center/ Food Bank in Surrey BC, briefed about the domestic and international programs of ICNA Relief Canada and the services it is rendering in 23 countries since 1997 to serve the cause of humanity. He highlighted that ICNA Relief Canada was successful in keeping the administrative and overhead costs as low as 5.53% by engaging hundreds of dedicated volunteers. He said that we ensure that every dollar donated to IRC reaches the deserving people safely and timely with 100% transparency, accountability and dignity.
He also outlined the strategy of ICNA Relief Canada.
• To assist and empower the people in need, locally and internationally
• Develop effective disaster and emergency response domestically & internationally
• Donors’ Satisfaction & Trust
• Develop highly responsive professional leadership, staff & volunteers
• Effectively utilize the means of mass communication
The participants of the event received the audited Annual Report 2016 highlighting ICNA Relief’s revenue, program disbursements and expenses in the year 2016 pertaining to the following programs:
Domestic Programs:
• Syrian Refugee Sponsorship program
• Muslim Family Services (MFS)
• Food Banks in 10 cities across Canada
• Maryam Home (Women’s Shelter)
• Emergency Relief and Financial Help (ER)
• Seniors Support
• Funeral Support
• Matrimonial Services
• Foster Parenting
• Youth Leadership and Development Program (YLDP)
International Programs:
• Disaster and Emergency Relief
• Education for poor and needy
• Medical Health Care Program
• Water for Life during Drought
• Global Zabiha Program
• Skill Development program
• Orphan Sponsorship Program
• Helthcare
• Women Empowerment Program
Last year alone, we spent $747,496 besides providing in-kind food supplies worth $1,499,750 serving more than 53,000 Canadians through our ten resource centers and Food Banks in most major Canadian cities including Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Scarborough, Thorncliffe, Milton, Hamilton-Brantford, Montreal and Surrey (BC).
In the wake of Syrian crisis, ICNA Relief sponsored 93 people (30 families) to Canada, and processed over 100 applications, and provided “Welcome Food Baskets” to 3000 Syrian refugees who arrived in Vancouver, and is providing basic food supplies every month to through ICNA Relief Surrey Food Bank with 277 deserving families, mostly Syrian refugees.
ICNA Relief Canada helped over 7,50,000 needy people through the Global Zabiha program in 16 countries and spent over $6,25,000 and aided about a million lives in Syria, Gaza, Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries in 2016.
Currently, IRC teams are working in 23 different countries including East Africa, Syria, Nepal, Palestine, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia with our local trustworthy and reliable partners to reduce human sufferings.
In 2016, ICNA Relief spent over $160,000 in educational relief, $211,000 on hospital, clinic construction and medical supplies, $90,000 on clean water projects, and $213,000 in disaster and emergency relief projects.
ICNA Relief launched a massive campaign three years ago to help our brothers and sisters in Syria. We raised and spent over $500,000 on emergency food relief, medical supplies and equipment and children education.
In 2016, $74,000 were invested to deliver emergency aid and supplies for Syria and over $79,000 to provide emergency food, shelter, and necessities to mitigate the East Africa Crisis.
Executive Director of ICNA Relief, Br Shaukat Hussain who lead a team of ICNA volunteers to run “Food for Life” and “Water for Life” drives in Somalia from May 22-26, 2017 in his message, for the event participants, wrote: “We did a Food for Life and Water for Life in Somalia through May 22-26. Alhamdulillah! We were able to distribute Food Packages to 1,472 families in Somali IDPs Camps. Each package (was 25 kg rice, 25 kg flour, 25 kg sugar and 3-liter cooking oil) will be enough for the families in most cases, during the month of Ramadan, Alhamdulillah. We also allocated 185 Water Tankers to the IDPs Camps for providing clean water during the Ramadan month, insha Allah. It was the largest ever Emergency Relief project where about 11,000 individuals are served in three days at multiple places. May Allah bless our donors and may He reward them abundantly for their support to IRC.”
ICNA Relief is currently supporting 3500 orphan kids in 11 different countries of the world every year through its “orphan sponsorship program”. Funds raised for this cause are spent on building orphanages and provision of food, education and lodging of orphans. Last year alone $113,566 were spent on orphanage construction.
Around three hundred concerned community members, brothers and sisters, from all races and walks of life attended the ICNA Surrey’s fundraiser and showed their concern, care and commitment to help their brothers and sisters in need across the globe by their donations and prayers. After a video presentation reflecting the devastating plight owing to the famine that badly hit East Africa including Somalia, Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan affecting more than 20 million people, the worst crisis since 1945, guest speaker Sheikh Ahmed Shahab highlighted the importance of helping these brothers and sisters in need. He shared stories of orphan, needy and deserving East Africans facing starvation and famine. He quoted that we should put ourselves in the shoes of those brothers and sisters who are going through hardship to get the feeling and motivation to help them. He also added that helping these brothers and sisters is actually helping our selves in the hereafter, inshaAllah, as this will please Allah swt who promises to multiply the rewards of good deeds in Ramadan Kareem. While you’ll get the tax-deductible receipts from ICNA Relief, a federally registered charity organization, and Canadian government will match your donations for East Africa Famine Relief, the rewards and blessings Allah swt will bestow upon you in this holy month of Ramadan Kareem will be innumerable and matchless.
ICNA Relief Canada wants to thank all brothers and sisters who attended the event and those who had intention but couldn’t attend for any reason. We have raised close to $30,000 in the event on spot and donations are still pouring in, lots of brothers and sisters who could not come to the event and wanted to donate have called after the event. Donation for any of these causes can be made online at icnareliefcanad.ca/donate OR by calling the ICNA Relief Canada Resource Center/Food Bank Surrey BC at +1 (778) 578-3080, or can write to surreyfb@icnareliefcanada.ca. We are also thank all the volunteers including for their efforts, may Allah swt give you all the best of reward….aameen
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