News & Updates

52,170 Meals Distributed to Families in Mexico, Peru

Baitulmaal Inc. · June 3, 2021 ·

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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, June 3, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, in collaboration with the Spanish Islamic Reliance of America (SIRA), recently delivered food staples to provide 52,170 meals for families in Mexico and Peru.

Around 235 families in Guadalajara, Chiapas, Tamazula, Puebla, Toluca, Queretaro, and Cuernavaca in Mexico and Cuzco, Peru were provided food packages that include items such as rice, beans, sugar, coffee, cereal, eggs, oil, canned goods and dates. The recipients, who were of diverse backgrounds, included those impacted by unemployment due to COVID-19, as well as single mothers and other underprivileged families. The packages were distributed for the Ramadan season, a time marked by fasting, charity and worship.

According to the Pew Research Center, there are an estimated 840,000 Muslims in Latin America, and this number is growing. As minorities, many struggle to practice their faith and meet their needs amidst the region’s growing poverty levels, according to Elizabeth Sohail, program manager at Baitulmaal.

“This past year has strained many families,” Sohail said. “We wanted to ensure that our brothers and sisters across the border were able to fulfill their fasts with nutritious meals provided by their Baitulmaal family.”

According to the World Bank, this year saw an increase in poverty levels worldwide — the first rise in a generation of declining levels — due to the global pandemic, conflict, and climate change. About 120 million additional people are living in poverty as a result of the pandemic, with the total expected to rise to about 150 million by the end of 2021.

In Mexico, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 16 million more people to fall into extreme poverty, according to a study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Various estimates put the poverty rate in Mexico at around 50 percent of the population living under $5 USD per day. And in Peru, the economic slowdown and rising unemployment have driven up the poverty rate to around 27 percent in 2020, pushing almost 2 million people into poverty, according to the World Bank.

Baitulmaal distributed approximately 3.9M meals this past Ramadan, and is preparing to provide more food and meat distributions for the upcoming Hajj season. If you would like to learn more or contribute to these programs at Baitulmaal, please visit their website at Baitulmaal.org.

Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the charity has offices in: Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Nairobi, Kenya; Mogadishu, Somalia; Amman and Al Ramtha, Jordan; and Karachi, Pakistan.

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Eid Clothes, Zakat Bring Joy to Displaced Syrians

Baitulmaal Inc. · May 27, 2021 ·

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IDLIB, SYRIA, May 27, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, recently distributed Eid clothes to 200 Syrian refugee children in addition to zakat-ul-fitr monetary gifts to 40 families in the Ma’arat Masrin refugee camp during the Eid ul-Fitr holiday.

The Eid distribution prioritized recently displaced children and families that had not received humanitarian aid in the Northern Syrian camps. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 received Eid clothes, shoes, and gift bags. Families with children under the age of 6, special needs, elderly or disabled members, or those with child or women-headed households received cash assistance.

According to Elizabeth Sohail, program manager at Baitulmaal, the children also took part in small festivities to commemorate the Eid holiday.

“Seeing the smiles on children’s faces against the backdrop of such dreary living conditions touched my heart,” Sohail said. “Our donors have been able to bring joy to an otherwise difficult situation during one of the most important holidays of the year.”

This year saw an increase in violence in various regions of the world. Displacement, poverty, and disease continue to ravage vulnerable communities. In Syria, over 6.7 million people have been displaced within their country, and another 6.6 million have been living as refugees in neighboring countries over the course of the past 10 years, according to the UN. Prolonged displacement leaves people vulnerable to higher rates of illness, food insecurity, and disasters such as widespread tent fires or weather-related emergencies.

Earlier this year, Baitulmaal provided 450 displaced families with emergency aid after severe winter storms, and delivered winter essentials to 85 Syrian refugee families and 190 Syrian orphans. Warm meals were also served to 1,500 orphans while heaters and fuel were supplied to 6 schools serving 2,050 students in Northern Syria. During Ramadan, food packages for 186,000 meals were delivered to Syrian families in need.

If you would like to learn more or contribute to these programs at Baitulmaal, please visit their website at birelief.org.

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Rohingya Refugees Receive Emergency Assistance After Campfires

Baitulmaal Inc. · May 26, 2021 ·

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COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH, May 26, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, recently delivered emergency aid to 2,595 Rohingya displaced from shelters impacted by campfires in Bangladesh.

Approximately 519 refugee families received food packages in addition to household items such as pots and other kitchen necessities, clothing, hygiene kits, umbrellas, floor mats and tarpaulin after losing everything in a large campfire.

The fire, which broke out on March 22, 2021, at the Balukhali Rohingya camp, spread quickly through adjacent camps and caused widespread destruction. Elizabeth Sohail, program manager at Baitulmaal, said field workers mobilized quickly to assist those who were affected by the fire.

“They’ve had to cope with so much loss since being violently forced out of their homes,” Sohail said, referring to the ethnic cleansing campaigns of the Myanmar military. “Our world needs more hope and less hate, which is why our donors are helping the Rohingya.”

Over 800,000 Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, a refugee settlement on the southern border of Bangladesh. Thousands of shelters were destroyed in the March fire, displacing its residents, injuring many and killing 15. It was the largest fire this year to date in an area where such tragedies are increasingly common. Makeshift shelters are susceptible to weather-related disasters, and the lack of proper hygiene and heating facilities puts residents at risk for disease outbreaks and accidental fires.

The Rohingya, a minority Muslim population in Myanmar, are considered to be one of the most persecuted people in the world today. UN investigators cited escalations in violence, including “killings, rapes and gang rapes, torture, forced displacement and other grave rights violations,” by predominantly Buddhist military forces that led to the massive refugee crisis in 2017. Since then, nearly a million Rohingya have fled their native Rakhine state, the majority of whom now live in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. According to the UN, those who remain in Myanmar face a “serious risk that genocidal actions may occur or recur.” For those who escaped with their lives, conditions in the refugee camps are poor, with virtually all residents in need of humanitarian assistance.

In addition to emergency assistance, Baitulmaal has been on the ground in Bangladesh providing food and winter aid to Rohingya refugees. If you would like to learn more or contribute to these programs at Baitulmaal, please visit their website at Baitulmaal.org.

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Emergency Aid Distributed in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza Strip

Baitulmaal Inc. · May 18, 2021 ·

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GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE, May 18, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, recently distributed food packages for 224,000 meals to residents of the besieged Gaza Strip as well as those living in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

This first round of humanitarian aid included food packages and bottled water for Palestinian families impacted by violence in the region, as well as refills of water tanks located in the Gaza Strip. Five hundred families near Damascus Gate (Bab Al-Amood) and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods received food packages for 123,900 meals, and another 500 families in the Gaza Strip received food packages for 100,800 meals along with fresh bread and water.

Baitulmaal field workers are continually assessing the situation in Palestine and responding with ongoing emergency aid for those in need. Elizabeth Sohail, programs manager for Baitulmaal, said she anticipates the need for emergency humanitarian aid to grow with the escalation in violence.

“Entire families are being ejected from their homes while others watch as their homes are bombed or otherwise destroyed,” said Sohail. “With every lost home is lost food, water as well as income and stability — and they need help now.”

As of today, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 213 Palestinians have been killed — including 61 children — and over 1,400 injured by Israeli airstrikes that began during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Facing over a half-century of occupation, Palestinians have limited access to food, water, healthcare, electricity, or opportunities for education and employment, and over 80% of Gazans are in need of humanitarian assistance. The recent violence has left thousands homeless and vulnerable as the situation continues to be volatile.

The charity, which has been on the ground in Palestine since its inception, operates 300 water tanks in Gaza and funds healthcare at the Yazour Clinic for underprivileged families in the West Bank. In addition to food, water, winter relief, medication, and emergency humanitarian aid, Baitulmaal also sponsors Palestinian orphans in Lebanon and Jordan. If you would like to learn more or contribute to these programs at Baitulmaal, please visit their website at birelief.org.

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Donors Dedicate New Masjid, Wells in Memory of Loved Ones

Baitulmaal Inc. · May 10, 2021 ·

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KARACHI, PAKISTAN, May 10, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, recently completed the construction of three masajid and wells for impoverished communities in the Sujawal district of Pakistan, which are the inaugural projects of its new Build a Masjid program.

Due to donor demand, Baitulmaal started the new Build a Masjid program to provide communal spaces for impoverished communities that lack a place to gather for worship, discussions, and other socialization. The projects are usually paired with a new water well to provide the community with a safe, clean source of fresh water.

The first three projects were initiated and funded by donors as a sadaqa jaariyah, or continuous charity, in loving memory of family members who have recently passed.

Younis Khan, former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team and their current batting coach, helped raise funds for infrastructure development in Pakistan with a portion of these funds dedicated to Build a Masjid projects. A new community center and water source, the first resulting from this effort, are serving a population of 309 people in Sawan Tharani village who did not have access to clean drinking water or communal space in their remote area of Pakistan. In appreciation of Younis Khan’s efforts, the project was dedicated in honor of his mother, Khursheed Begum, who passed in 2019.

The Riaz family lost their brother, Shaykh Azam Riaz, imam of Jesus, Son of Mary Mosque in New York, and father Dr. Mohammad Riaz within days of each other after long battles with COVID-19 last year. They raised funds through a crowdfunding campaign to build a masjid and well in each of their names. The masjid and well in Khameeso Mallah village, which was built in memory of their brother, serves a population of 238 people. The masjid and well in Meer Jat village, which was built in memory of their father, serves a population of 205 people.

As a faith-based humanitarian charity that provides aid to people in need regardless of faith or nationality, Baitulmaal coordinates masjid construction projects at the request of donors who fully fund them, but donors can also contribute to the Build a Masjid fund to support initiated projects. Baitulmaal does not use general funds for its Build a Masjid program.

Those interested in contributing to or fully funding a Build a Masjid project can visit birelief.org/build-a-masjid to learn more.

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Khameeso Mallah Village Center

In Memory of Shiekh Azam Riaz

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Meer Jat Village Center

In Memory of Dr. Mohammad Riaz

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Sawan Tharani Village Center

In Memory of Khursheed Begum

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