Faith in action

Inspired by their faith and passion to help children desperately in need, in 2003 a group of university students set up a volunteer-led initiative which has now become an inspirational testimony to the power of working together.

After an initial trial-run in 2003, the first official Charity Week was launched in 2004 with 20 Islamic Societies (ISOCs) taking part. Spread across the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Qatar and the United States, Charity Week has gone from strength to strength and is now one of our biggest campaigns. Alhamdulillah!

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A R118 million journey

Having started with just a single group of UK-based university students, Charity Week now spans across four continents, with 5,000 volunteers across 200 institutions having so far come together to fundraise for children in need.

Over R118 million has been raised over the last 15 years, and last year the campaign transformed the lives of over 150,000 orphans and needy children across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, demonstrating how by working together with faith, commitment and a dedication, young Muslims can make a real difference to the lives of others.

Let’s grow together

Charity Week is all about the power of collaboration. By working together, even greater change can be built. You’ll be planting the seeds together, growing your campaigns and strengthening the impact of your efforts.

This year, Charity Week 2018 starts on Monday 22 October, with hundreds of activities taking place across the country. We want to make an even bigger impact and we want you to get involved! It’s super easy.

Order your Charity Week fundraising pack today to help you get started and create your own fundraising initiatives. You could hold a bake sale, invite your friends and family around for a come-dine-at-mine experience, take on a zero waste challenge or even climb a mountain – the possibilities are endless!

Gather your friends, family and colleagues and help us grow better futures for orphans and children in need worldwide. You can either set up your own fundraising page online  or donate directly to our appeal to help fund a range of amazing projects supporting orphans and children in need across the globe.

Growing change globally

The money you raise during Charity Week will help us run a range of life-saving and life-transforming projects to support orphans and children in need across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Here’s how you’ll be helping grow futures globally.

Mali: Child-friendly villages

Climate change is severely impacting upon the lives of families and the health and education of children in Mali. With frequent flooding and droughts in a country heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, this already struggling economy is struggling.

Our Child Friendly Village project works holistically to improve the educational, health and emotional wellbeing of children of over 3,000 children in five villages in Kati. We’re doing this by:

  • Building primary schools
  • Establishing child protection clubs
  • Supplying vital medicines and training midwives
  • Providing vocational training and micro-finance loans for widows and older orphans

Thanks to this project Malian orphans and vulnerable children will insha’Allah be able to grow a brighter, healthier future for themselves.

India: Alternative orphan sponsorship

Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, millions of people in India are facing increasing poverty. In Kathihar (Bihar) for example, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children are sold into slavery and child marriage.

Our Alternative Orphan Sponsorship programme will therefore be supporting children in Katihar by:

  • Providing 300-care givers with skills training to establish self-sufficiency
  • Offering two-years schooling to 300 orphans
  • Setting up Child Protection Committees to protect 3,000+ vulnerable children from trafficking
  • Addressing the additional needs and vulnerabilities of disabled children and orphans

By helping carers to become financially self-sufficient, children will be able to continue their schooling and insha’Allah look towards a more stable, safer future.

Syria: Emergency aid, schooling and care

With the escalation of conflict in Syria, many children require emergency shelter, food and care. For those who have fled Syria to neighbouring countries, poverty is also a stark reality. A whole generation of Syrian children have been unable to fulfil their basic needs and lack critical educational and mental support.

That’s why we’re working with 5,000 Syrian children inside Syria and Lebanon to help ensure that they can have a more stable future by:

  • Providing food, medical care and psychosocial support
  • Building and refurbishing playgrounds, schools, orphanages. a sports club and a school ICT centre
  • Supplying school furniture, laptops, photocopiers, heating and stationery

Insha’Allah, local and refugee children will gain critical education, recreational and emotional support to move beyond the hardships of war.

Somalia: Critical child protection and training

With decades of civil war and the devastating effects of natural disasters, hundreds of thousands of orphans across Somalia are struggling to survive. Trapped in the brutal cycle of poverty and unable to go to school and work, generation after generations face destitution.

Our latest project in Somalia will support over 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Hargeisa by building and equipping two vocational training centres and offering a combination of skilled trainers to teach children and interest free micro-finance loans for those wishing to start their own businesses.

With new training and start-up opportunities, Somalia’s youth can start to build sustainable futures free from poverty.

Afghanistan: Enabling education for everyone

More than three decades of conflict have devastated Afghanistan’s educational system. Completing primary school remains a distant dream for many children, especially those in rural areas and for girls in poor and hard-to-reach areas.

As a result, orphans and vulnerable children across Afghanistan are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Without an education these children are unable to access adequate employment and create a better future for themselves. We’re therefore working to address these needs by:

  • Providing access to over 2,000 children (in particular girls) to primary education
  • Building teacher capacity and recruiting 40 female teachers over three years
  • Supplying stationery and equipment for teachers
  • Delivering child rights awareness courses to over 400 families and community-based organisations

By providing access to education and critical female role-models for both male and female students, Afghanistan’s youth can work towards a future beyond the hardships of war and poverty.

These incredible projects are however all reliant on your support. So get involved this Charity Week and let’s grow together!

For further information, please visit www.CharityWeek.com or email [email protected].

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