In 2022 humanitarian crises upended the lives of many communities Islamic Relief supports. Against this backdrop of rising need, the latest Annual Report shows IRW assisted more people than ever before. The organization reached 17.3 million people in 40 countries through emergency responses, development work and campaigning.
Despite the rising cost of living worldwide, the supporters continued to show incredible generosity. Their commitment to helping vulnerable people enabled us to raise a record £234.2 million to fund the life-saving and life-changing work.
The Annual Report, published shows how Islamic Relief continued to assist vulnerable people affected by crisis while helping individuals and communities take significant steps towards self-reliance.
“2022 has been a year of once-in-a-generation and once-in-a-lifetime humanitarian crises. Afghanistan has suffered its worst drought for 30 years, and in East Africa, it’s most severe this century. Pakistan is still reeling from the worst floods in living memory, while Europe has seen the worst refugee crisis since World War II. It is testimony to the unfailing generosity of Islamic Relief’s donors, the hard work of our staff and volunteers, and other strategic partners that we have been able to rise to these challenges,” says Waseem Ahmad, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide.
IRW rapidly responded to crises
Through 366 emergency projects in 2022, Islamic Relief responded rapidly and effectively to some of the world’s most devastating crises, including flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh, an earthquake in Afghanistan and a cyclone in Malawi.
The organization provided 9.8 million people with food, water, shelter and other essentials in the aftermath of disasters, and continued working with affected communities to rebuild homes, infrastructure and livelihoods in the months that followed.
More than 1 million of those supported were in Pakistan, where historic flooding submerged one-third of the country. While the teams were on the ground distributing aid to those in need, Islamic Relief also met with politicians in Pakistan and the UK to coordinate a response.
By the end of 2022, Islamic Relief’s support had reached more than 1 million people affected by flooding in Pakistan. Through the membership of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), IRW worked to raise awareness about the crisis, and by the end of 2022, IRW had raised more than £10 million to support the flood response.
The global food crisis deepened as the war in Ukraine impacted the availability of both food and fuel, while climate change and forced migration left millions more people hungry. In response, Islamic Relief delivered its largest-ever single project targeting hunger.
In 8 African countries, the Global Hunger Prevention and Response Programme not only provided food, but also worked to address the root causes of hunger through initiatives such as supporting nutrition and healthcare programmes, staging cooking demonstrations, and investing in livestock.
Countries in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia (pictured), are suffering from 5 consecutive failed rainy seasons. Islamic Relief is working to address the resultant hunger not only by providing food but by also repairing water infrastructure, running training on nutrition and other activities
In Yemen, another country gravely affected by the hunger crisis, Islamic Relief reached over 2.3 million people with food aid, including as one of the leading partners of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
IRW supported long-term development
As some emergencies became protracted crises, Islamic Relief implemented long-term projects to fuel recovery and development. IRW spent £75.2 million on more than 300 development projects around the world, improving access to education, healthcare, clean water and sustainable incomes for millions of people.
Through a landmark partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the organization worked to empower women in Afghanistan to start and grow their businesses.
The project also aims to inject cash into local economies and boost food production through cash-for-work initiatives, such as repairing canal infrastructure.
The partnership with the UNDP has funded essential cash-for-work projects, such as rehabilitating canals and other waterways. By the end of 2022, more than 158,000 people had access to employment opportunities through the project and more than 200,000 farmers had benefitted from the irrigation work.
In the long term, this project will enable more than 1 million people to gain reliable access to food. In 2022, IRW also supported more than 149,000 children and adults to gain an education and provided healthcare to over 2.6 million people. While 17 projects around the world improved the resilience of nearly 456,000 people to climate change.
Islamic Relief staff help plant olive trees in Gaza as part of a livelihoods project
The generosity of our donors helped us provide access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to over 1.15 million people and enabled us to support nearly 93,000 vulnerable children through our orphan sponsorship programme.
Islamic Relief campaigned for positive change
Islamic Relief continued advocating for women and girls, refugees and displaced people and those hit hardest by the harmful effects of climate change, spending £1.6 million campaigning for positive change. Through speaking out about the root causes of poverty, suffering and inequality, IRW strove to make a lasting impact on the lives of those the serves.
In 2022, Islamic Relief published research highlighting the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities in Indonesia and Pakistan, as well as policy papers detailing Islamic Relief’s stance on climate-induced migration and climate finance. In 2022, Islamic Relief continued to campaign on behalf of communities impacted by the negative effects of climate change
In November, the organization engaged virtually with negotiations at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, published articles in the influential ECO daily newsletter, and joined other organisations in securing pivotal agreements to address loss and damage caused by climate disasters.
In 11 countries, the 16 Days of Activism activities raised awareness of gender-based violence (GBV), and IRW remained tireless in efforts to shift attitudes within communities to harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and early and forced marriage.
Women in Nepal campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. IRW also reached 154,000 women, children and older people with disabilities through the protection and inclusion work and continues to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are addressed through the programming.
The organization joined together to work towards shared goals
Islamic Relief continued to strengthen its partnerships with other humanitarian organisations in 2022. In June, they teamed up with HIAS and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to bring together faith actors from 37 countries to share experiences and lessons on faith-sensitive responses to the global displacement crisis at the annual Welcoming the Stranger conference in Geneva.
Throughout the year, the Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD) delivered training to more than 200 humanitarians at Islamic Relief and other organisations, enabling them to build their skills in areas such as proposal and report writing and strategic planning.
We teamed up with HIAS and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to bring together faith actors from 37 countries to share experiences and lessons on faith-sensitive responses to the global displacement crisis at the annual Welcoming the Stranger conference in Geneva.
Meanwhile, the organisation continued to help local organisations improve their ability to respond to emergencies and support development, to ensure services for even more people in need.
As the cost of living worldwide rose sharply, Islamic Relief married the international efforts by supporting those in need in the UK through a number of domestic partnerships.
IRW will continue to stand with vulnerable people
As Islamic Relief look back on the milestones of 2022, it is with an awareness that there is still so much that needs to be done. Communities continue to feel the effects of many of the crises that began in 2022, while already in 2023 conflict, disasters, and climate change have disrupted the lives of millions.
At Islamic Relief, the commitment to standing with vulnerable people around the world remains unshaken. IRW will continue to offer support whenever and wherever it is needed most, developing the response to fit the changing needs of those the organization serve.
