IRaise represents Islamic Relief USA’s (IRUSA) largest virtual mobilization of volunteers in the organization’s history. Through the IRaise campaign, volunteers provide support to people in need all over the world, raising vital funding and driving positive change.
To get involved in the IRaise program, you can choose which of several campaigns, causes, or ongoing country-level aid programs you want your fundraising to benefit. You can start your own team fundraiser or join an existing one. Comprehensive information about IRUSA’s work and what is required is available on the IRaise website. Simply follow the specified steps, launch or join a fundraiser, share with your family and friends, and get ready to make changes in the world.
Ramadan as a time of reverence and reflection
In the Islamic world, Ramadan is the holiest month of the year. For millions of Muslims, it is a time of reverence, reflection, prayer, fasting, patience, and charity. For Islamic Relief, it is the holy month of Ramadan that defines the organization.
For too many families globally, honoring Ramadan traditions can create hardship. This is why the work of IRUSA and its international Islamic Relief partners are so important—their efforts enable supporters to not only honor their charitable obligations, but also allow them to lift a little of the burden faced by struggling families around the world.
Most humanitarian aid delivered by Islamic Relief comes in the form of food aid. Global distribution of food during the holy month of Ramadan is a crucial aspect of the organization’s work. Packed with nutrients and vitamins, as well as food items that are important to the local diet, Islamic Relief’s Ramadan food boxes help to feed vulnerable families and provide food for more than 720,000 people in 2024 alone.
Providing safe and adequate health care services
Provided across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, Islamic Relief’s food packages differ by country. Common staples include wheat, rice, lentils, canned meat or fish, oil, sugar ,and dates. In some regions, families are provided with vouchers in place of physical food packages, enabling them to purchase the items they need the most.
For decades, Islamic Relief has curated its programming with a special focus on providing safe and adequate health care services for people in need, including children and vulnerable mothers. As a founding partner of the For Mama campaign, IRUSA has shone a spotlight on programs centering around mental health. From Yemen to Afghanistan, Palestine to Niger, IRUSA donors support programs designed to help women and babies access proper health care, which includes providing nutritional support to combat malnutrition.
In 2024, during the month of Ramadan, the organization staged a special appeal for mothers and babies all over the world, providing them with access to adequate nutrition and medical care.
Catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity
Following months of political tension across the region, violence escalated in Palestine in 2024, culminating in the deaths of 32,000 people, with thousands more missing and injured. In Gaza, a total blockade is currently in place, effectively cutting 2 million civilians off from the rest of the world and preventing them from accessing fuel, electricity, sanitation, and food.
According to UNICEF, more than 25% of households across Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, with 60% of all housing units across the region damaged or destroyed. In addition, over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with hundreds of thousands of civilians forced to sleep outside with inadequate clothing to protect them against the cold.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 15 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially functional due to challenges in accessing sufficient staff and essential medical supplies. WHO warns that many more people will die of disease if Gaza’s health system is not restored to provide the local population with basic medical facilities.
Although mobilization of humanitarian aid continues to be hindered across the region, IRUSA and its international partners are striving to deliver a range of life-saving interventions, which includes providing hygiene kits to people in shelters and distributing food parcels sourced by local farmers. In addition, Islamic Relief has provided winter aid to displaced families in Gaza, including blankets and winter clothing, as well as delivering immediate trauma response services to between 4,000 and 5,000 people.
Delivering vital medical supplies
In Gaza, IRUSA partners have provided 23,400 people living in shelters with access to mobile clinics, as well as delivering vital medical supplies to Al-Awda Hospital, Hayfa Hospital, and Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. IRUSA partners are also continuing to work on procuring and stockpiling medical supplies, water, food, and other essential items to be delivered as soon as a pathway for humanitarian aid has been established.
Islamic Relief USA is an organization that is committed to providing relief and driving development in a dignified manner, supporting people in need irrespective of their race, religion, or gender. The organization strives to empower individuals, working together to help those in need and to give them a voice in the world. Through IRaise, you can join in and support this invaluable work.