An earthquake measuring magnitude 7.4 has struck Turkey, causing significant damage in several cities including Kahramanmaras, Adana & Gaziantep . Many buildings have collapsed, leaving many people injured and homeless. Emergency services are currently working to rescue those trapped and provide aid to those affected. The government has declared a state of emergency and is working to provide support to the affected communities. Our teams are on the ground assessing the situation and how we can support the relief effort. Your donations can help provide food, shelter, medical care and many other support to those in need.
The Republic of Haiti is an island country located in the American continent. Local people were subjected to great slaughter due to the colonialism and poverty that came after the geographical discoveries. The official languages of the Republic of Haiti, which had been a French colony for a long time, still include French, alongside the Haitian Creole. The Republic of Haiti, which has been struggling with poverty for a long time, also intensely experiences problems related to poverty. The inability to have the basic needs such as education, health, etc., which cannot be provided, and political instability can be shown among such problems. In addition to all these, the great Haiti earthquake that took place in 2010 and had an intensity of over 7 added to the country’s problems. The official death number of this earthquake was more than 200 thousand. Unfortunately, a similar earthquake occurred in the past days.
Reconstruction of the Great Haiti Earthquake
The second largest Haiti earthquake, 11 years apart, had a magnitude of 7.2. Although the numbers still continue to increase in this earthquake, it has been reported that approximately 2200 people have died, and more than 12 thousand people have been injured so far. This Haiti earthquake, which took place 12 kilometers northeast of the town of Saint-Jean-du-Sud, was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers, and was also felt in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and people rushed to the streets. In Haiti, where many settlements were destroyed by the earthquake, the people who were already poor are now deprived of shelter. The Haiti administration, which could not carry out the necessary work with its own means, made a call for international assistance.
IHCRO Extends a Helping Hand
It is a fact that Haiti and its people, who had a hard time with the great Haiti earthquake, need help. In this context, as IHCRO, we directed our aid to Haiti. In addition to the various aids we provide to overcome today’s difficult conditions, we will also carry out activities that will ensure the development and stability of Haiti and especially the Muslim people there in the long run. These activities include building accommodation, madrasahs, masjids, etc. However, today, we are covering the wounds of this great Haiti earthquake, primarily by meeting the needs of the moment, such as: food packs, hygiene kits, tarps, construction of the destroyed homes.
Bangladesh is constantly faced with flood disasters due to its geography. The country, which is very weak in terms of infrastructure, continues to be affected by these natural disasters.
Natural disasters such as floods that have occurred in Bangladesh with a population of 160 million in recent years have become more severe due to climate changes. According to the reports of the United Nations, if such climate events continue, approximately 20% of the population will be displaced within the next ten years.
Bangladesh suffered heavy losses in the flood disaster that occurred in the past days, and according to the latest figures, 27 people lost their lives. It was stated that some regions in the northeast of the country have never been so affected by floods in the last hundred years.
Especially in the northern regions (Sylhet, etc.), heavy rainfall and flooding affected millions of people. The people of the region also state that they have never encountered such a disaster before.
As IHCRO, we made the necessary consultations with our team in Bangladesh and started our project in order to take action quickly. In Bangladesh, where we have been working for many years, we set out to deliver emergency support to the flood-affected areas, especially in the city of Sylhet. Our teams will distribute food parcels to the families affected by the floods and we will do our best to be a balm for the wounds of the local people.
Now is the time to show that we stand by our people in Bangladesh. It is not clear when natural disasters will strike. We could be next. Acting with the awareness of this, let’s hold the hands of the needy there as one body. Goodness multiplies when shared.
Nepal is a South Asian country, where many ethnicities are living, with a population of 23 million. Most of its lands are on the downside of Himalayas and some of them are close to Ganges River. According to the official figures, there are approximately 1.5 million Muslims. Muslims and the ones that converted to Islam are facing discrimination by the others and they do not have a voice on economic and political fields, as the other minority Muslims in other countries. Every bad or good event in this country mostly affects the Muslims. Every year, floods are happening in this country where monsoon rains are highly effective.
Most of the people are affected badly because of the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains. Knowing that the Muslims in the country are fighting with poverty, these disasters are making life harder for them.
The government is having difficulties to provide for the society’s basic needs and the budget they arranged for the disasters are insufficient. The help comes late or never comes after the disasters and this makes the consequences worse for the people. When we look at the past, we can see the calamities. It is said that many people’s houses and workplaces are under water.
Not so long ago, heavy rains affected many areas adversely and caused the river in Sindhupalchok to overflow. Settlements in the area got highly damaged. 38 people, 7 of which was children, died and 50 people were injured because of the sudden floods and landslides. It is thought that due to the lack of opportunities and because search and rescue operations are performed with elephants, these people lost their lives. Besides that, many people had to leave their houses. It is estimated that rains will be continuing the next couple of months. It does not seem possible for these people to be able to stand by themselves.
Our team in Nepal has already responded to that crisis and humanitarian aid has reached the flood affected families in Nepal. We managed to reach them quickly and during their hardest time. Flood has damaged most of their mud houses. They appealed for help, and we responded. The ummah relies on IHCRO when the international and local community neglect them.
IHCRO WILL CONTINUE TO HELP THEM WITH LIFE ESSENTIAL LIKE FOOD AND HYGIENE KITS AND OTHER HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT NEEDED.
Afghanistan, the capital of which is Kabul, is a country with a surface area of 652 thousand square kilometers. Afghanistan is a mostly mountainous country bordering Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and China. Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks make up the majority of its population of about 40 million. Afghanistan, whose population is almost entirely Muslim, is officially an Islamic country. Afghanistan has a very old history. According to the researches, traces of settled life are seen in the region about 9,000 years ago. It is estimated that great civilizations existed in the 3rd millennium BC. Despite this cultural richness, Afghanistan is a very poor country economically.
A Society Under the Shadow of Poverty
As can be expected, the war conditions that lasted for years have worn out Afghanistan and the Afghan people. While the conditions in question were sufficient in themselves, Afghanistan also suffered from drought and famine, which are the disasters of this age. Research shows that 93 percent of Afghans do not have enough food. In addition, it is stated that approximately 7.3 million people from 34 provinces of Afghanistan are under the effect of drought. 14 million people are facing severe hunger. Existing water and food shortages cause exorbitant prices for these products; therefore this situation causes the already poor Afghan people to become even poorer. An emergency aid resource of 200 million dollars is needed in order to overcome these problems we mentioned with the least damage.
IHCRO Stands With Afghanistan
As IHCRO, we are on the ground in the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as always. We are doing our best to meet all the needs of Afghanistan, where we follow the latest news closely. In this sense, we deliver emergency aid such as food packs distributions, drilling water wells and providing medical support to the Afghan people as quickly as possible. For our brothers and sisters who have lost their homes due to the war, we set up tent camps and distribute clothes and blankets suitable for the climate. We are trying to carry out activities in the region on which our priority is children, especially orphans. Alhamdulillah, we are building schools for the children so that they can continue their education. May Allah be pleased with everyone who supports this work.
Lebanon is a Middle East country with a surface area of 10.452 km2. More than 6 million people are living in the country and more than half of it is Muslims. The country has Mediterranean climate: winters are cold and rainy; summers are hot and arid. Due to being an ex-French-mandate, French and English are spoken besides Arabic and Armenian. Its independency was acknowledged on 1st January 1944.
After the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, so many Palestinians migrated to Lebanon. The Christians in the country started to be uncomfortable and armed up because of the increasing Muslim population. These incidents caused an internal disturbance, starting from 1975 to the beginning of 1990s. After the frictions that happened with Israel and Syria, the internal state of the country is still not recovered completely.
The main sources of living are agriculture, industry, construction, commerce, tourism, banking business, hotel management, media, consultancy and engineering. Especially Beirut has the most important trading shore of Middle East and East Mediterranean Sea. Because of the high-quality manpower of the country, there isn’t any problem about international trade.
The Muslims in Lebanon
One of the most important internal matters is refugees. Palestinians are banned from working in72 areas and most of them must live in camps to where the government never bring service. Even the security of the camps is provided by the refugees living there, and the refugees fight with each other, as well. Although the exact number is unknown, it is assumed that more than 500 thousand Palestinians are living in the country. Also, many Syrian refugees migrated to Lebanon after the civil war that was caused by the Arab Spring. According to the records, there are more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. When we look at these numbers, we can say that 25% of the population of Lebanon is refugees. Since so many Sunni Muslims are living in Lebanon, Christians and the Shi’a are being uncomfortable about this, thus the situation threatens the peace environment.
Big Disaster in Lebanon: Fuel Tanker Exploded
Lebanon has been dealing with fuel crisis for quite a while. After Lebanon Central Bank stopped fuel subvention, fuel prices started increasing rapidly. People waiting outside of the fuel stations caused long queues. Furthermore, because of the fuel shortage, when a power cut occurs the generators in the hospital cannot work and this threatens the lives of the dialysis patients and the ones using respirators. Moreover, a fuel tanker exploded in Akkar District. 28 people lost their lives and 80 people were injured. We, IHCRO, couldn’t remain unresponsive and started an urgent help appeal. We delivered help to the injured and the families. May Allah grant a swift recovery to all the injured and may Allah bless everyone who passed away. May Allah grant patience to the ones who lost their loved ones.
Our work reveals how sensitive we are about orphans. We spend a large part of our resources to find solutions to the problems of our orphan brothers and sisters. We have never considered the work done on this path sufficient, and we never will. Because we consider our orphans as our own family. Just as we take care of our own children and siblings, as we worry about their problems and dote on them, we share the same sensitivity for our orphan brothers and sisters who are miles away from us and try to live accordingly. Thankfully we are not alone on this path. Our donors, who agree with us and do not hesitate to spend their resources for their orphan brothers and sisters, have stood by us from the very beginning.
Orphan Aid Reached Iraq
As we mentioned in our previous articles, unfortunately, Iraq is a country that comes first in terms of orphan population. The reason for this is, of course, the years of war. Unfortunately, despite being a very rich country in terms of underground resources, Iraq cannot benefit from these resources. It can even be said that these resources are a nuisance to the country. Rich oil resources make the imperialist states lick their lips. The imperialists, who cannot reach these resources in their own lands, are establishing dominance over the countries that they can bite down on and that have these resources with various tricks. As a result of this domination, what is left of the country is pain, grief, and poverty. This is what happened to Iraq as well. Unfortunately, the US occupation, which lasted for years, left hundreds of orphans behind.
IHCRO Besides Iraqi Orphans
In a bulletin we shared about the oppressed orphans of Iraq, we mentioned that a special aid will be given to these brothers and sisters. Apart from the orphan campaigns that we regularly deal with and carry out, this time we organized a special campaign for our Iraqi orphan brothers and sisters. As a part of this campaign, we provided financial assistance to 150 orphans. We delivered the aids to our brothers and sisters in a program where they could have fun and be happy. May Allah be pleased with everyone who contributed to this campaign that made our orphan brothers smile and relieved their troubles a little bit.
The civil war and humanitarian crisis in Syria has left its 11th year behind. Hundreds of thousands of civilians lost their lives in the country, where war crimes such as chemical weapons, efforts to starve the people, blockade and torture were committed.
More than six million people had to leave their country 11 years ago, which was estimated to have an average population of twenty-two million. More than three and a half million of these immigrants took refuge in Turkey. But it is estimated that at least fourteen million civilians are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria.
As International Human Care and Relief Organization, we distributed two hundred food packs in a camp in the region. Thanks to our distribution of food parcels, which are vital for people living in the camp and especially children, who cannot even meet their basic needs such as food, approximately one thousand families will have access to basic nutrients.
The 11-year humanitarian crisis continues and our organization continues to help the Syrian people as much as possible. Many families have benefited from our assistance and will continue to benefit from it.
While we continue our projects supporting Quran students and education in many countries, our project openings are being completed one by one. We opened our Ibn Al-Jawzi Quran school, which was completed last week and started its activities, in Gaza. Our Quran school, whose opening was attended by state officials, will serve our young people in the region. We started our Quran school campaign last Ramadan and today this beautiful charity of ours has started to serve.
Our Quran students will meet their accommodation needs in addition to their education at our school. At the same time, our young people will be able to socialize in their spare time around our Quran school, which has social facilities.
Indeed, We have granted you a clear triumph O Prophet so that Allah may forgive you for your past and future shortcomings, perfect His favour upon you, guide you along the Straight Path, and so that Allah will help you tremendously. (Al-Fath 1-3)
We hope that this project, which we started with the good news given to us by these beautiful verses, will be beneficial.
In Gaza, which has been under siege for many years, our youth continue their Quran education under difficult conditions, and it is the responsibility of each of us to support these youth. Allah bless those who contributed.
Madagascar, an island country on the African continent, is in the Indian Ocean. Mozambique is the closest neighbor to Madagascar, which does not have a land neighbor due to being an island country, except for the small islets around it. Madagascar, which was mostly covered with forest areas while still untouched, started to lose its green color after it was discovered by humans. Currently, only 4% of the country consists of forest areas. Almost half of the country, which has a population of more than 12 million, consists of children and the elders. Half of the country’s population believes in their local religion, while only 7 percent of them are Muslims.
The Famine Brought by Global Warming
Global warming and related problems, which have begun to affect human life more and more each year, are showing their effects very severely in Madagascar. The central parts of Madagascar, which has lost its forest areas day by day, are struggling with drought. Madagascar, whose main livelihood is agriculture, also suffers from poverty and famine due to the existing drought. According to various reports, Madagascar has the unfortunate feature of being the first country to experience famine, not because of war but because of the climate crisis. We can understand the seriousness of the issue by looking at the fact that the local people try to survive by eating cactus leaves. The human body, which is weakened because it cannot get the necessary nutrients, becomes unable to resist many diseases. For this reason, various epidemics and chronic diseases threaten the Madagascar society, about half of which consists of children and the elderly.
A Call for Help Against the Climate Crisis
Due to this terrible situation in front of us, we, as IHCRO, also participated in the charity race. With the support of our donators, we are helping all the people in Madagascar and help the non-Muslim to convert to Islam alhamdulillah. In addition to the 2000 food packages we have distributed so far, we have also distributed the Holy Quran for the Muslim people, because they cannot find any copy of the Holy Quran in Madagascar. We have opened 8 water wells in Madagascar, as well. As we know that the amount of water some of us unfortunately waste is enough for a family to survive, InshaAllah we will continue to open water wells in Madagascar and make awareness-raising posts on our social media accounts.
