Islamic Relief Focuses On Sustainable Livelihoods, Not Mere Handouts

Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Islamic Relief (IR) does not believe in providing mere "handouts" through its activities, as its focus is on sustainable livelihoods, said Dr Mohamed Ashmawey, Chief Executive Officer of Islamic Relief Worldwide. He explained that one of the objectives of IR, which has its headquarters in the United Kingdom, is to promote integrated development and environmental custodianship by focusing on sustainable livelihoods. "If they live near the sea, then we build a ship and teach them how to fish. If there is a piece of land nearby, we teach them how to plant and earn money from the crops. "We try to complete the cycle of development by creating sustainable development for them. That’s the message we want to preach to the philanthropist, (that is), sustainable development," he told Bernama. Dr Ashmawey, who is here to talk on "High Impact Development in the Muslim World" at the three-day 2012 Global Donors Forum, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, added that IR wants to educate donors or philanthropists on how they can help people in need. "Sometimes, there are good-hearted people but they don’t know how to channel it (their generosity). We can help them, open up the doors for them to give their contributions and manage their donations," he stressed. According to Dr Ashmawey, philanthropists need to know what can be done, what is required, when to contribute, and where. "We want to change the way they think ... it’s not a matter of how much the donation is worth, but about the impact of that donation on the lives of others," he pointed out. Dr Ashmawey added that philanthropists would also like to ensure that the money was being spent appropriately and given to the right recipients. He dismissed the notion that IR is only meant for Muslims, explaining that IR’s establishment and missions are inspired by Islamic principles and values, which advocate helping all mankind. "We are working for the benefit of mankind and, of course, there was a lot of pressure forcing us to change the name," he admitted. On its website, IR is described as an international relief and development charity which envisages a caring world where people unite to respond to the suffering of others, thus empowering them to fulfil their potential. One of IR's founders, Dr Mohamed El-Alfy, observed that IR was founded in 1984 as a relief organisation which was initially run from a small room under the stairs in the Islamic Centre in Birmingham, UK, before it was successfully established in 23 countries, mostly in Europe. Today it has offices around the world, including in Malaysia. "We were affected by the fight of the Africans; the Afghan refugees during the Russian army’s invasion of Afghanistan, which has resulted in a huge number of refugees in Pakistan; and also the drought in Sudan," remarked Dr Alfy, noting that all these events had a deep impact on Muslims when they saw the most horrific images of these events on television. "This is where the role of the media becomes so important, to spread the message to every house in the United Kingdom. There were not many Islamic NGOs to raise and bring donations to the affected areas during the 80’s in the UK. "Thus, with the creation of IR at that time and the awareness of the people, we help them realise their intention of giving donations and assistance to the people in the affected areas," he added. -- BERNAMA