The Zakat Foundation

Zakat Foundation of America

Founded	2001
Founder	Halil Demir
Type	501(c)3[1]
Focus	Sustainable Development, Education, Health and Nutrition, Orphans and Child Welfare, Water and Sanitation, Emergency Relief & Disaster Preparedness
Location	Bridgeview, Illinois
Origins	Chicago, Illinois, US
Area served	Worldwide
Revenue	$8,521,089 (2015)[2]
Slogan	The Leader in Empowering Lives Through Zakat
Website	zakat.org

Zakat Foundation of America (ZF) is a Chicago based, Muslim non-profit dedicated to alleviating the immediate needs of the poorest communities, as well as providing emergency relief, post-disaster rehabilitation, sustainable development, education, healthcare, orphan sponsorship, and seasonal programs such as Ramadan Iftars and Udhiya/Qurbani. Zakat Foundation of America is recognized and registered under 501(c)(3) as a non-profit charity organization; therefore all donations are tax exempt.

Mission statement

Zakat Foundation of America is an international charity organization that helps generous and caring people reach out to those in need. Our goal is to address immediate needs and promote the self-reliance of the poorest people around the world using the zakat and sadaqa dollars of privileged Muslims and the support of other generous donors.

We believe that those to whom God has granted prosperity can sanctify their material wealth through charity, and those whom God has tried with loss are accorded a rightful share from the resources of the affluent.^[3]

Programs

Emergency Relief – Through regional offices around the world, ZF responds quickly to natural and man-made disasters. ZF Emergency Relief programs act to address the immediate needs of those who have been overwhelmed by catastrophe through the distribution of food and water provisions, medicine and medical supplies, emergency shelters, and hygiene kits, among other means. ZF has an ongoing presence in Syria and the surrounding countries, delivering food, medicine and temporary housing to Syrian IDPs and refugees.[4] ZF delivered over $2 million in aid to Syrian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in 2015. ^[4]

Education – Zakat Foundation believes that education is a human right. Education catalyzes change, as it provides the information and skills needed to ensure permanent access to the basic rights of food, water, shelter, health, work and dignity while addressing the roots of chronic poverty and hunger. Educational needs and resources differ in urban and rural contexts. An assessment of those needs and resources are needed to determine the most appropriate educational approach in a community. ZF develops educational opportunities in many countries. In the Turkish city of Gaziantep, ZF sponsors 4 schools with 1,800 students and 70 staff members, as well as Zahra University, which currently hosts 300 students and is one of the first institutions of higher education dedicated to Syrian refugees. In Kenya, ZF partners with Heshima Kenya to educate refugee girls and young women, equipping them with life skills, academic knowledge and vocational skills, while in Afghanistan, ZF works towards providing young women with educational opportunities with schools in Kabul and Wardak Province. ^[5]

Development – ZF aims to sever the roots of poverty and empower individuals and communities through self-sustaining economic and financial resources. In Ghana ZF supported the establishment of women's agricultural collectives that boost local agriculture and food security while stabilizing families and communities by giving women steady employment. [6] In both Jordan and Bangladesh, ZF has sponsored women’s Vocational Training Centers for several years, which equip women with useful skillsets, such as knitting and sewing, which in turn provide a steady source of income. ^[6]

Health Care - Zakat Foundation’s Healthcare and Nutrition Programs promote equal access to basic healthcare services so that men and women will be healthy enough to support their families and so that children can thrive and attend school regularly. Preventative and responsive healthcare, along with proper nutrition, is important in stemming chronic poverty. Zakat Foundation and its partners support community health and nutrition education initiatives using local resources to ensure long-term benefit and promote community wellness. For example, in the Hazaribagh slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh, the ZF clinic has been operating since 2009, offering medical consultations, immunizations, preventative health advice and medication at a cost of $0.12 (USD) per patient. To address the overwhelming need for doctors and health care in Kenya, ZF mobile clinics open throughout the country for a few weeks at a time, making well visits, immunizations, simple medical treatment and doctor referrals accessible to more than 2,700 people every year. In Palestine, ZF has provided $2.7 million in medical aid since 2015, in Mali ZF sponsored six medical facilities with essential supplies, and in 2015 ZF also offered - through sponsored clinics - medical benefits to over 8,000 individuals.^[7]

Orphan Sponsorship – ZF provides food, shelter, education and medical care for orphans in Bangladesh, Bosnia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Nepal, Sri Lanka Jordan, Mali, and Palestine.

Ramadan – During Ramadan in 2015 ZF served 600,000+ beneficiaries in over 35 countries with fresh, hot iftar meals for disadvantaged communities. ZF also gave Eid al-Fitr gifts such as toys, backpacks and new outfits to poor and refugee children. ^[8]

Udhiya / Qurbani – During Udhiya of 2015 ZF distributed meat from freshly sacrificed livestock to over 33,000 families across the world. ^[9]

Sadaqa Jariyah – This concept of "perpetual charity" translates into long-term development and the construction of mosques, schools, water wells and other resources that benefit a community long after the initial outlay of funds. In 2015, ZF-sponsored water wells and handpumps were installed in communities at risk from water scarcity to benefit close to 3 million people worldwide.^[10]

Winter Kits' – Every year, ZF launches a campaign to provide underserved groups with winter clothes and supplies to provide warmth during the cold months. In 2015, over 23,000 kits were distributed in 14 countries around the world, providing coats, jackets, shawls, hats, gloves, scarves, and boots.^[11]

Aqeeqah – In 2015, 15,000 beneficiaries celebrated the birth of a child through aqeeqah, receiving 300 shares of high-quality livestock whose meat was distributed in Ghana, Mali, and Bangladesh. ^[12]

Countries served

Zakat Foundation of America operates in 30 countries through its offices in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Awards

In 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Zakat Foundation was awarded Charity Navigator's highest four star rating indicating that Zakat Foundation has demonstrated exceptional financial health, accountability and transparency. ^{[13] [14]}

Zakat Foundation is listed as a top-rated charity by Great Nonprofits. ^[15]

Publications

All ZF publications, including annual reports, newsletters, brochures and zakat information can be found here. ZF has also created documentaries on the cholera epidemic in Haiti, development work in Bangladesh and its bakery in Syria, among others. These can be viewed at the the ZF YouTube channel.

Published in 2007, The Zakat Handbook: A Practical Guide for Muslims in the West offers a comprehensive guide to the obligatory pillar of Islam. With it Muslims can better understand the concepts, principles and calculation of Zakat.

References

External links

• Zakat Foundation of America www.zakat.org
• Zakat Foundation of America Facebook page