Our History
The Muslim Hands story
Beginnings
Muslim Hands is an international aid agency and NGO. We work with some of the world’s most deprived communities. Since our modest start in 1993, we have established long-term projects in over 30 countries and responded to countless emergencies.
We have built up a network of international offices and local experts over the years and have built a broad range of skills and experience in providing for those most in need.
We deliver water, health, livelihoods and education projects worldwide and run orphan sponsorship programmes in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
As we move and grow we are steadfastly committed to empowering global communities in the long-term as well as helping those in crisis.
Muslim Hands Timeline
Over 20 years of Helping Those in Need
Discover the history of Muslim Hands
Muslim Hands in action
Devastation in war-torn Bosnia moved a community in Nottingham to help those caught in the crossfire. They packed trucks full of supplies and worked tirelesly to ensure these first aid convoys were, in many cases, driven to Bosnia by the volunteers themselves.
Kashmir in crisis
Terrible violence in Kashmir forced entire families to flee their homes and livelihoods to find security. We established the Muzafarabad Medical Centre in Kashmir to help refugees and locals.
Alhamdulillah, this Health Centre proved to be of critical importance when a devastating earthquake hit the area in 2005. Still running after all these years, it has served more than 300,000 patients with check-ups, medicine and an ambulance service that the community could otherwise not afford.
Orphan sponsorship
Our orphan sponsorship scheme started in Africa, Asia & the Balkans. The aim of the programme is to provide needy orphans with a superb level of education and training to empower them to earn a living when they reach adulthood.
Elsewhere
- Blood banks installed in hospitals in Sringar, Kashmir
- Free book banks for Afghanistan
- A Vital medical clinic set up on bombarded Kashmir border.
Expansion
When floods swept across Mozambique, we responded immediately by sending ambulances from the UK. In addition; a medical team, mobile medical units, and food parcels were sent to desperate communities. With infant malnutrition at epidemic proportions, we employed nutritionists to administer high energy feeding and bring young children back from the brink of death. We implemented a low-cost housing scheme to build new homes from local materials, giving families up to 30 years of shelter.
Elsewhere
- Muslim Hands' Orphan Sponsorship Scheme starts in Africa, Asia & the Balkans.
- Kashmir: to help widows and women in need, 4 vocational training centres are established
- In Wazirabad, Pakistan, our first computer literacy centre opened catering for students of all ages, and training local teachers.
Afghanistan
In 1997, Muslim Hands initiated a variety of projects. Among those were programmes designed to improve the quality of life for Afghans blighted by the continual violence in their country.
The Women’s Sewing Centre was established to train women in sewing, embroidery, and design. Each woman was provided a free sewing machine to help her earn a livelihood.
A Women’s Hifdh Centre gave women a unique opportunity to learn Hifdh-ul-Quran as well as curricular subjects.
The Hardship and Legal Aid committee also gave financial and legal help to those who could not afford advocate fees or legal expenses.
Elsewhere
- Aided by Iran Red Crescent, Muslim hands fly in urgent aid after Iran-Afghanistan border is struck by a devastating earthquake. The local hospital receives 100 new beds and medical equipment.
- 10 feeding centres are established for victims of drought in Somalia.
- Huge success for Muslim Hands' Orphan Sponsorship Scheme, reaching 1200 families in just two years.
Bangladesh floods
The most devastating floods of the decade left one-third of Bangladesh under water. Muslim Hands established medical camps in-and-around Dhaka and distributed food and medicine. To help those stranded, MH workers used boats to reach otherwise inaccessible villages.
A comprehensive programme for rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure and installing wells was established. This housing project brought low-cost homes built of bamboo, clay and corrugated metal sheets to the neediest members of society.
Elsewhere
- Trainees at vocational centres form a cooperative in Kashmir.
- Poor families are given livelihoods as a small business generation scheme provides them rickshaws.
- Tanzania: The construction of a madrassa creates accommodation for well over 100 children.
Europe and the Balkans
March brought heavy bombardment to Kosovo and refugees began streaming across the border into neighbouring Albania. MH teams distributed food parcels, blankets and mattresses to the displaced families. We also employed 45 sanitation workers to run a 24-hour clean-up operation in camps in Tirana. We helped more than 1,000 children suffering from trauma with an Educational Play Therapy programme. 12 ambulance units were deployed, providing a 24-hour medical service. We accompanied the refugees when they returned to Kosovo, with a convoy consisting of 42 trucks full of vital food and medical supplies.
In August, after a devastating earthquake in which over 17,000 people lost their lives, families from Turkey were forced to take shelter inside vehicles or make-shift tents with no food or sanitation. MH distributed food and clean water immediately, and 12,000 meals were served daily to those who were without homes.
August brought war between Chechnya and Russia. We established a full-time office in Georgia helping refugees of the conflict. MH also worked within Chechnya, establishing four schools for refugee children, and bringing regular food, clothing and fuel. We also gave financial support provided to the severely sick and injured to cover medical costs.
Elsewhere
- More than 750 cataract sufferers are treated in eye-camps.
- 470 new homes are built for homeless families in Bangladesh.
Mozambique flood
MH responded immediately to the Mozambique floods, sending two four-wheel drive ambulances from the UK. To reach remote communities, a medical team, mobile medical units and food parcels were also dispatched. With widespread infant malnutrition, nutritionists were deployed to administer high-energy feeding to bring young children back to health. A Low-Cost Housing scheme was instituted to build homes from local materials, giving displaced families shelter to last up to 30 years.
Elsewhere
- Four schools are established for refugee children in Chechnya.
- Muslim Hands provides food, clothing and shelter to 7000 refugees in Georgia after the sacking of Grozny.
- Four temporary feeding centres fed around 30,000 people following drought in Balochistan, Pakistan.
Eid Gifts Programme
The Eid Gifts Programme was established, allowing donors to send a £10 gift to a disadvantaged Muslim child. A total of 4,400 Eid gifts were sent to children across a wide variety of countries worldwide. Gift boxes contained items such as new shoes, clothes and a school bag were sent to countries like Palestine, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Gambia, Sudan, Senegal, Mexico, Albania, Kosova and Chechnya.
Elsewhere
- Al-Aqsa intifida plunged many Palestinians deeper into poverty. MH set up medical clinics in Al-Khalil and distributed food packs. We also ran a school bus service for orphans and sponsored 100 university students.
- 1,000 families were given temporary shelters and 60,000 people received vital food aid following an earthquake in India. We also built 42 new homes.
- Over 850 tubewells were installed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal and Gambia.
Gujarat violence
When riots and violence erupted in Gujarat we raised funds to restore and rebuild the communities affected. We delivered food parcels, clothing, bedding and household kits and dispatched emergency medical care and mobile medical units. We renovated around 300 mosques, built new homes, and established a Small Loans Scheme to help people re-establish their livelihoods.
Elsewhere
- War in Afghanistan bought further suffering to devastated people. We sent 400 tonne food convoys.
- In Kabul, Kandhar, Jalalbad, Chaman and Peshwar we set up emergency and mobile medical units and an ambulance service. We distributed 300 wheelchairs and 100 school kits.
Iraq
Muslim Hands is one of the few charities able to operate in Iraq. We completed many projects including the reconstruction of orphanages in Baghdad and Mosul and four schools in Fallujah. We also supplied essential equipment for blood banks, clinical laboratories, a gynaecology department, and supplied four operating theatres. A groundbreaking homeless centre provides teenage girls with protection from the dangers of life the streets of Baghdad.
Elsewhere
- Kashmir and Pakistan: In 2003 MH made a commitment to help disabled peoplein developing countries. We set up vocational training and rehabilitation centres and also provided grants to help disabled people start businesses.
- Gambia: MH established a programme to help Gambian Fisherwomen become self-sufficient and self-employed.
Iraq and Qurbani
Muslim Hands continued to provide aid all over Iraq, even in the perilous Fallujah, Najaf and Karbala. We contributed a large water pump to the Fallujah City Water Treatment Plant. We also carried out regular food distributions to the Al-Rashad Elderly Home, and the Elweeyah, Wazeeryah and Al-Tufulah orphanages. Other interventions included financial support for Hajj pilgrims and a training programme for Iraqi NGOs.
In 2003 the Bam earthquake killed more than 45,000 people and left a further 100,000 without homes. We distributed Qurbani meat to 32,000 people on behalf of our donors and other charities. We also installed 30 latrines and 20 field showers. A dedicated Muslim Hands office was opened in Jiroft to supervise the rebuilding and disease prevention programmes. Muslim Hands was gifted four acres of land by the Mayor of Bam to construct an orphanage and school for 100 children.
Elsewhere
- In Darfur, Sudan, Muslim Hands set up camps for 100,000 refugees in Kalima and Mosai. We also distributed water, food, shelter, and lanterns and set up medical centres and temporary schools.
- Muslim Hands provided aid and new housing to some of the 2 million made homeless by the worst floods Bangladesh had seen in 20 years.
Green Ribbon Week
We launched Green Ribbon Week to raise awareness of the suffering of countless children of war in some of the world's most impoverished countries. As a result of the money raised, 75 children in Afghanistan were fitted with prosthetic limbs at an Orthopaedic and Prosthetic Clinic in Kabul, which we funded. We provided sports equipment to schools in Iraq in order to help children feel a sense of normality in their plight. We also provided vaccinations and healthcare to Sudanese children in devastated Darfur.
Kashmir and Pakistan were hit by the strongest earthquake for 100 years, which killed almost 80,000 people and left millions homeless. Our teams ran camps helpings tens of thousands of survivors and began constructed shelters for the homeless.
Elsewhere
- We set up safe water projects, an electricity generator and a water treatment plant in Baghdad as well as care homes to help the elderly and disabled.
- Less than 6 months after the Tsunami of 2004, Indonesia was devastated by an earthquake hit, killing 5,500. Thanks to the ongoing aid efforts in place after the Tsunami, MH was able to dispatch Emergency Response Teams from Jakarta, Aceh and Medan.
Gaza
Gaza has been in turmoil for years due to a disastrous economic situation, blockades and bombing. MH was on hand to deliver food, tents and storage tanks for water. We have also been supporting Al-Wafa Hospital with medical equipment, helping it to cope with the burden of constant conflict.
In Lebanon, we purchased mobile medical units and deployed them in Saida and the surrounding area. We provided over 6,000 food parcels, hot food and medical care to the thousands of people displaced by the bombings of Saida, Tyre and Beirut. In the southern villages, existing electric water pumps were disabled so we provided them with safe water tanks & mobile power generators to work the pumps.
Muslim Hands housed over 60,000 people displaced by the Pakistan Earthquake by establishing seven large refugee camps.
Elsewhere
- Following the Pakistan Earthquake, we provided emergency medical assistance and sent over 250 workers and volunteers to the affected area. We also set up three new schools and temporary medical clinics in refugee camps.
Cyclone Sidr
Along the coast of Bangladesh, poor and needy communities were devastated by Cyclone Sidr. MH Bangladesh teams responded straight away with food, medical supplies, shelter, water, and transportation.
We also rebuilt schools across Ishtar, Maysaloon, and Al Kindy in Iraq to provide education for over 1,150 children.
Elsewhere
- At the University Teaching Hospital in Jalalabad, we renovated the obstetrics and gynaecology wards, which treat 1,500 patients a month.
- Our new office in Gaza opens.
Bangladesh and China
Southeast Asia was struck by several natural disasters including Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, the Sichuan earthquake in China, and Cyclone Nargis in Burma. Muslim Hands immediately responded with medical aid, food, water, sanitation and household essentials.
As part of Green Ribbon Week 2008, we organised a sponsored walk along the Great Wall of China. We fundraised all over the country, raising money for 'Innocent Children of War'.
Elsewhere
- We opened Vocational Training Centres in Afghanistan and Indonesia, as well as a School of Excellence in Mali. In 20 of the poorest schools in Gaza, we provided school equipment and stationary to 2,000 students. MH also provided schools in Nepal and China with boarding facilities.
- Through our orphan sponsorship campaign, over 1,000 orphans were sponsored during Ramadan.
Conflict in the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a humanitarian catastrophe erupted as tens of thousands of civilians were driven from their homes, due to the outbreak of conflict in the North Kivu province. Our teams immediately provided refugee camps bordering Rwanda with urgently needed food, shelter, and medical supplies.
Elsewhere
- Our office in Gaza helped in the worst-hit area of Jabaliyya by distributing food and medicine as violence hit. We supplied Al-Shifa hospital and five other hospitals with essential medical equipment and supplies.
Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh at least 179 were killed and over 400,000 people were left homeless after Cyclone Aila hit. Aid teams were urgently dispatched to villages, travelling through dangerous conditions by boat. We began rebuilding homes in District Satkhira, and Shyamnagar Upazila; and distributed food and clothes.
Our Pakistan office distributed 33,400 family food parcels and cooked hot meals for over 361,000 flood victims. MH constructed 600 homes immediately after the emergency phase and over 114,000 patients were treated by our field clinics.
Elsewhere
- MH was on the ground in Port Au Prince after an earthquake devastated Haiti. Within days we distributed food and water to 20,000 people, began rescue operations and cleared bodies from the rubble. We established three schools at the start of the rebuilding process.
Ivory Coast
Civil unrest in the Ivory Coast forced over a million people from their homes after a military coup. Liberia was inundated with over 150,000 refugees who sought security and protection from the mounting violence. Working in the Nimba region, MH Liberia supported displaced families across Saclepea, Boutuo and Karnplay Camps with monthly food packages and safe water.
MH teams worked with the UNHCR at Shousa refugee camp during the Libyan crisis. Muslim Hands provided 5,000 people a day with food at the Djerba airport.
MH distributed food, water, medicine and tents to over 50,000 refugees in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia when famine struck East Africa. We also built water tanks to supply safe water to camps in Ethiopia and Somalia.
Elsewhere
- MH volunteers based in Nagata (near Tokyo), distributed food and other essential items to stranded families in the Fukushima Prefecture following the Japan Tsunami.
Pakistan floods
This year another flood hit Pakistan.Targeting the worst affected areas of DG Khan and Rajanpur, MH Pakistan distributed food and essentials to over 800,000 people and over 1,000 homes were reconstructed.
As the Syria crisis worsened, MH distributed food and hygiene kits to over 20,000 refugees on the Turkish and Lebanese borders. More than 1,000 Syrian refugees received treatment, medication and healthcare advice from the MH medical clinic set up in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
Muslim Hands established the Department for Community Development in order to address the issues facing UK communities.
Elsewhere
- During the continuing Gaza conflict MH distributed food and medicine in the worst hit areas. Six hospitals were also equipped with medical supplies to treat the injured.
- After conflict broke out in Myanmar, MH was one of the few charities to be granted access to the affected Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State. More than 2,000 displaced families received emergency relief packs and 400 families were rehoused.
Sylhet School of Excellence
Muslim Hands distributed school kits, including uniforms and school bags in the Sylhet School of Excellence.
After a fire ravaged Birta Village in Nepal’s Rautahat district in April, the Muslim Hands emergency response team oversaw the repair of 27 tube-wells, ensuring villagers had access to clean water, and provided temporary shelter for those whose homes had been destroyed.
Our UK Development team provided support for victims of the UK floods, rolled out programmes helping drug abusers in Leicester and Nottingham and assisted food banks across the country.
Elsewhere
- MH is helping to educate over 40,000 needy students in 300 schools around the world.
Albanian floods
MH distributed emergency aid, including food and blankets to flood victims in Shkoder, north-western Albania.
A large, multifaceted livelihoods project was undertaken by MH. This saw the distribution of livestock, seeds and farming tools and the planting of fruit trees to support rural communities in northern Sri-Lanka.
Muslim Hands provided support for grassroots organisations working with street children in Pakistan and Kenya. MH also sponsored children living on the streets of Pakistan and The Philippines to form youth football teams to take part in Street Child World Cup 2014. The success of the Pakistan team, who came third in the tournament, prompted a nationwide campaign advocating for the rights of street children all over the country.
Elsewhere
- The Uk Community Development Department expanded their work in youth engagement through sports and skills building activities and partnered with Muslim Youth Helpline to address the concerns of Muslim prisoners.
- Muslim Hands opened a second school in Idlib province, Syria, where 1 in 5 schools is no longer functioning. Haas and Al-Fatera schools are collectively educating almost 1,000 children.
- Muslim Hands distributed emergency food and hygiene packs to almost 2,000 flood victims in Wazirabad, Pakistan.
Nepal and Yemen
Muslim Hands responded to the earthquakes in Nepal immediately, distributing essential food items and hygiene kits to the most remote areas and carrying out construction of low-cost housing to provide long-term shelter to the homeless.
Following the outbreak of conflict in Yemen, Muslim Hands carried out food distribution in Sana'a, Aden and Hadhramout.
In May thousands of migrants, the majority of them Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar were stranded at sea. As rescue operations began, MH Indonesia distributed vital relief, including food, medicine and hygiene items to hundreds of migrants in camps in Aceh Province.
Elsewhere
- The construction of low-cost housing for the victims of conflict in Myanmar continues.
- Muslim Hands continues to support street children in Kenya and Pakistan through the provision of shelters, vocational and educational training programmes and engagement through sport.
- The Muslim Women in Prison Report was launched, following a one year pilot project in HMP Ashkam Grange and New Hall and MH is supporting a programme tackling domestic violence in Birmingham
Europe Refugee Crisis
2015-16 saw a surge in the number of desperate refugees and migrants seeking sanctuary in Europe. As 350,000 people crossed into the continent and nearly 5,000 died trying, Muslim Hands was on the ground across Europe distributing vital relief. As well as giving out emergency supplies of food, water, warm clothes and tents in Greece, Macedonia, Germany and France, we provided 380,000 hot meals to refugees in Austria.
Elsewhere
- 15,000 olive trees were distributed to farmers in Palestine.
- Our team in Syria provided emergency food aid to hundreds of families in the besieged towns of Madaya and Aleppo
Muslim Hands is an international aid agency and NGO working worldwide to help those affected by natural disasters, conflict and poverty. Muslim Hands USA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization (No. 27-4155655).