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Our Story
Al-Khair Foundation is a leading Muslim faith-based UK charity providing emergency relief and developmental support in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.
Established in 2003, Al-Khair Foundation was born from a dream which Imam Qasim Rashid Ahmad had to create a holistic Islamic school. Initially operating out of a small residential living room, the Al-Khair School had just 5 students. As the Foundation grew, it remained close to its roots of education; schools were established in rural communities of Pakistan to provide quality education to orphans and underprivileged children, and this ultimately inspired the creation of our ongoing Orphans and Widows programme.
A significant milestone in Al-Khair’s journey was in 2005, when we expanded into emergency relief work. We were amongst the first on the ground providing food, water, shelter and medication in the immediate aftermath of the Kashmir and Haiti earthquakes. Our work in Haiti even attracted the attention of the United Nations, who then partnered with Al-Khair Foundation to strengthen the collective relief effort in the country.
A few years later, Imam Qasim established IQRA TV with the objective of providing religious and educational content to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This ended up being an incredible asset to Al-Khair Foundation; the ease of access to a free-to-air channel enabled us to greatly increase our exposure and thereby attract more support.
Over the years, Al-Khair Foundation has steadily grown into what it is today – one of the youngest yet most successful Muslim charities in the UK. From distributing food parcels and hand-operated water pump to teaching farming techniques and implementing solar powered water wells, our aid delivery has advanced tremendously. On top of our continued emergency relief activities, we now focus on designing projects that equip communities with the right skills and education to lift themselves out of poverty. This, in turn, ensures that our beneficiaries are able to sustain their own livelihoods in a dignified manner, and without dependence on aid.
At Al-Khair Foundation we are proud of our track record – to date, we have touched the lives of over 50 million people from varying backgrounds. As such a multifaceted organisation, we have had a unique history and look forward to what the future will bring.
Timeline
2003
‘Al-Khair Educational & Cultural Centres’ was established by Imam Qasim Rashid Ahmad. Its objectives were to fulfil the spiritual and cultural needs of Muslims in the UK by organising seminars, educational workshops, and conferences to facilitate a better understanding of Islam.
2004
The name of our organisation was changed to ‘Al-Khair Foundation’. This name was chosen to better reflect the foundation’s chief focus as a charity.
2005
This year was a turning point in Al-Khair Foundation’s history. We launched our Emergency Relief programme by providing aid in the aftermath of the Kashmir and Haiti earthquakes. Our work in Haiti even attracted the attention of the United Nations, who then partnered with us to strengthen the collective relief effort in the country
2007
Al-Khair Foundation established its first shelter project in Kashmir.
2009
IQRA TV was established by Imam Qasim Rashid Ahmad in 2009 with the objective of providing religious and educational content to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The channel also showcases the humanitarian work of Al-Khair Foundation in delivering emergency and development aid around the world. As a free-to-air channel available on Sky TV, IQRA reaches virtually all households in the UK. It is also available worldwide via Freeview.
2010
In 2010, Al-Khair Foundation set a precedent by being the only Muslim charity to supply aid to Chile in the aftermath of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. One of our core principles has always been to provide relief to needy people around the world, irrespective of politics or religion.
2011
Al-Khair Foundation was awarded the “Most Successful Fundraiser of the Year 2011” by the national charity fundraising platform Just Giving.
2012
Al-Khair Foundation created its first official partnership - a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Red Crescent.
2014
The most notable milestone for Al-Khair Foundation this year was initiating our 3-year Global Strategic Plan, through which we planned to better integrate our thematic areas, maximise the impact of our projects, and expand our strategic partnerships.
2015
This year saw an increase in incoming resources, such that the Foundation’s total income reached £22 million. In July, Al-Khair Foundation signed a MoU with UNRWA to provide education for besieged children in the Gaza Strip. We also partnered with Amirah Foundation to establish the “Protecting our Pearls’ Mosque Engagement and Imam Training Programme”, which addressed the issues of domestic violence, honour-based violence, forced marriage, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and sexual violence and exploitation.
2016
In the financial year 2015-2016, Al-Khair Foundation responded to severe disasters, including those arising from the conflict in Syria, the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, and the European Refugee Crisis. Despite a decrease in incoming resources, we increased our expenditure on rehabilitation, emergency relief, protection and care, and Qurbani/Ramadan/food projects.
2017
Al-Khair Foundation was recognised by Charity Financials in their 2017 Annual Report for showing a steady growth in financial income.
2019
Al-Khair Foundation sponsored and attended the annual Scottish International Development Alliance Conference in Glasgow. In doing so, we had the opportunity to share practice with delegates from across Scotland’s vibrant international development community, all whilst successfully spreading awareness of our own charitable activities.
A few years later, Imam Qasim established IQRA TV with the objective of providing religious and educational content to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This ended up being an incredible asset to Al-Khair Foundation; the ease of access to a free-to-air channel enabled us to greatly increase our exposure and thereby attract more support.
Over the years, Al-Khair Foundation has steadily grown into what it is today – one of the youngest yet most successful Muslim charities in the UK. From distributing food parcels and hand-operated water pump to teaching farming techniques and implementing solar powered water wells, our aid delivery has advanced tremendously. On top of our continued emergency relief activities, we now focus on designing projects that equip communities with the right skills and education to lift themselves out of poverty. This, in turn, ensures that our beneficiaries are able to sustain their own livelihoods in a dignified manner, and without dependence on aid.
At Al-Khair Foundation we are proud of our track record – to date, we have touched the lives of over 50 million people from varying backgrounds. As such a multifaceted organisation, we have had a unique history and look forward to what the future will bring.
Timeline
2003
‘Al-Khair Educational & Cultural Centres’ was established by Imam Qasim Rashid Ahmad. Its objectives were to fulfil the spiritual and cultural needs of Muslims in the UK by organising seminars, educational workshops, and conferences to facilitate a better understanding of Islam.
2004
The name of our organisation was changed to ‘Al-Khair Foundation’. This name was chosen to better reflect the foundation’s chief focus as a charity.
2005
This year was a turning point in Al-Khair Foundation’s history. We launched our Emergency Relief programme by providing aid in the aftermath of the Kashmir and Haiti earthquakes. Our work in Haiti even attracted the attention of the United Nations, who then partnered with us to strengthen the collective relief effort in the country
2007
Al-Khair Foundation established its first shelter project in Kashmir.
2009
IQRA TV was established by Imam Qasim Rashid Ahmad in 2009 with the objective of providing religious and educational content to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The channel also showcases the humanitarian work of Al-Khair Foundation in delivering emergency and development aid around the world. As a free-to-air channel available on Sky TV, IQRA reaches virtually all households in the UK. It is also available worldwide via Freeview.
2010
In 2010, Al-Khair Foundation set a precedent by being the only Muslim charity to supply aid to Chile in the aftermath of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. One of our core principles has always been to provide relief to needy people around the world, irrespective of politics or religion.
2011
Al-Khair Foundation was awarded the “Most Successful Fundraiser of the Year 2011” by the national charity fundraising platform Just Giving.
2012
Al-Khair Foundation created its first official partnership - a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Red Crescent.
2014
The most notable milestone for Al-Khair Foundation this year was initiating our 3-year Global Strategic Plan, through which we planned to better integrate our thematic areas, maximise the impact of our projects, and expand our strategic partnerships.
2015
This year saw an increase in incoming resources, such that the Foundation’s total income reached £22 million. In July, Al-Khair Foundation signed a MoU with UNRWA to provide education for besieged children in the Gaza Strip. We also partnered with Amirah Foundation to establish the “Protecting our Pearls’ Mosque Engagement and Imam Training Programme”, which addressed the issues of domestic violence, honour-based violence, forced marriage, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and sexual violence and exploitation.
2016
In the financial year 2015-2016, Al-Khair Foundation responded to severe disasters, including those arising from the conflict in Syria, the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, and the European Refugee Crisis. Despite a decrease in incoming resources, we increased our expenditure on rehabilitation, emergency relief, protection and care, and Qurbani/Ramadan/food projects.
2017
Al-Khair Foundation was recognised by Charity Financials in their 2017 Annual Report for showing a steady growth in financial income.
2019
Al-Khair Foundation sponsored and attended the annual Scottish International Development Alliance Conference in Glasgow. In doing so, we had the opportunity to share practice with delegates from across Scotland’s vibrant international development community, all whilst successfully spreading awareness of our own charitable activities.
