Washington – Aug. 17, 2020 — IRUSA joins G20 Interfaith as they gather for The G20 Interfaith Forum, the world’s leading organization focused on bringing faith and policy together, hosted its North American regional meeting today. The virtual meeting focused on the religious response to COVID-19, racism and refugees and forced migration. “The current global COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a heightened awareness of the human community’s perpetual pandemic: racism,” said Dr. Ganoune Diop, Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. “The brutal murder of African-American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis unleashed a planetwide wave of outrage and revulsion at the ancient scourge of racism. The mandate of the G20 Interfaith Forum demands a recognition that racism and its corollary — antiracism — do not constitute an issue, but an idiom. Racism infects every aspect of human endeavour and planetary existence.”

Alexandria, Va. –Islamic Relief USA, a non-profit humanitarian and advocacy organization, has awarded a total of $200,000 in grants to 11 organizations throughout the country to help feed kids this summer, as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program. Many children had already become used to the grab-and-go lunches that were distributed in the latter part of the school year, when schools shut down due to the novel coronavirus and students had to learn remotely. Fortunately, with the grants provided by Islamic Relief USA, children under the age of 18 who come from low-income households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch will continue to those nutritious mid-day meals during their summer breaks, thanks to summer lunch programs that are being provided by various organizations, houses of worship, and other entities.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Rising levels of hunger in Yemen, fueled by a deepening currency collapse and massive donor funding shortfalls, have prompted Islamic Relief organizations to inject millions in emergency funding into the war-ravaged country, where the 27 percent death rate for those testing positive for COVID-19 is among the highest in the world. Islamic Relief USA and its partner organization, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), will provide $10 million to provide food, water, sanitation and hygiene projects (WASH), as well as nutrition and health programs. This initiative will attempt to plug a small part of the massive funding gaps after the United Nations fundraising goal of $2.4 billion was unmet. Only half of this amount was pledged, with three-quarters of U.N.-backed programs facing cuts or closures in the coming weeks.

Have donors lost hope? We know it's been decades of hurt, pain, poverty, suffering for our sisters and brothers there, and a donation may seem small in light of everything. But it's not! A donation can mean a world of difference for a sister or brother in need, like you saw in the video above from Qabalan, Palestine. Because of a donor like YOU, who made the choice to give, this sister was able to get a bread business—the main livelihood for her family—up, running, and thriving (her video is a must-watch)!