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	$7,635,223 (2013)[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 – In the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan's devastating landfall, ZF distributed food packages, sandals, diapers and personal hygiene products, and delivered building supplies to devastated rural villages.^[4] ZF has an ongoing presence in Syria and the surrounding countries, delivering food, medicine and temporary housing to Syrian IDPs and refugees.^[5]

Education – In Kenya ZF partners with Heshima Kenya to educate refugee girls and young women, equipping them with life skills, academic knowledge and vocational skills. Through a long-standing partnership with the Rumi School in Pakistan, more than 500 students, many of them Afghan refugees, receive education and support services tailored to their needs. ZF has partnered with the government of Turkey to open second-shift schools for Syrian refugee children in Gaziantep.^[6]

Development – In Ghana ZF supported through microfinance lending the establishment of women's agricultural collectives that support local agriculture and food security while stabilizing families and communities by giving women steady employment^[7]

Health Care - 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.^[8]

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

Ramadan – During Ramadan in 2013 ZF served 1.7 million meals to more than 100,000 families in 36 countries. ZF also gave more than 8,000 Eid al-Fitr gifts such as toys, backpacks and new outfits to poor and refugee children.^[9]

Udhiya / Qurbani – During Udhiya of 2013 ZF focused on distributing meat from freshly sacrificed livestock to refugee and displaced Syrian families, impoverished and displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh, and Malians affected by flooding and an internal conflict.^[10]

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. One example of an innovative program is a permaculture program in Mozambique that is innovating low-tech sustainable agriculture and livestock projects for implementation in the region.

Aqeeqah – In 2013 30 families celebrated the birth of a child through aqeeqah, donating high-quality livestock whose meat was distributed in Ghana and Bangladesh.^[11]

Countries served

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

Awards

In 2011, 2012,and 2013 Zakat Foundation was awarded Charity Navigator's highest four star rating indicating that Zakat Foundation has demonstrated exceptional financial health, accountability and transparency. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10986#.Vbj6z_lVhBd

Zakat Foundation is listed as a top-rated charity by Great Nonprofits.

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