About Us

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is an independent humanitarian and development organization, serving humanity for 34 years. With an active presence in over 40 countries across the globe, we strive to make the world a better and fairer place for the billions people still living in poverty.

Islamic Relief in Ethiopia (IR) began relief work in 2000, responding to the severe drought that plagued great parts of the Somali region. Four years later in 2004, IR officially opened its office in the country. Since then Islamic Relief Ethiopia has been engaged in emergency relief responses and integrated sustainable development programmes.

Inspired by the Islamic faith and guided by our values, we believe that people with wealth have a duty to those less fortunate – regardless of race, political affiliation,gender or belief.

Our vision

Inspired by our Islamic faith and guided by our values, we envisage a world where communities are empowered, social obligations are fulfilled, and people respond as one to the suffering of others.

Our mission

Exemplifying our Islamic values, we will mobilise resources, build partnerships and develop local capacity as we work to:

  • Enable communities to mitigate the effect of disasters, prepare for their occurrence and respond by providing relief, protection and recovery.
  • Promote integrated development and environmental custodianship with a focus on sustainable livelihoods.
  • Support the marginalised and vulnerable to voice their needs and address root causes of poverty.

Our values

We remain guided by the timeless values and teachings of the Qur’an and the prophetic example (Sunnah), most specifically:

  • Sincerity (Ikhlas) – In responding to poverty and suffering, our efforts are driven by sincerity to God and the need to fulfil our obligations to humanity.
  • Excellence (Ihsan) – Our actions in tackling poverty are marked by excellence in our operations and the conduct through which we help the deserving people we serve.
  • Compassion (Rahma) – We believe the protection and well-being of every life is of paramount importance and we shall join with other humanitarian actors to act as one in responding to suffering brought on by disasters, poverty and injustice.
  • Social Justice (Adl) – Our work is founded on enabling people and institutions to fulfil the rights of the poor and vulnerable. We work to empower the dispossessed towards realising their God-given human potential and develop their capabilities and resources.
  • Custodianship (Amana) – We uphold our duty of custodianship over Earth and its resources, and the trust people place in us as a humanitarian and development practitioner to be transparent and accountable.