Alexandria, VA – Islamic Relief USA has partnered with the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church Disaster Response to hold an extensive recovery project for volunteers to rebuild homes in the area of Tarboro, NC, that were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew last year.
The training sessions for the Islamic Relief USA Disaster Response Team started on July 16 and will last until July 22. Then, an alternating group of volunteers will devote the next several months to rebuilding storm-damaged homes.
This project will be different from prior disaster relief projects, since in prior ones, the focus mostly was on preparedness mitigation and response. This time, the focus is on long-term recovery.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Hani Hamwi, manager of Islamic Relief USA’s Disaster Response Team, about the partnership with NC Conference Disaster Response. “I feel very lucky they are willing to guide Islamic Relief in this new area. This is the first time we will be actively working in the recovery phase.”
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, episcopal leader for the North Carolina Conference said, “We are inspired by the generosity of these new friends who come to share help and hope. We offer welcome and deep thanks to every volunteer who will work with us through Islamic Relief. Working together, we will demonstrate unity, compassion and hope as sisters and brothers in the human family, given life by God.”
“I am ecstatic,” said Jason Duvall, Tarboro-area site manager for the North Carolina Conference. “This is an opportunity to build homes, friendship, and peace for the world to see. Together, we all can make a difference through volunteering. It is very powerful.”
The sessions involve a muck-out, in which volunteers remove all the water-damaged interior parts of a house. Other sessions will involve installing sheetrock, cabinets, and painting.
Hamwi said the goal is to have between 300 and 400 volunteers in total. From July to December, Islamic Relief hopes to have 50 different volunteers each month who will devote a week to rebuilding the homes.
About NCCUMC
The North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church headquarters is located in Garner, NC. The conference consists of 797 churches in 56 eastern North Carolina counties from Burlington to the coast.
MEDIA CONTACT
Minhaj Hassan, media@irusa.org or 703-370-7246
NCCUMC MEDIA CONTACT
Derek Leek, dcleek@nccumc.org or 919-779-6115
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Islamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to alleviate suffering, hunger, illiteracy and disease regardless of color, race, gender or creed, and to provide aid in a compassionate and dignified manner. Islamic Relief USA aims to provide rapid relief in the event of human and natural disasters and to establish sustainable local development projects, allowing communities to better help themselves. Its programs benefit millions of people each year around the world, including in the United States.
Islamic Relief USA meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a national charity monitoring group affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system. Islamic Relief USA is on the U.S. government’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity list, and it is also a signatory to the code of conduct of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.