Islamic Relief USA CEO Statement on Aleppo

Statement from Islamic Relief USA CEO Anwar Khan:

Our prayers are with the people of Aleppo at this time.

Islamic Relief USA has been assisting with humanitarian aid inside Aleppo for the past few years, and we are preparing to assist those who have evacuated from the city to other areas. We are very concerned that what happened in Aleppo may happen in other areas such as Idlib, where we are also working. We are concerned about the safety of our staff inside Syria, and we are deeply concerned for the people of Syria at this time.

We are again requesting immediate opening of humanitarian corridors to allow supplies to reach besieged areas and to allow evacuees to leave. We are asking the international community to do more to provide safe spaces for civilians inside Syria.

 

IRUSA donors have helped almost 9.5 million people inside and outside Syria since 2011 through Syria projects and gifts in kind — including food for more than 72,000 people in Aleppo during a siege earlier this year. Additional IRUSA projects have provided Syrians with food, water, shelter, health care, bathrooms with showers, winter supplies, household supplies, health care, clothes, baby items, education and psychosocial support, as well as advocacy.

Media Contact: Mayssoun Olabi molabi@irusa.org or 703-370-7202

XXXIslamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of gender, race, or religion, and works to empower individuals in their communities and give them a voice in the world. Its programs benefit more than 10 million of people each year in over 40 countries 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.