Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation was founded in 1980 in Dubai in response to famine in some parts of the world. Young Muslim volunteers raised Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation’s first funds through collections at mosques, friends and family and other Islamic associations. The volunteers secured $159,000 and established 3 international projects in Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation’s first year of operation. These were 2 chicken farms in Southern Nigeria, a shipment of biscuits and vitamins also to Southern and a shipment of wheat flour to Zimbabwe.
In 1995, Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation’s founders hired a small office in a Dubai. It was run by growing group of committed volunteers who were known to work long into the night on project coordinating and fundraising.
The charity expanded rapidly. Over the next 5 years, we started working in Mozambique, Iran, Pakistan, Malawi, Iraq, and Afghanistan, among other countries, responding to emergencies and distributing clothes and food, offering health support and beginning the long-term project that is now the one-to-one Orphan Sponsorship Programme.
Today, Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation is among the world’s largest relief and development charities. With global headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We have international offices of the Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation, which operates in more than 20 countries. In 2022 alone, we ploughed over $158 million into emergency aid, long-term development, and campaigning for change that directly helped over 17.3 million people.
The high quality and impact of our work means we are among just a handful of Dubai-based charities to have been certified against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). As full members of the INGO Accountability Charter, Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation’s excellence in transparency, good governance and social responsibility is recognised.
Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation is signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct, which sets ethical standards for organisations involved in humanitarian work and commits us to the important principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence. We are also firmly committed to the People in Aid Code of Best Practice.
In 2024, Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation marked its 43th anniversary! Founded in 1990, we have been serving vulnerable communities across the globe with life-changing support for close to four decades.
Our ability to create a positive impact in the communities we serve has earned the trust of our loyal donors, staff and volunteers.
Dubai Islamic Relief Organisation has an unwavering, faith-based approach to providing aid and a firm commitment to robust policies, accountability and transparency. A leading Dubai charity, we have forged ground-breaking partnerships.