SINGAPORE COMMUNITY COLLECTED $342,000 AND DELIVER RAMADAN JOY TO SYRIAN REFUGEES

23 May 2017

We are happy to report that more than S$342,000 contributed by the Singapore community through a week long fund raising in February at all the mosques in Singapore as well as online, has been able to bring some joy to communities of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon as the holy month of Ramadan approaches. RLAF decided to focus on the refugees in the countries as they are hosting more than a million refugees each despite the strains in resources of the nations.

The RLAF has been able to do this by working, for the first time, with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) that is on the ground in Jordan and Lebanon delivering assistance to the refugees. The help from RLAF comes in the form of supply of gas for the refugees in the Al-Azraq camps in Jordan. This helps to keep over 35,000 refugees warm, safe and able to meet their daily living needs to survive the harsh winter. In addition, more than half of the funds go into providing educational outreach programmes for young Syrian children, parent engagement programme to ensure their children stay and progress in the schools complemented by a community liaison and homework support programmes. This programme which helps to inject hope and confidence in the children and their families will continue for 12 more months and expected to benefit close to 2000 children.

Two RLAF representatives namely Mr Zainul Abidin Ibrahim, Executive Director of the RLAF and Mr Izhar Roslan, Senior Manager for Capabilities Development recently accompanied the UNHCR team in Jordan and Lebanon as part of RLAF’s project monitoring visit. During the visit from 14 to 16 May 2017, they were able to meet with the project organisers, partners, volunteers as well as engage the refugees who have been touched by the assistance from RLAF.

Mr Zainul Abidin Ibrahim said: “It was truly a humbling experience to see and interact with the refugees and their families who have survived with very little for years into the conflict. Yet, they have shown resilience and managed to stay positive and hopeful through it all. Those whom we met showed dignity and respectful despite their very difficult circumstances. They were extremely thankful and touched by the fact that we would care about them despite being far removed from the problem. Most of all, it’s the happy faces of the children that gave us a good feeling of the better future that awaits them.”

For the media report, click http://berita.mediacorp.sg/mobilem/singapore/masyarakat-islam-s-pura-berjaya-kumpul-s-342-000-bagi-bawa/3721572.html

RLAF Grant Application Is Now Open.

1 May 2017

The RLAF Grant application is now open until 31 May 2017. If you have local or overseas humanitarian and development projects in mind for September 2017 onwards, we are here to support.

Projects are to be held at least 3 months from the date of submission. Local projects can receive support up to $20,000. Overseas projects up to $40,000.

Apply now.

Singapore Community Extends Winter Aid 

& Educational Opportunities to Syrian Refugees

29 March 2017

We are pleased to report that the Singapore community are contributing a total of S$342,569 in aid of Syrian refugees living in the refugee camps and dwellings located in Jordan and Lebanon.

For this initiative, RLAF is collaborating with the UNHCR that is on the ground in Jordan and Lebanon. US$100,000 of the collection will enable the UNHCR to extend the provision of much needed supply of gas to Syrian refugees in Al-Azraq camp in Jordan to keep them warm, safe and enable them to go on with their daily living needs to survive the winter.

The remaining fund of US$132,600 will be used to support UNHCR’s Outreach Educational programme, Parent Engagement and Homework Support programmes to ensure access of education for the Syrian children in many different locations in Lebanon.

Through this assistance parents will also be empowered to assist in the learning process. We hope the children will be able to discover the joy of learning and find new confidence after the ordeal they face as refugees.

The RLAF and mosques in Singapore wish to express our sincere thanks to the Singapore community who had so generously contributed to the fund.

Check out the article published in The Straits Times on 26 March http://www.straitstimes.com/…/singapore-muslim-community-ex…

Special Winter Collection in Aid of Syrian Refugees 2017

2 February 2017

The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) in collaboration with all 70 mosques in Singapore organised a special fund raising effort to offer winter relief for Syrian refugees starting Friday, 3rd February to Thursday, 9th February 2017. In this effort to show that Singaporeans care about the plight of the Syrian refugees, the RLAF is working with the United Nations High Commission  for Refugees (UNHCR) that is currently on the ground in Jordan and Lebanon to assist with the delivery of the Winter Assistance Plan as well as education programmes for Syrian children there.

The Syrian internal conflict and war which has gone on for nearly six years has inflicted a heavy toll on its population. More than four million Syrians have fled the country and sought refuge in foreign lands such as Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. Currently more are heading for Europe. According to the UNHCR, more than half of them are children. Jordan alone is hosting 650,000. The high concentration of refugees in the country has placed a tremendous strain on the resources of the nations which are also struggling to meet the demands of its own population. Our hearts are with the refugees and the nations that has so kindly accepted to host them.

In 2014, the RLAF and mosques in Singapore had raised more than $400,000 through two collections for the Syrian refugees. The funds collected were used to hand out cooked food, household rations to over 4000 Syrian families, school packs for young children in three schools for Syrian refugees in Turkey, as well as medical kits for clinics treating injured and disabled refugees.

More significantly, RLAF in collaboration with the ASRIT (Aid for Syrian Refugees in Turkey) Project helped establish the Temasek Education Centre in Kilis, Southern Turkey which enrols 500 Syrian students annually from kindergarten to post-secondary levels. The school is still operational today.

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