Islamic Relief Worldwide’s income rose by 28% to £234m last year due to an increase in donations from member organisations and funding from the United Nations.
This is the third consecutive year that the charity’s income has risen by over 10%, growing by more than £100m in three years.
Accounts for the year to December 2022 show the charity received £19.1m from the United Nations Development Programme (up from £1m the year before) for its programme to support people in Afghanistan facing extreme hunger and poverty.
The charity’s biggest source of income was £145m from its global member organisations (up from £123m the year before) as it appealed for donations in response to severe droughts in East Africa and Afghanistan, flooding in Pakistan and conflicts in Yemen and Ukraine.
Islamic Relief USA and Canada increased their donations to the parent charity by the greatest amounts, £12.4m and £7.3m respectively.
‘A year of once-in a-lifetime humanitarian crises’
Waseem Ahmad, Islamic Relief Worldwide’s chief executive, said it had been “a year of once-in a-lifetime humanitarian crises”.
“Afghanistan has suffered its worst drought for 30 years, and East Africa its most severe this century. Pakistan is still reeling from the worst floods in living memory, while Europe has seen the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
“It is testimony to the unfailing generosity of Islamic Relief’s donors, the hard work of our staff and volunteers, bilateral and multilateral donors and other strategic partners that we have been able to rise to these challenges.
“What matters is not just the number of people we are assisting, but also the long-term impact of our work and what the communities we serve think of what we are doing.”
Costs rise by £20m
Islamic Relief Worldwide’s expenditure rose by £19.7m to £193m last year, due to an increase in costs related to its humanitarian activity.
The charity’s staff costs were £16.7m in 2022, up from £14.7m the year before. Its average number of employees increased by 21 to 469 in the year.
Ahmad’s remuneration was £96,261 in 2022, down from £97,982 the previous year.
Meanwhile, Islamic Relief received 44 complaints about its fundraising activity, down from 141 the year before.
The charity received 46 safeguarding cases in 2022, the same as the year before, 21 of which related to staff. It said this led to some investigations and disciplinary action.
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