Our History

In 1993 the conflict in the Balkans and resulting human misery was brought to the world's attention. Moved to action, a group of Muslims in Nottingham coordinated their efforts and sent the first of many aid shipments to Bosnia. Inspired by the community's response and the need for further work, Muslim Hands was formed.

Today Muslim Hands has grown to be one of the UK's foremost charities. Our work encompasses 40 countries, with field offices in over 20, and we spend annually in excess of £7,000,000 on projects ranging from disaster relief and medical aid, to education and tree plantation. Millions of people across the globe have and continue to benefit from the work MH carries out.

Of course, all of this is only made possible by you, the donor. With your help and continued support we can win our War on Poverty and help even more of the world's most needy people.

Some highlights from our history:

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

1993

• Muslim Hands is formed.

• Aid convoys carry food, clothing and medicine to war torn Bosnia.

• Medical clinic and ambulance service for Kashmiri refugees.

1994

• Primary school for Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan.

• Technical vocational training centre set up in Wazirabad, Pakistan.

• Primary school opened in The Gambia.

• Medical clinic opens in rural Gujarat, India.

• 200 year old Behrambeg College is renovated and reopened after 50 years.

1995

• Four vocational training centres for women set-up in Kashmir, helping widows and other needy women to help themselves by learning income generating skills.

• Afghanistan: free book banks.

• Orphan Sponsorship Scheme starts in Africa, Asia and the Balkans.

• Srinagar, Kashmir: blood banks installed in hospitals.

• Medical clinic set-up on bombshelled Kashmir border.

1996

• All 26 vocational training centres set-up since 1993 are very successful.

• First computer literacy centre opened in Wazirabad, Pakistan. The centre caters for students of various ages, and also trains local schools teachers basic IT skills.

• Gujurat, India: clinic developed to accommodate a minor surgery unit.

• Muslim Hands work in Somalia stepped up as most aid agencies pull out.

1997

• Iran - Afghanistan border struck by killer earthquake. Muslim Hands teams with Iranian Red Crescent to fly in urgent aid. 100 new beds and medical equipment given to local hospital.

• Ten feeding centres run for victims of drought in Somalia.

• Pakistan: 50 children suffering from cleft lip and palate receive corrective surgery from team of specialist surgeons sent from the UK.

• Orphan Sponsorship Scheme is a great success, reaching 1200 families in 2 years.

1998

• Bangladesh Floods: Muslim Hands ran 7 feeding centres, 50 new homes built.

• Kashmir: trainees at vocational centres form a cooperative.

• India: Small Business Generation Scheme provides rickshaws.

• More cleft lip correction operations done.

• Forgotten Bosnia: prestigious Hasan Music College re-opened.

• East Birmingham College says Muslim Hands training centres "…are as good as any in the world and will carry students through to the next century."

1999

• Wark in Kosova: 500 tonnes of food, clothing and medicine distributed. 12 ambulances deployed with medical teams. Established a medical warehouse to coordinate international aid flowing in.

• Other work included sanitation projects within camps and rebuilding of educational institutions in Kosova.

• Earthquake, Turkey: Muslim Hands was operational immediately. 12,000 meals per day served to homeless in Adapazari.

• Eye-care: eye camps examine and treat more than 750 cataract sufferers.

• Bangladesh: 470 new homes built for homeless families.

2000

• The sacking of Grozny: Muslim Hands provides regular food, clothing and shelter to 7,000 refugees in Georgia. Also established four schools for children and adults.

• Drought in Balochistan, Pakistan: Four temporary feeding centres fed 30,000 people. Water pipeline spanning 22km laid to alleviate shortage in Mirpur, Balochistan.

• Mozambique Floods: 2 ambulances and nutrition centres provided for refugees in Xai-Xai region.

• Library and computer literacy centre established in The Gambia.

• Ethiopia: food and medicine distributed. Five wells and water storage projects.

2001

• Aid agencies pulled out of Afghanistan leaving 7.5 million Afghans facing hunger and winter. Muslim Hands sent aid convoys to Herat, Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar. A medical camp and an ambulance services were set-up.

• Al-Aqsa Intifada plunged Palestinians into deeper poverty. Alongside food parcels we set-up medical clinics in al-Khalil, school bus service for orphans and sponsored 100 university students.

• India Earthquake: around 60,000 people received vital food supplies and 1000 families received tents. Later 42 new homes were built.

• Small Loans Scheme started in Indian, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• New school built in Skenderaj, Kosova.

2002

• Us led war on Afghanistan brought further suffering to impoverished Afghans. 400 tonne food convoys immediately sent in via Pakistan. Emergency medical clinics, mobile medical units and ambulance service set-up to serve Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Charman and Peshawar. 10,000 school kits and 300 wheelchairs distributed.

• Orphan Sponsorship Scheme started in Azerbaijan and Lebanon, bringing the total number of families supported to 1800 in 17 countries worldwide.

• Gujurat, India: ethnic cleansing in Gujurat killed 20,000 and left 60,000 homeless. After immediate emergency aid distribution, including household kits and cash payments. 28 new houses were build and 300 mosques repaired.

• New school extension built in Jerusalem.

2003

• Bam, Iran: Devastating earthquake kills 50,000. Muslim Hands provides food parcels to 3000 families and clothing to 1000. MH receives 4 acres of land from the Mayor of Bam to construct an orphanage.

• US-led invasion brings greater misery to the people of Iraq as thousands of civilians are killed and millions left destitute. Trucks leave MH Head Office loaded with tonnes of aid and medicine. Muslim Hands is one of the few charities to remain as the situation worsens in Falluja, establishing schools and renovating a hospital surgery.

• Muslim Hands receives £100,000 funding from DFID for refurbishment of 4 schools in Falluja serving 1200 boys and girls.

• It's My Project Scheme a success as dozens of donor-tailored projects are carried out.

2004

• Muslim Hands receives the ISO 9001:2000 Award without a single non-conformance. The award demonstrates MH's documented and quality managed procedures and working practices.

• Darfur, Sudan: Muslim Hands sets up camps for 100,000 refugees in Kalima and Mosaid. As well as distributing water, food and shelter, lanterns are distributed, medical centres set-up and temporary schools founded.

• Muslim Hands opens office in Lin Xia, China. Our work now encompasses 40 countries.

• Muslim Hands begins Olive Tree Plantation Scheme in Palestine.

• Bangladesh: Muslim Hands provides aid and new housing to some of the 2 million made homeless by the worst floods seen in 20 years.

• South East Asia Tsunami: Muslim Hands teams on the ground in days providing aid to victims in Aceh, Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

2005

• MH appeal for victims of the Tsunami raises almost £1,500,000.

• Famine affects large parts of West Africa. MH teams in Niger and Mali begin distribution of 100s of tonnes of aid.

• MH launches the first Green Ribbon Week campaign to raise money for innocent children of war.

• Kashmir & Pakistan: The strongest earthquake for 100 years hits the region killing almost 80,000 people and leaving millions homeless. MH teams operate camps helping tens of thousands of survivors and begun construction of shelters.

• MH launches the Keep Kashmir Warm campaign to collect, ship and distribute blankets and warm clothing for earthquake survivors.

2006

• Muslim Hands responds to the economic blockade in Gaza working in Beit Hanoun, Beir Lahia and Jabaliya camp handing out vital food supplies, baby milk, tents and water storage tanks.

• Muslim Hands provides emergency aid to Saida in Lebanon providing two mobile medical units, a medical crew, doctors, 6000 family food parcels, water tankers and mobile power generators.

• MH Pakistan establishes 7 large refugee camps to cater for over 60,000 homeless people during the Pakistan Earthquake providing emergency medical assistance and sending over 250 workers and volunteers to the Muzaffarabad area. MH sets up temporary medical clinits, three new schools in aid camps and raises over £2,500,000 to be spent on emergency aid.

• MH Small Loans Scheme benefits farmers on the island of Nias, Indonesia. They are granted small herds of sheep to such success that upon maturity, some of the sheep were sold back to MH to use for the annual Qurbani project to feed the poor of Indonesia.

2007

• Muslim Hands rebuilds schools across Maysaloon, Ishtar and Al Kindy in Iraq to serve over 1,150 students together with the Ministry of Education.

• MH Afghanistan renovates the Obstetrics and Gynaecology wards at University Teaching Hospital in Jalalabad where 1,500 patients are treated each month. Over 100,000 people will benefit from the hospital and free medicine is provided for all patients.

• MH Palestine opens a new office in Gaza City to work more closely with the local community after working in Palestine since 1994 providing orphan sponsorship, agricultural projects, support for widows and income generation schemes.

• As part of the IMP scheme, MH builds two schools for the earthquake-hit regions of Bagh and Mansehra in Pakistan. IMP donors also build Jamia Masjid in South Kordofan, Sudan. This is alongside IMPs such as cataract eye camps, dig-a-well, rural mosques, build-a-library and ambulance units.

2008

• MH responds immediately to natural disasters: Sichuan earthquake in China, Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh and Cyclone Nargis in Burma with the provision of food, clean water, medical aid, sanitation equipment and utensils.

• MH Afghanistan and MH Nepal benefit from the Safe Water Scheme providing wells, sanitation equipment and educational workshops to drought-stricken regions of the country.

• MH opens a School of Excellence in Mali, as well as Vocational Training Centres in Afghanistan and Indonesia. MH expands and provides boarding facilities to schools in Nepal and China. MH also provides school equipment and stationery to 2000 students at the 20 poorest schools in Gaza, Palestine.

• MH has over 1000 orphans sponsored through the one-to-one orphan sponsorship campaign during Ramadhan. Orphan Villages opened in Pakistan and Indonesia.

• MH extends the Infant Mortality Reduction campaign to Sri Lanka and 10 other countries including Indonesia, China and Kashmir.

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