About us

SORAYA HASSIM

Soraya Hassim is no stranger to relief work.  She is one woman human rights campaigner who has been hard at work for 40 years, feeding and clothing poor people, muslim and non-muslim in the city of Johannesburg and surrounding areas spanning 240km.
The Islamic Relief Fund was established in 1968. It is known for its continuous and dedicated credibility in Islamic Dawah work in the poorest of people and surrounding towns and informal settlements of our underprivileged Muslims and non-Muslims members of the human race.
She built Jamaat Khanas, Masjids and Islamic Centers, where in the subject matter is introducing Islam as a solution for problems facing mankind today in the world.  In these institutes of learning, we focus on the comprehensiveness that lies in the whole fundamental principles,
Rituals, traditions, reasons, logic, laws of justice and all aspects of human life, dignity, rights, and the principles of peace in Allah, man himself, his fellow men and love for all creatures.
The IRF manage o bring in all persons, irrespective of religion, background, race, creed, difference in dogma.  Whether it be personal or universal views. As long as they are concerned with the principles of reason, logic and justice. (Found in Islam)
For this she has received there newspaper honors, once being chosen as a candidate as an Unsung Heroine and then a Human Rights Award. The Star 100 years A Star of the community.  Soraya has also received the following awards: Via- Africa, Sanca, Impact awards. Her recognition is without doubt.
Her ambition is to have her project centre and a mosque in Palm Springs,   which will accommodate about 500,000 people.  The area Palm Springs    consists of 48,000 families and Orange Farm, which has 30,000 families,
Everton has got close to 100,000 families, and Sharpeville has 100,000 families and Grassmere has about 3000 families. 

All of these families are not Muslims, but she does her Dawah work and Insha-Allah they will embrace Islam.  Due to the above mentioned circumstances she is still in need of funds to build a centre.
She has always been able to pay the IRF's debts.  The demand for her aid has outgrown the income pattern.
"Yes for the first time in 40 years, I am more concerned than before, she concedes.  This project has grown in magnitudes, but financial support has not been forthcoming as expected", as there's a lot of poverty in South Africa.
Muslims in South Africa generally are also being very generous and provides financial support for Dawah work, but these are not enough as so many new organizations has been developed and this makes it very difficult for the progress work financially. Being a Muslim woman it is very difficult to go out all the time for collection drives, she has a family to take care of.
Her concern is the shortage of manpower. Her work has increased many fold, requiring at least 20 full time personnel. Volunteers are hard to come by. There is talk of stopping food supplies in one town affecting 2400 children and many other will follow.
The Islamic Relief Fund school feeding scheme started off involving 300 children who were provided with bread and a bowl of soup at school daily.  It fills the tummy and fewer children are collapsing at schools because of hunger.  This project now caters for 27,000 involving 40 schools.  The scheme for adults is linked to a home industries programme where the experienced train the novices.  Eventually some become self-sufficient financially. Others fail to try.
The get togethers at home industries is also used as a Madresah for Muslims and new Muslims.  Ignorance about Islam is a major concern among the reverts to Islam.  Non-Muslims, especially the old, are fed in Churches where they are also given talks and handed free literature.
Says Soraya:  "They say they are too old to convert or to read but their children will revert to Islam because it is a pure and good religion.
The end result is that many older people have persuaded their children to embrace Islam.  Alahamdulillah, we now have many young Muslims."
Soraya regularly travels to nearby Soweto, the sprawling township reserved for blacks alone.  Many men fear to go into this area where political unrest, hijacking, robberies and rape are common.  During the height of unrest, people had been set alight with petrol.  Even this does not stop her. “Our work must go on.  The message must be given.  The people have to be fed!" says the determined woman.  "Allah is my protector!"
There is a distinct personal relationship between her and those receiving aid from her.  They trust her, and long to talk with her.  It is not unusual for a parent experiencing problems with their teenage daughter or son to phone Soraya late at night for advice.
Some of her achievements are:
She was one of the first persons to alert the city of Johannesburg about young black children sniffing glue and sleeping in the street cold and hungry.  Her efforts led to the launching of twilight children, a giant project now managed by South Africans.
Before starting the Islamic Relief Fund, Soraya had worked with people of all races and religions, blacks, whites, Indians, coloureds.  And she has been giving them Dawah too.  She used to invite various Islamic workers and Ullema's to deliver talks to her woman co-volunteers.
And so began the human rights campaigns in the way of Allah.  Approximately 1968 up to 2008 + 16,000 persons have reverted to Islam since the birth of the I.R.F.  Isalmic Relief Fund has been in function for 40 years, and we pray that Insha-Allah our work will be accepted by Allah, as it is not an easy task.
Infant Feeding:
This Islamic Relief Fund has identified more than 600 babies who need nourishing foods.
Daily school feeding is our priority project- 90,000 children who arrive at school hungry.
Ramadaan Feeding Scheme:
These are distributed daily.  This annual scheme enables Muslims to break fast with bread and haleem.  The project like this feeds 24000 plus people.

We have HIV/AIDS and TB cases where we supply protein foods to give them a nourishing healthy meal a day.  Hope we can feed more than once a day.  We also try to render services to people who pass on.
And she is still working hard.

She is planning to build a centre to facilitate the following:
Accommodation for HIV/AIDS orphans
Skills Development for the unemployed and
An Islamic School & Madressa

Oh Allah! I don't know of all the challenges this woman has but you know everything.
I hear her silence, you hear her plead.
I see her laughing, you see her tears.
I see when she gives; you see what has been taken away from her.
I see her appearance; you see the scars in her soul.
I experience her faith, you know her doubts.
Oh Allah! I ask that you give her everything she needs and bless her abundantly.  Ameen!

     May Allah (SWA) accept the work we are doing. (Ameen)