Human Concern International (HCI) is a Canadian federally registered charitable non-governmental organization (NGO) working in international development and emergency relief assistance since 1980.
Since 1980 HCI has contributed over $110 million towards facilitating Sustainable Development through long-term development projects, and maintaining Human Dignity by providing immediate relief assistance to many poor and strife torn countries and to local causes in Canada. HCI's development projects have helped communities become more self-sufficient and the emergency assistance provided has helped communities during dire need. We have provided financial assistance Health Care, Agriculture, Human Resources Development, Relief and Public Education.
Around the globe they have sponsored over 2000 children. For $30 a month, they have provided medical, educational and other basic needs to children up to the age of 16 years. In Canada they have assisted during the Manitoba floods, ice storm in Eastern Canada and Quebec and with the B.C. inferno victims, provided food, clothing, shelter, medical services and educational services to the needy and homeless.
HELP was launched in 2001 to address a crucial problem; needs in higher education and skills learning, in many developing countries. It facilitates sustainable social and personal development while promoting higher education.
HELP has two segments, built around the needs of youth in under-privileged countries. Higher Education will target those who have the will and merit to continue their studies but cannot afford the tuition fees and other related expenses. The Learning Program aims at providing vocational training to young people in fields compatible with the region's demands to help them acquire skills to earn their living and achieve financial independent.
The three primary areas in which HCI carried on programs to achieve its charitable purposes during the fiscal period ending 2009-03-31 are: 65% literacy/education/training programs; 17% disaster/war relief; 10% infrastructure development.
The total expenditures of HCI on activities, programs and projects carried on outside Canada during the fiscal period ending 2009-03-31, excluding gifts to qualified donees, is 7,892,935 Canadian dollars. HCI's total expenditure on all compensation during the fiscal period ending 2009-03-31 is 194,639 Canadian dollars. HCI exported medical supplies during the fiscal period ending 2009-03-31 as part of its charitable programs valued 5,344,797 Canadian dollars. [1]
HCI reportedly began in 1979 to support the people in Afghanistan. Dedicated to feeding and schooling orphans, the organisation co-sponsored a Human Rights day at Pennsylvania State University in 1986. [2]
The charity was put under closer scrutiny after Osama bin Laden told a 1995 interviewer that "The bin-Laden Establishment's aid covers 13 countries... this aid comes in particular from the Human Concern International Society" [3]
Ahmed Khadr headed HCI's Pakistan office until his arrest in 1995 for that bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan that was allegedly carried out with HCI funds. [4] Under his leadership, the Hope Village Orphanage was created in Akora Khattak. [5]
HCI denies its own involvement and describes Khadr as a volunteer from 1988 to 1995, working in Pakistan and Afghanistan on relief and development projects.
In 1996, the Pakistani press accused HCI's Peshawar office of being made up of Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya members, who supported the overthrow of the secular Egyptian government in favour of a Sharia state. [6]
Canada cut off government financing in 1997 to HCI. As of 2000 the group was being investigated by the United States. [7] In 1999, the group filed an application for judicial review of a decision by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to refuse funding the organization's activities. It claimed it was being discriminated against by Canadian government officials. [8] The group maintains its registration in Canada (BN/Registration Number: 107497125RR0001). [9] In 2003, Richard A. Clarke testified before the U.S. Congress that HCI "reportedly received at least $250,000 in funding from the Canadian government." [4]
An organization based in the U.S. and named Human Concern International was one of ten Islamic charities noted by Spanish police in 2002 for allegedly financing Algerian Muslim rebels.
[10] HCI reported that it is not the organization referred to in these allegations and that it has offices only in Canada, Lebanon, Pakistan and Guyana. [8] The Security Intelligence Review Committee recommended Canadian Security Intelligence Service to retract the statement and apologize to the group. [11]
The National Post apologized, on April 26, 2004, for a March 6, 2004 editorial. [12] The apology said, in part:
In July 2019, the Counter-Terrorism Department arrested Ali Nawaz, the then-regional head of Human Concern International Pakistan, on the terror financing charge under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing him of diverting charity funds to Al Qaeda. [13]
On June 15, 2020, the anti-terrorism court acquitted Ali Nawaz and five other officials who were charged by the counter terrorism department with terror financing. Judge Tariq Khan Yousafzai pronounced the acquittal of the accused before the conclusion of trial by accepting their application filed under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The provision empowers the trial court to acquit an accused at any stage of the trial if there is no probability of his/her conviction on the basis of available evidence. [14]
The allegations were never against Human Concern International, and as such HCI continues to work in Pakistan, and in fact recently had their status as an INGO renewed in March 2020. [15]
Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organization claims to have assisted more than 220 million people survive humanitarian conflicts, seek improvements in livelihoods, and deliver durable development to their communities.
Ahmed Saïd Khadr was an Egyptian-Canadian philanthropist with alleged ties to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His activity in Afghanistan began in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and he has been described as having had ties to a number of militants within the Afghan mujahideen, including Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. Khadr was accused by Canada and the United States of being a "senior associate" and financier of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR)(Danish: Den danske komité for hjælp til afghanske flygtninge) is a non-political, non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian and development organization working to improve the lives of the Afghan people since 1984.
Emergency is a humanitarian NGO that provides free medical treatment to the victims of war, poverty, and landmines. It was founded in 1994. Gino Strada, one of the organization's co-founders, served as EMERGENCY's Executive Director. It operates on the premise that access to high-quality healthcare is a fundamental human right.
Alight, formerly the American Refugee Committee (ARC), is an international nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that has provided humanitarian assistance and training to millions of beneficiaries over the last 40 years.
The Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA-USA) was an "American non-profit organization established in 1985 and dedicated to the empowerment of disadvantaged people everywhere through relief and participatory development programs emphasizing human dignity, self-reliance, and social justice." It has been under scrutiny by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force since October 2004, when its offices were raided and its operations shut down.
Humanity First is an international charity that provides disaster relief and long term development assistance to vulnerable communities in 52 countries across 6 continents. The organisation is run by volunteers with diverse skillsets across the world and has access to thousands of extra volunteers worldwide. Volunteer staff in all areas often pay their own expenses to support the international projects.
Christian Freedom International (CFI) is an international human rights organization that "helps those who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ." It is based in Front Royal, Virginia.
International health, also called geographic medicine, international medicine, or global health, is a field of health care, usually with a public health emphasis, dealing with health across regional or national boundaries. One subset of international medicine, travel medicine, prepares travelers with immunizations, prophylactic medications, preventive techniques such as bed nets and residual pesticides, in-transit care, and post-travel care for exotic illnesses. International health, however, more often refers to health personnel or organizations from one area or nation providing direct health care, or health sector development, in another area or nation. It is this sense of the term that is explained here. More recently, public health experts have become interested in global processes that impact human health. Globalisation and health, for example, illustrate the complex and changing sociological environment within which the determinants of health and disease express themselves.
Food for the Hungry is a Christian international relief, development, and advocacy organization. Food for the Hungry was founded in 1971 by Larry Ward. Food for the Hungry's stated mission for long-term development is to graduate communities of extreme poverty within 10–15 years. The organization also works in disaster relief and humanitarian response, including working with the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Zakat Foundation of America is a Chicago-based NGO providing emergency relief, post-disaster rehabilitation, sustainable development, education, healthcare, orphan sponsorship, and seasonal programs such as Ramadan iftars and Udhiya/Qurbani. Zakat Foundation of America is registered under 501(c)(3) as a non-profit charity organization.
The Afghan Women's Council (AWC) is a non-governmental, non-profit, and non-sectarian charitable organization that was established in 1986 with the primary objective of providing assistance to Afghan women and children. The organization's core mission is to empower women, enhance their living conditions, and bolster their socio-economic standing within society through active participation in various development initiatives. They also hope to increase awareness of human rights, women’s rights, refugee rights, children’s rights, peace-building and democracy issues within the Afghan context. The AWC is duly registered with both the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Afghanistan as a charitable non-governmental organization (NGO).
International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to linking Canadian and Muslim communities with overseas development projects, both humanitarian emergency assistance and long term development projects in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Americas, based on Islamic principles of human dignity, self-reliance, and social justice.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) first began its work in 1943. It is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in 99 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. Catholic Relief Services is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Caritas Internationalis is the official humanitarian agency of the global Catholic Church.
The International Assistance Mission (IAM) is the longest continually serving non-profit organisation in Afghanistan. They are a well-respected NGO working to improve lives and build local capacity in health, development and education. They are a partnership between the people of Afghanistan and international Christian volunteers, who have been working together since 1966. IAM is registered in Geneva, Switzerland, and is the longest continuously serving NGO in Afghanistan, and only works in Afghanistan.
Relief International is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience, and promote long-term health and wellbeing. Relief International is a global alliance of four organizations: Relief International Inc, Relief International UK, Relief International France and Relief International Europe.
India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) is a Maryland, US-based 501(c) (3) tax exempt, non-profit organization that supports impoverished people in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. IDRF's programs span all over India from Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu, and from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal and more recently Sri Lanka. Since its inception in 1988, IDRF has disbursed $34 million in grants to various developmental programs pertaining to areas like: education, health, women's empowerment, eco-friendly development, good governance, and disaster relief/rehabilitation.
The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) is the largest non-governmental organization working to alleviate poverty in North West Pakistan. It was established in 1989 with the aim of reducing poverty and ensuring sustainable means of livelihood in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. SRSP is part of the Rural Support Programmes (RSP's) initiated by United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 Award winner Shoaib Sultan Khan. It is now the largest regional RSP, with extensive outreach into communities. In recent years because of its vast outreach, SRSP has had to play a prominent role in disasters that have hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a result, humanitarian work along with development has become a core competency of the organization.
Al-Khair Foundation (AKF) is an international Muslim aid NGO based in the United Kingdom and Turkey, and is the third largest Muslim charity in the UK. It was established in 2003, and aims to deliver aid to the poor and vulnerable, as well as education for the Muslim community. It specialises in humanitarian support, international development, emergency aid and disaster relief in some of the world's most deprived areas.
Mercy-USA for Aid and Development, is a humanitarian-aid organization with main offices in Plymouth, Michigan. It is registered under 501(c)(3) as a non-profit charity organization. According to its website, Mercy-USA is "dedicated to alleviating human suffering and supporting individuals and their communities in their efforts to become more self-sufficient". Incorporated in the State of Michigan in 1988, Mercy-USA's projects focus on improving health, nutrition and access to safe water, as well as promoting economic and educational growth around the world. Mercy-USA has developed projects in many countries including Kenya, Albania, Lebanon, Syria and Somalia.