Muntada Aid

Muntada Aid is a global humanitarian movement which operates in some of the worlds' most vulnerable places providing much needed assistance to communities that have been affected by disasters, conflict and a cycle of poverty. Working with partners who are well rooted in their environment, Muntada Aid runs sustainable health, educational, safe water, capacity building and emergency relief projects where there is a need.

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The birth of healthy babies is the cause of celebration in the developed world for mothers who enjoy some of the best health care in the world. However in Africa, it can be a life threatening event for mothers.

Muntada Aid believes access to quality maternal health for women is a fundamental human right and critical to reducing poverty.

Our maternal health project focuses on saving the lives of mothers in Sub-Sahara Africa in line with UN Millennium Development Goal Five. We aim to contribute to the reduction of the alarming rates of mothers dying during labour in Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Mali.

visit our website

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This is Ayesha. She is only 10 years old. This winter, help us help Ayesha and her family. #wrapupsyria

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Lets Wrap Up Syria This Winter

Muntada Aid has already provided over 10,000 food packs to Syrians affected by conflict, but more is needed. To get involved and support our #WrapUpSyria campaign visit our website HERE. 

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What if the Syria crisis were happening in the UK? | BBC

Understanding the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Syria can be difficult. So imagine this: what if Syria were the UK?

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Day Two: Amidst all the planning, logistics, noise and rush of the hospital it's easy to forget the little people that all this commotion evolves around. The anxiety and fear experienced by them and the pain that they go through before and after they go under the knife.  Though these are the emotions we expect them to go through it is hardly evident, as they interact with you in their playful innocent ways; they are children after all. Ask any one of them if they are scared, and you will get an almost uniform answer of "no" or "Laa" in Arabic. The impact that their heart conditions is having on their lives is noticeable, making them very feeble and weak. But through this process and the caring dedication of those around them, their lives can be changed for the better.

For more on all our projects visit www.almuntadatrust.org

[Pictures were taken by Charlie Hatch-Barnwell who has kindly volunteered on the the campaign]

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Syria dispatches: Syria; with its ever growing humanitarian disaster, there's an impending need to get vital aid to those effected by this conflict. Which is why we have returned to continue our emergency relief projects in Syria. Just to look back from a statistical point of view in highlighting the magnitude of the crisis; since our last visit in March the number of refugees is on the verge of doubling from one million to almost 1.6 million refugees. The death casualties has also increased from 60,000 deaths since the beginning of the conflict to 100,000 deaths. (Five thousand deaths every month)

Along with our UK partner Al Khair Foundation,  we aim to reach many more Syrians despite the challenges. 

[Pictures: Al Muntada Trust team loading emergency aid packs for distribution inside Syria}

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Job Vacancy:

Al Muntada Trust is looking for a Project Assistant to work on some of the Trusts projects in Africa and Asia.

The Trust offers suitable candidates an exciting role to become part of an expanding team that delivers life-saving projects in some of the world’s poorest countries. Based in London, post holder will be assisting the delivery of some of the Trust’s projects in Africa and Asia. Apply Now!

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Nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012, a study shows.

Half of them were children under the age of five, says the report by the UN and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net).

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SYRIA: A Humanitarian Journey:  A short documentary which details the journey of Al Muntada Trust's Sayid Ali and Scott McPherson who made a humanitarian visit to Syria and Turkey in early March 2013. 

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Al Muntada Trust Expands Little Hearts Project to Yemen

Al Muntada Trust sends a team of 30 medical volunteers to Sanaa, Yemen, to perform free life-saving heart operations for children born with congenital heart defects.

The international medical team comprising of cardiologists, technicians, fusionists and ICU nurses will be stationed at the Military Hospital in Sanaa for a period of 8 days and will be performing complicated surgical procedures to children from across Yemen.

Following on from successful trips to Sudan and Morocco over the past year which treated more than 200 children, the Little Hearts project which originally aimed to  provides free life-saving cardiac surgery and interventional cardiac catheterisation for children with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) from underprivileged families in six African countries, has now been expanded to outside the continent.

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Day Four | Syrian Crisis: A look at IDP Camp Bab Al Hawa, Syria. 

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Day Three | Syrian Crisis: You are probably wondering what's in our emergency aid packs. Here's a look at its contents.

It only cost $50 to supply a family with a food pack that will last them for 15 days, and Just $10 for a baby pack. Why don't you sponsor one?

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Day Two | Syrian Crisis: We are given a tour of Karame camp by its administrator Usama Hajj Hassan .The camp houses 4,500-5,000 families in 470 tents. Mr Usama tells us that on average 10 families arrive in the camp each day seeking shelter.

"The people in this camp are facing many difficulties. In the whole camp there is only one shower and toilet facility on the far corner and is shared by everyone."

Usama further explains that overcrowding and lack of sanitation in the camp has caused  a lot of illness to the kids. He points to open sewer streams running between the camps.   

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Day Two | Syrian Crisis: Our journey took us to city of Idlib to a school used as a makeshift shelter for families from conflict ruined areas of Syria.

Kids can be soo much fun, despite the difficult situation they're in, we've met very playful kids, who laughed and shook hands with us. But deep down we know that this conflict has a dramatic effect on them as they recall the harrowing stories from the places they have fled from. All they speak of is the distruction caused by the missiles that reigned on their homes and schools.

The implications of life as an internally displaced children is surely great, with children missing out on their education. They have a lot of time on their hands living in confined and basic shelter. 

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Day Two | Syrian Crisis: Scott McPherson of Al Muntada Trust hands over a food pack to the family of Muhammad Jalmond from Hama. He invites us to his modest home of two rooms which he shares with eight members of his family in Bab Al Hawa. Like most families, Muhammad lost his day job as an administrator in the local government and left everything behind. 

Syrians are proud people and bear their current situation with dignity and a vision of a better future. 

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Day Two | Syrian Crisis: Today we made our way across the Turkish border and into Syria to deliver some aid to families affected by the conflict. As we feared the scenes we have witnessed are that which is familiar to most of us outside Syria. Scenes of conflict and displacement. 

Our first stop was at the wear-house where our emergency supply packs are stored. We help load more than 50 food and baby packs on to our van to distribute it to nearby families who have fled from frontline towns for fear of their lives. 

Top Picture: Sayid Aden Ali (left) and Scott McPherson (right) 

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Day One | Syrian Crisis: Meet 17 year old Mahmoud Hisni from Idlib Syria. He is another patient at Dar Shiffa Hospital in Turkey. Showing us his wounds, Mahmoud told us of how he was abrupt woken up by the noise of government helicopters which fired in to his neighbourhood in the night. The attack left him scarred needing multiple surgeries. He recounts how his 20 year old cousin did not survive the attach.

Eager to practice his English with us, we asked how the situation in Idlib was? He replied, "Bad".