Following the devastating earthquake that has hit Haiti in which tens of thousands of people may have died in this already poor country, the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) hosted a meeting on Thursday 21 January between UK-based Muslim-led NGOs and Non Muslim NGOs to discuss issues in depth.
This was a well-attended meeting. The idea behind it was to identify possibilities of channelling resources together and coordinating the funds received from Muslim Donors in order to ensure that they are spent in the most efficient way possible.
Sandrine Tiller, from the British Red Cross, stressed on the need to work collaboratively in order to improve the impact of aid efforts in Haiti. "It is very important to think about the long term recovery. If you coordinate, you are more effective."
Most of the NGOs present agreed on the importance of working together and concentrating fforts on longer term activities.
The MCF will arrange another coordination meeting by the end of February. This will enable organisations to get a clearer picture of the longer term needs.
16 UK based Muslim-led charities are raising funds for Haiti. The amount raised could reach a total of £ 10 million pounds in the next couple of months. These charities include: Al Mustafa Trust International, Helping Hands Worldwide, Human Appeal International, Human Relief Foundation, Islamic Aid, Islamic Help, Islamic Relief, Minhaj Welfare Foundation UK, Muslim Aid, Muslim Care, Muslim Charity Helping the Needy, Muslim Global Relief, Muslim Hands, The World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities, UK Care for Children, Ummah Welfare Trust.
The MCF is an umbrella organisation for Muslim-led International NGOs based in the UK. It was set up in 2007 with the aim of providing a capacity building resource and advocacy platform for its members.
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