The Zakat Foundation of America

On a bleak morning in the summer of 2006, the Mutur Muslims of Sri Lanka were forced to march from their own homeland with nothing more than the clothing on their backs.

Over 75,000 families were forced to evacuate the violence in Sri Lanka at the peril of their own survival and became refugees in the area of Kantalee. The survivors stayed in schools, Mosques, slept on the ground under trees and along the roadside.

During the period of exile, Zakat Foundation provided food distribution which included special meals for children and elderly persons to over 3,000 people in the camps. These families were distributed across three different refugee camps in Kantalee, Sri Lanka.

Food packets consisted of powdered milk, canned fish, enriched biscuits, rice, sugar, dhal (similar to lentils) and instant noodles. All items were purchased locally as is traditional with Zakat Foundation to reduce expenses in transportation and to provide an extra boost to the local economy. Zakat Foundation was able to provide the exact measure of aid needed at the time of greatest need.