Africa Relief

What Africa Relief does

Africa Relief (formally Africa Relief & Community Development) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Clifton, United States, that delivers humanitarian aid across 32 African countries. The organization operates six program verticals — WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), Health, Education, Empowerment, and Food & Nutrition — plus a dedicated Orphan Sponsorship track. Cumulative program outputs reported to date include 1,500+ water wells constructed, 150+ educational centers, 3,000+ sponsored orphans, 1.1 million lives reached, and $7M+ in in-kind donations mobilized.

The operating model is donor-funded and combines general humanitarian fundraising with a structured suite of Sharia-compliant Islamic giving products, including Zakat, Sadaqah, Kaffarah, Fidyah, Aqiqah, and seasonal Qurbani. Donor transactions and recurring sponsorship commitments are processed through the donorsupport.co donation platform. The organization reaches donors through a multi-channel footprint spanning its own website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and maintains an active donor base of approximately 1,650 individuals. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, consistent with a small NGO operations team that executes field programs through in-country partners across the 32-country footprint.

Name

Africa Relief

Legal name

Africa Relief & Community Development

Website

https://africa-relief.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Africa Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering humanitarian aid across 32 African countries via WASH, health, education, food security, and orphan sponsorship programs, funded through general donations and Islamic giving instruments such as Zakat and Sadaqah.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Population & WASH Aid Programs (BPADABAC), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid
• Nonprofit services
• Orphan sponsorship
• Islamic charitable giving
• Clean water programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Clifton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: Individual and institutional donors contribute funds through the organization's website to support various humanitarian programs including orphan sponsorship, education, WASH, health, food & nutrition, and empowerment initiatives across 32 African countries.
2. Islamic Giving Products: Specialized Islamic charitable giving options including Zakat (obligatory almsgiving), Sadaqah (voluntary charity), Sadaqah Jariyah (ongoing charity), Kaffarah (expiation), Fidyah, and Aqiqah, allowing donors to fulfill religious obligations while supporting humanitarian causes.
3. Sponsorship Programs: Ongoing sponsorship programs, particularly orphan sponsorship, providing recurring support to beneficiaries with consistent care, education, and wellbeing monitoring.
4. In-Kind Donations: The organization mobilizes vital resources including $7 million+ in-kind donations to maximize community impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Africa Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers humanitarian programs across 32 African countries through six core initiatives: WASH (clean water, sanitation, hygiene), Health, Education, Empowerment, Food & Nutrition, and Orphan Sponsorship, plus a Microfinance Program. It also offers Islamic charitable giving products (Zakat, Sadaqah, Sadaqah Jariyah, Kaffarah, Fidyah, Aqiqah) supported by an online Zakat Calculator and a donor management portal.

Product overview

Africa Relief & Community Development (ARCD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a multi-program humanitarian platform serving communities across 32 African countries. The organization offers six interconnected core programs: WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Health, Education, Empowerment, Food & Nutrition, and Orphan Sponsorship, plus a Microfinance Program. These programs work together to provide essential services including clean water access (1,500+ wells built), healthcare including cataract surgeries, educational support (150+ educational centers), vocational training, food assistance, and orphan care (3,000+ sponsored orphans). The organization also provides Islamic Giving options including Zakat, Sadaqah, Sadaqah Jariyah, Kaffarah, Fidyah, and Aqiqah, along with a Zakat Calculator tool for donor convenience. Donors can access their contributions through a Donor Portal and create community fundraisers through a Fundraiser Platform. Africa Relief has reached 1.1 million lives and mobilized over $7 million in in-kind donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WASH Program Building sustainable access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene support for rural communities across Africa. Includes water well construction (1,500+ wells built).
• Health Program Expanding access to medical care, health facilities, cataract surgeries, supplies, and local health system support across African communities.
• Education Program Creating safer learning environments through schools, scholarships, supplies, and community education spaces (150+ educational centers). Minimum $25 donation provides a student with essential school supplies.
• Empowerment Program Helping families move toward self-reliance through vocational training, microfinance, and livelihood support.
• Food and Nutrition Program Providing food assistance, Ramadan baskets, Qurbani distribution, and nutrition support for vulnerable families.
• Orphan Sponsorship Program Supporting orphaned children with family-based care, education, wellbeing monitoring, and essential support for over 17,000 children (3,000+ actively sponsored).
• Microfinance Program Providing microfinance services to support economic empowerment and self-sufficiency among vulnerable communities.
• Islamic Giving - Zakat Islamic charitable giving option allowing Muslim donors to fulfill their Zakat (obligatory almsgiving) obligations while supporting Africa Relief's humanitarian programs.
• Islamic Giving - Sadaqah Voluntary charitable donation option providing ongoing support to Africa Relief's humanitarian initiatives.
• Islamic Giving - Sadaqah Jariyah Continuous charitable giving option providing ongoing rewards through sustainable community development projects such as water wells and schools.
• Islamic Giving - Kaffarah Expiation payment option for donors to fulfill religious obligations while supporting charitable causes in Africa.
• Islamic Giving - Fidyah Fidyah payment option for donors who are unable to fast during Ramadan, channeling support to those in need.
• Islamic Giving - Aqiqah Aqiqah sacrifice option for celebrating births while providing meat distribution to vulnerable families in Africa.
• Fundraiser Platform Community fundraising tool allowing supporters to create and manage their own fundraisers for Africa Relief projects across Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.1 million lives reached with essential resources and support
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Islamic Relief USA: Direct peer: large US-based Muslim humanitarian NGO operating multi-sector programs (WASH, food, health, orphan sponsorship) across Africa and globally, with comparable Zakat/Sadaqah giving products and recurring sponsorship model.
• ICNA Relief USA: Direct peer: US-based Muslim faith-inspired nonprofit providing food, education, health, and disaster relief services to underserved populations domestically and internationally, including Africa.
• Muslim Aid USA: Direct peer: US chapter of an international Muslim NGO delivering humanitarian aid (food, water, health, education) in crisis and development contexts, including African countries, with comparable Islamic giving products.
• Mercy Without Limits: Direct peer: smaller US-based Muslim humanitarian nonprofit focused on food security, clean water, orphan care, and emergency relief in Africa and the Middle East, with similar donor base and Islamic giving orientation.
• Penny Appeal USA: Direct peer: US-based Muslim humanitarian NGO with multi-program portfolio including orphan sponsorship, WASH, food, and emergency relief across Africa, competing for similar Islamic and mainstream donor segments.
• Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD): Direct peer: US-headquartered Muslim NGO delivering humanitarian and development programs (food, WASH, health, education, orphan sponsorship) across Africa and other regions, with Zakat-compliant giving.
• Human Appeal USA: Direct peer: US arm of a UK-origin Muslim humanitarian NGO running orphan sponsorship, emergency relief, WASH, and food security programs across Africa with Zakat-compliant giving infrastructure.
• Zakat Foundation of America: Direct peer: US-headquartered Muslim NGO focused on Zakat collection and humanitarian programming in Africa and the Muslim world, with overlapping Islamic giving product suite and disaster response focus.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF USA: Broad incumbent: large-scale global humanitarian and development organization running child-focused programs (health, nutrition, education, WASH) in many of the same African countries where Africa Relief operates, competing for institutional and individual donor dollars.
• Direct Relief: Broad incumbent: large humanitarian aid organization focused on medical supplies, health system strengthening, and emergency response in low-resource settings including Africa, overlapping with Africa Relief's Health program pillar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCW3Kf6GLj8npphZGEaCb7Zw
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaReliefUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-relief
• Instagraminstagram.com/africa_relief
• Xx.com/AfricaReliefAn1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Relief