Founded in 1979, Human Concern International (HCI)’s mission is to end global poverty and save lives. It carries out emergency relief, education, WASH, healthcare, orphan care, and livelihoods projects in countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Human Concern International is the oldest Islamic relief charity in Canada. It also runs a Child Sponsorship Program and collects Zakat funds to carry out food security projects for Ramadan and Zabiha campaigns. HCI follows a community needs-based approach in its activities. It completes needs assessments on the communities it plans to work in, and then partners with local organizations, institutes and governments to deliver programs.

HCI’s most recent annual report, which includes F2018 results, provides a spending breakdown for the F2019 operating year. Its spending breakdown by region was: 38% to activities in the Middle East, 37% to activities in Asia, 22% to activities in Africa, and 3% to other regions. Its spending breakdown by program is as follows: 21% for disaster relief, 16% for education projects, 13% for child sponsorship, 12% for social and economic development initiatives, 11% for healthcare projects, 13% for Zabiha and Ramadan food distribution initiatives, and 6% for other food projects (the remaining 8% represents administrative costs, gifts in kind, and water and sanitation projects).

HCI reports on its website that its child sponsorship program operates in over 15 countries. HCI partnered with the Centre for Development Service in F2018 to provide 50 children in Egypt with packages containing food as well as school and medical supplies.

One of HCI’s sustainable development initiatives in F2018, a water project in India, built 15 tube wells in rural villages that provide access to clean drinking water for ‘up to 30 families.’ HCI also built six deep wells in Tharparkar, a remote area in Pakistan facing water shortages.

To provide emergency aid in Yemen, HCI supplied 10 health centers with cholera medicines and education sessions on preventing disease and proper hygiene in F2018. HCI also distributed 408 food baskets to displaced families in Yemen affected by conflict. To help Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar, HCI set up a rehabilitation center in Bangladesh during the year. The charity reports on its website that between 800,000 and 1.1 million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh.

News: July 7, 2019, Associated Press reports that Pakistani Ali Nawaz, using multiple bank accounts linked with Human Concern International, was arrested for funding al-Qaeda militants. HCI responded to this report by creating a special webpage where people can receive updates on this issue, found here.  HCI has held meetings with high-level Pakistan authorities who confirm that there are no allegations of wrongdoing. Ali Nawaz has been released on bail. HCI's internal review has not found any mismanagement, misuse of funds or misconduct. HCI assures its donors that HCI operates transparently with full financial accountability, and closely monitors and evaluates its charity work.

Human Concern International did not provide audited financial statements upon request. The following financial analysis uses unaudited statements received from the CRA after filing a request for information. The CRA Charities Directorate recommends all Canadian charities receiving more than $250,000 in annual donations have independently, externally, professional audited financial statements.HCI's financial statements were previously professionally audited.

Human Concern International is a large charity, receiving just under $9.0m in donations in F2018. Administrative costs are 14% of revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 11% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, 75 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Funding reserves of $4.3m can cover annual program spending and grants at the F2018 level for just under eight months.

The charity’s F2018 T3010 CRA filing reports two grants to other charities: $17k to Humanitarian Mobility International and $10k to Muslim Community of Quebec.

Updated on August 21, 2019 by Katie Khodawandi.