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Uyghur Refugees: COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

Uyghur Refugees: COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

LaunchGood, 24 April 2020

 LaunchGood – Before COVID-19, the Uyghur people were arguably already experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises on earth, with more than one million Uyghurs placed in concentration camps in China where they are being physically and psychologically abused simply for being Uyghur & Muslim.

Greeting with “assalamu alaykum” (“peace be upon you”) is reason enough to be sent to a concentration camp in a country where Islam is considered to be a ‘mental illness.’

Even Ramadan is considered a crime; where students & employees are force-fed otherwise they face punishment. They are being forced to replace their religion and cultural identity with praise for the Chinese Communist Party—for their own survival. 

The Uyghurs that have been lucky enough to escape China (before the coronavirus outbreak) now face poverty, hunger, psychological trauma, unemployment, and lack of medical support.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has made matters worse. 

Due to the initial mismanagement, censorship and lack of transparency about the virus by the Chinese Communist Party, the entire world is now facing this pandemic. Governments around the world may be taking various steps to provide financial support to their own citizens, but many vulnerable people are still being left behind, particularly refugees.

Urgent support for Uyghur orphans, students, and single mothers

Uyghur refugees are facing severe challenges compounded by the COVID-19 crisis. In Turkey, there is a large percentage of Uyghur refugees without a passport or permanent residency, rendering them stateless. Among those most vulnerable are more than 2,000 students, over 1,000 orphans and 1,000 single mothers who have been separated from their husbands and families due to China’s crackdown on Uyghurs.

This pandemic has added further misery to their daily struggles; many are not able to pay rent or utility bills and they cannot afford medical care or the basic cost of living. They have not received adequate aid or attention and their situation continues to deteriorate. They need your help.

While the Chinese government has made it impossible to give direct assistance and aid to our family, friends, and countrymen in East Turkistan, we have a responsibility to help those who have managed to escape the crisis and they need our help to prevent another crisis.

Together, we can support the Uyghur widows and orphans this Ramadan by providing:

  • Food packages
  • Aid with rent & bills
  • Medical fees
  • Clothing and home essentials

How we will reach the Uyghur refugees in need

The Shukr Foundation team visited Turkey in 2019 and with generous donations we worked hard to attend to the needs of Uyghur refugees. We have seen how truly difficult their situations were even when they were able to work meagre cash-in-hand jobs. These service industry jobs are disappearing quickly because of social distancing measures and economic collapse due to coronavirus.

For this campaign, we have gathered the information of thousands of vulnerable Uyghur individuals and families through a registration & screening process. We are partnering with the Blue Moon (Mavi Hilal) charity and other reputable government registered organisations in Turkey to distribute and manage the funds.

At Shukr Foundation we are committed to transparency and accountability of ensuring the money is distributed in the best way possible. As a registered Australian charity, we are held to rigorous standards by the Australian Government which we uphold.

International Uyghur community partnership & endorsements

This initiative has the support of 43 Uyghur organisations from all over the world. Together, we can move a mountain.

  • Australian East Turkestan Association
  • Australian Uyghur Association
  • Austria Uyghur Association
  • Belgium Uyghur Association
  • Bishkek Human Rights Committee
  • Campaign for Uyghurs
  • Canada East Turkestan Union
  • East Turkestan Education and Solidarity Association
  • East Turkestan Muslim Scholars Association
  • East Turkestan Union in Europe
  • East Turkistan Education Association in Europe
  • East Turkistan Foundation
  • East Turkistan Media Agency
  • East Turkistan Youth and Cultural Association
  • Euro-Asia Foundation
  • Finnland East Turkestan Association
  • France Uyghur Community
  • Ilham Tohti Initiative
  • Isa Yusup Alptekin Foundation
  • Ittipak Uygur Society of the Kyrgyz Republic
  • Japan Uyghur Association
  • Mavi Hilal (Blue Crescent) Humanitarian Relief Association
  • Norway Uyghur Committee
  • Nuzugum Charity Association
  • Ömer Uyghur Foundation
  • Satuk Buğrahan Knowledge and Culture Foundation
  • Sweden Uyghur Education Union
  • Sweden Uyghur Relief Fund
  • Swiss Uyghur Association
  • Taklamakan Islamic Culture Center in Sweden
  • Taklamakan Publishing House
  • U.K. Uyghur Association
  • Uyghur Academy Association
  • Uyghur American Association
  • Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights
  • Uyghur Human Rights Project
  • Uyghur Research Institute
  • Uyghur Science and Ingenuity Foundation
  • Uyghur Women’s Committee in Germany
  • Uyghur Youth Union in Kazakhstan
  • Uzbekistan Uyghur Culture Center
  • Viktoria Uyghur Association
  • World Uyghur Congress

About Shukr Foundation

Shukr Foundation Limited is an Australian registered charity organisation based in Adelaide. Its main objective is to attend to the needs of Uyghurs, Kazaks, Uzbeks and other minorities of East Turkistan who are currently displaced all around the world due to occupation by the brutal Chinese Communist regime.

Please donate generously and together we will be able to significantly improve the situation of the displaced Uyghur refugees this Ramadan. Even the smallest amount will have a huge impact on their lives. Shukr foundation is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and all donations are tax deductible in Australia.

Please share this worthy cause with your families, friends, and communities, and ask them to support this campaign.

For more information visit www.shukrfoundation.org.au