Singapore’s Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation raises US$ 6 million for UNRWA’s Gaza response in record-breaking public campaign – Press Release

As famine looms in Gaza, UNRWA’s aid efforts have been boosted by US$ 4.6 million donated by the people of Singapore thanks to a record-breaking fundraising drive by the country’s Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation. This is the second tranche of a total US$ 6 million that RLAF raised in a public campaign spanning mid-October to mid-November 2023.

The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), or Blessings to All Foundation, handed over a cheque to UNRWA after raising the money from individuals, non-governmental organizations, and corporate donors, in a show of widespread support for the people of Gaza.

The campaign was originally meant to last two weeks, but a groundswell of support led the RLAF to extend it.

The RLAF had already sent UNRWA part of the funds that it raised, and Sunday’s cheque handover in Amman marked the payment of the second tranche.

“Singaporeans from every background were united in this fundraising effort,” said Muhammad Faizal Othman, Chief Executive Officer of the RLAF. “The overwhelming response, totaling a record-breaking US$6 million for the RLAF, transcends the sum itself. It embodies the collective spirit of Singaporean hearts reaching out to the people of Gaza.”

“The RLAF extends its deepest gratitude to UNRWA for their unwavering and often perilous dedication to bringing vital aid to Gaza. Together, through this extraordinary outpouring of humanity, we have proven that gestures of compassion can have a transformative effect. May this serve as a beacon of hope, illuminating a path towards a peaceful brighter future,” he said.

The RLAF’s previous record-breaking campaign was also conducted with UNRWA, in response to the May 2021 hostilities in Gaza, raising US $ 3.5 million.

UNRWA Chief of Staff Ben Majekodunmi received the cheque on behalf of the Agency. He hailed UNRWA staff on the ground for working heroically to provide the people of Gaza with food, water, shelter, and other assistance, but highlighted that it is still so far from being enough.”

He thanked the people and government of Singapore for their efforts to provide emergency supplies – remarking that this enormously successful people-to-people effort would provide hope and comfort to the people of Gaza during this dark time.

“The kind of moral and financial support that is coming from Singaporeans is really what’s keeping people alive,” he said.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, and Senior Minister of State, Zaqy Mohamed, also attended the event, along with five members of the country’s parliament.

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