According to Charity Navigator  2025

Amid escalating crises in the Middle East and the developing world, Life for Relief and Development (LIFE) has been recognized as the third-best global humanitarian organization by Charity Navigator. The organization also secured fifth place for its humanitarian work in Palestine, and fifth place worldwide in the fight against poverty. These achievements earned LIFE a 100% rating, an endorsement from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as recognition by Impactful Ninja as one of the top humanitarian organizations in North America. LIFE was further honored with the Humanitarian Partnership Award for its collaborative initiatives.

Sustainable Programs and Comprehensive Seasonal Projects 

Vicki Roob, Administrative Director at LIFE, explained that the organization was founded more than 33 years ago in the United States and works across more than 60 countries through 14 international offices.

Over the years, LIFE has distributed more than $624 million usd/ $859 million cad in humanitarian aid, supporting programs in food security, clean water, temporary shelter, healthcare, education, community development, family assistance, refugee support, and emergency relief during wars and natural disasters. Currently, the organization supports more than 13,100 orphans worldwide, providing essential care, nutrition, housing, and education, while also organizing annual Global Orphan Festivals filled with games, gifts, and entertainment to ensure children feel valued and supported.

Tent Camps That Saved Thousands of Lives in Conflict Zones

According to Dr. Abdulwahab Alawneh, Regional Director for Jordan and Palestine, LIFE implemented its “LIFE Organized Camps” project in Gaza, establishing nine camps across the north, center, and south of the Strip. Built with fire-resistant and durable materials, these camps provided shelter for 46,000 displaced people, featuring easily dismantled tents to accommodate recurring displacement. Each tent was equipped with bedding and essentials, alongside medical facilities, solar panels serving 7,000 individuals, and protective insulation for 3,000 residents against extreme weather. Clay ovens benefited 3,500 people, while 23 sanitation units were constructed.so LIFE Assisted 1.3 million Displaced People in general in GAZA.

Adding: “we’ve been proactively preparing to facilitate the delivery of urgent relief—shelter, food, water, medicine, and personal necessities—into Gaza. Our team on the ground has already begun implementing LIFE’s ninth camp project after tents arrived and installation began. We are now working to shelter 15,000 newly displaced families still exposed to the cold as winter approaches.

These are waterproof, cold- and humidity-resistant tents that also provide insulation against heat in summer. Made from PVC material, they have protected more than 29,000 families from fires during nighttime bombings in past years.

Using all borders to Gaza

We faced tough challenges but managed them through our extensive experience. We are not newcomers to Gaza’s relief field. We worked through approval requirements for specific items—like tent specifications—while some organizations struggled to get their tents through the crossings. Tents vary in size and function: family tents, medical point tents, hospital tents, and educational tents.

We are now awaiting approval for mobile housing units. However, shelter items like mattresses and blankets have been entering through Egypt on LIFE’s trucks without obstacles, while food parcels are transported through Jordan.

“For food items previously restricted for NGOs, we purchase them at discounted rates from local traders and distribute them to those most in need. We spared no effort to reach them—using animals or walking long distances on foot when necessary.

We also supply water—each truck carries 15,000 liters per camp, enough for 500 families for a week—alongside baby formula, infant supplies, medical kits, and medicines. We ensure field monitoring of activities, including eight camps already constructed, and we share updates regularly on social media in multiple languages.”

Emergency Relief and Orphan Care at the Forefront

In the past year alone, LIFE allocated approximately $1.1 million usd/ $1.51 million cad in emergency relief to families displaced by conflicts and natural disasters, including earthquake survivors in Afghanistan, Morocco, Nepal, Syria, and Turkey; war-displaced populations in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and Lebanon; wildfire victims in Bangladesh; flood-affected communities in Afghanistan and Libya; and cyclone-hit regions in Myanmar.

Additionally, $6.4 million usd/ $8.81 million cad was invested in healthcare programs and medical supplies, $4.5 million usd/ $6.2 million cad in educational projects, and $2.1 million usd/ $2.89 million cad in in-kind aid shipments. Orphan support remained a priority, with more than $3.8 million usd/ $5.23 million cad dedicated to orphan sponsorship, education, and healthcare.

Seasonal projects also played a significant role: nearly $1.7 million usd/ $2.34 million cad was spent on Ramadan and Eid initiatives, with more than 11 million meals distributed across 36 countries during Ramadan alone. Over 272,620 individuals in 38 countries benefited from Qurbani (sacrifice) distributions. LIFE also allocated $1.4 million usd/ $1.93 million cad toward emergency food relief and constructed 122 water wells worldwide.

For the Silo, Tasneem Elridi.