Country Information
Founded: Ancient Empires - 2500BCE, Combined Empire – 1600s, Modern Government - 1949
Land Area: 9,596,960 Square Kilometers (about the same as the continental United States)
Climate: Extremely diverse; tropical in the south to sub-arctic in the north
Agricultural Land Usability: 15%
Natural Hazards: 5-6 Typhoons per year across southern and eastern coastline, damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought and heavy land subsidence (drop in land from over-pumping natural resources such as water and oil, underground cave-ins from limestone deposits eroding or earthquakes)
Environmental issues: High degrees of air pollution, causing acid rain, water shortages, 1/5 of agricultural land lost since 1949 due to commercialized development, diminishing endangered species.
The People
Population: 1,313,973,713
Infant Mortality Rate: 24 deaths / 1000 births
Life Expectancy: 73 years
Major Diseases: None common or high risk; roughly 840,000 living with HIV/AIDS
Religions: Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%, Taoist and Buddhist numbers unknown, officially an Atheist nation
Literacy Rate: 91%
Unemployment rate: 9% officially registered in urban areas, however substantial undocumented unemployed and underemployed in rural areas. Official Chinese journals approximate overall unemployment at 20%
Population below the UN-established Poverty Line: 10% (estimate, no official numbers)
Special Conditions
There are an unknown number of Kashmiri refugees; roughly 300,000 refugees from Vietnam and 40,000 from North Korea.
The Muslim population is among the poorest of all communities in China, if we can help them to uplift themselves, they will be able to change their condition positive in very short time. This will psosible due to growign economy of China.
Identifying the Need
The unknown number and location of refugees makes it difficult to provide direct aid; therefore helping the impoverished segments of the Muslim community should assist in filtering aid to Kashmiri refugees as well as other refugees in China.
Printing and distributing educational materials inside China.
Dawah services are a dire need, therefore sponsoring Imams and educators is very important.
How The Zakat Foundation Has Responded
The Zakat Foundation of America has been operating primarily in the northwest areas of China, mostly in the Gansu province which contains some of the oldest Muslim communities in all of China.
The ancient Great Wall of China has its western end and runs through much of the Gansu province. Many archaeologists refer to Gansu as the cradle of Chinese civilization, how fitting that it was also the beginning of Islamic propagation in China.
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Ramadan Food Distribution
Since 2004, The Zakat Foundation has provided iftar and food package distribution in China to help alleviate the poverty of so many Muslims in the area.
Food packages only cost $100, you can contribute to the food package distribution all year.
Iftar meals are only $2 per person, so plan for giving iftar throughout Ramadan!
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Udhiya/Qurbani Distribution
Since 2003, The Zakat Foundation has been able to slaughter on the Eid al-Adha and distribute meat to the poor and needy in China. For many of the poor families, this is one of the very few times when meat is available for them.
Also, contact us regarding Akikha year-round for the Muslim community of China. Each Akika costs only $75 and will fulfill your obligation as well as help a great number of people in the Muslim community here.
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Fu-Xing School
The construction of this Muslim run high school was a labor of love and hard work of the community there. This is the best high School to exist in the Gansu province and we continue to grow with over 100 students in 2005 and nearly 200 in 2006.
Click here to read a letter to ZF from the Principal of Fu-Xing Senior High School.
As the Principal outlined; there is still work to be done in expanding and meeting the need of the community through this school. Please contribute generously to this source of Sadaqa Jariyah.
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Book Distribution
Educational books for dawah purposes can be printed at the cost of only 50 cents each.
Remember the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) that it is better for you that one comes to Islam through your works than to have the wealth of the whole world.
Please sponsor this book program today, $100 can provide 200 books, $500 can provide 1,000 books and $1000 can provide 2000 books. The sky is the limit!
Alhamdullillah, the literacy rate in China is so high that we know these books will be read, understood and, insh’Allah, help people to to understand Islam!
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