Your questions answered

Zamzam Foundation UK (ZZF UK) exists to raise awareness and funds in the UK and internationally to support Zamzam’s transformational work across Somalia.

ZZF UK is not a new organisation but is in fact the new working name for an established UK charity and separate legal entity called the Somali Relief and Development Forum (SRDF). SRDF was set up in 2011 in response to a severe famine in Somalia, bringing various UK-based Somali organisations and communities together to raise funds to save lives.

SRDF became dormant around 2016 but in 2023 SRDF’s trustees signed a partnership agreement with ZZF that enables SRDF to use the ZZF UK name in the UK to generate support for ZZF’s vital work in Somalia. The board of SRDF recognised that Zamzam Foundation is an organisation ideally placed to enable the UK public to support a cause that not only meets the needs of vulnerable people across Somalia, but is also a very good fit with SRDF’s original charitable objectives.

Yes. Zamzam Foundation UK is the new UK working name of the Somali Relief and Development Forum, which has been a registered charity in the UK since 2011. Our registered charity number is 1143208. The essential details of the organisation required by the relevant authorities are available on the Charity Commission and Companies House websites.

We have a registered postal address in London for correspondence purposes but in the early stages of our development in the UK we are keeping costs down by not establishing a UK office. The best way to get in touch with us is via email (info@zamzamfoundation.org.uk).

We do not yet have any permanent staff in the UK and will not appoint any unless or until the growth of our operation requires it. We have a handful of specialist advisors who are helping us on a part-time basis with legal, financial, fundraising and communications matters. Our four UK trustees all support us on an entirely voluntary basis.

You can personally support Zamzam Foundation’s lifesaving and life-changing work in Somalia by donating to Zamzam Foundation UK, or by setting up a direct debit or standing order to become a regular giver, or by paying some or all of your zakat through us. All three of these options are available on this website. We have nine different donation funds that mean you can support Zamzam Foundation’s work in Somalia in specific areas such as water, health and education projects. It also really helps us if you can raise awareness by letting your family and friends know about ZZF UK and encourage them to support us too.

Part of our work to establish ourselves in the UK involves developing partnerships with mosques and local community groups to raise awareness and funds and forge stronger ties between Somali diaspora communities in the UK and those in need in Somalia. If you would like to help with our UK community outreach and mosque fundraising, please email volunteer@zamzamfoundation.org.uk.

No, not currently. In the short to medium term our focus is entirely on raising funds to make a positive difference through lifesaving and life-changing projects across Somalia. Our vision in the longer term is to follow the example of bigger and more established charities in the UK who have an international programmes focus by giving something back to the communities who support us in the form of a small UK grants programme to support the poor and marginalised on our own doorstep in the UK. We hope to be able to launch a UK grants fund by 2027 or 2028, and we will let all our UK donors and prospective UK beneficiary organisations know when we reach this point.