ABOUT US
Asafeer began with a simple, direct connection: real conversations with real families in Gaza, living through a humanitarian crisis that has taken everything from them but their will to survive.
We're a small UK charity, run by trustees who give their time for free, built on the belief that aid works best when it moves quickly, honestly and directly, from the people who care to the people who need it.
We provide direct financial and material assistance to individuals and families affected by humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and, where the need is greatest, across the wider region. That means help with the essentials: food, clean water, shelter, medical supplies, fuel, and the other necessities of life that a crisis takes away first.
We raise what we give through community fundraising here in London, with music nights, poetry evenings and cultural events, alongside online appeals and individual donations. Every pound is accounted for, and every beneficiary is verified before a single payment is made.
Aid works best when it moves quickly, honestly and directly.
HOW WE WORK
Before any family receives support, we confirm who they are and where they are through direct contact: a real conversation, a live video call, careful checks. The people behind every donation deserve to know it reaches exactly who it's meant for.
Every family is verified personally before a single payment is made.
Every payment is approved by more than one trustee, and every transfer is recorded.
Every quarter, our full board reviews how funds have moved.
OUR DUE DILIGENCE
These checks are set out in our written Beneficiary Due Diligence and Verification Policy, and all of them are completed before a single payment is made.
A government-issued photo ID is shown on a live video call and matched to the person on camera. Where documents have been lost through displacement, we record the best alternative evidence and why.
Each family shares their live location during the call, and we check for any sign of location spoofing. We cross-check that location against known displacement patterns and against the location of their bank account. We confirm their phone number is active and belongs to them. Our network of verified, trusted people on the ground in Gaza then confirms each family’s identity independently, as a second check.
We confirm that the account or payment channel belongs to the family named. If someone else has to receive funds on their behalf, it is treated as an exception, documented and reviewed more closely.
Names and any known aliases are checked against the UK Sanctions List, and the UN sanctions list where possible, before any first payment. Checks are repeated at least once a year, or sooner if concerns arise.
No family is approved by one person alone. At least two trustees review and sign off before the first transfer, and larger or unusual transfers need two sign-offs again.
Every family has a verification file and every transfer is recorded. The full board reviews a sample each quarter. Any red flag pauses payment until the board has resolved it, and if it cannot be resolved, we decline.
We protect families' personal data under UK GDPR, share it only where the law, our bank or the Charity Commission requires, and keep identity documents private. This is why we never publish them.
HOW WE SEND PAYMENTS
Once a family has been verified, this is how the money moves. It follows our written Financial Controls and Fund Transfer Policy.
No payment leaves the account without approval from at least two trustees. Larger payments need wider sign-off from the full board, and a trustee with a personal connection to a family cannot be one of the approvers.
As standard, payments are sent directly from our UK bank account to the family's account at Bank of Palestine. Nothing passes through anyone in between.
Depending on the stage of the conflict, bank transfer is sometimes unavailable. When that happens we use the next best traceable alternative. We try to avoid local cash couriers because of the high transaction fees they charge, which would take money away from families.
We keep a reference number, screenshot or receipt for every transfer, matched to that family's verification file.
We monitor every transfer. If one fails, is delayed or comes back, we investigate and record why before trying again.
Our records are reconciled against bank statements every month, and the full board reviews funds in and funds out every quarter. Accounts are filed with the Charity Commission, and any suspected fraud or loss is reported straight away.
Asafeer is led by a small board of trustees based in London, working entirely as volunteers. We are currently completing our registration with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
We hold ourselves to this standard because the families we support deserve nothing less, and because the people who trust us with their donations deserve to know where every penny goes.
Whether it's coming to an event, sharing what we do, or making a donation, every bit of support gets us closer to another family having what they need to get through another day.
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