From October 19–25, students, institutions and communities across the United States will come together to support orphans and vulnerable children around the world.
Human Development Fund (HDF) is partnering with Charity Week USA for Charity Week 2026. This October, we are inviting communities across the country to bring their energy, creativity and generosity to a shared cause: helping children access the services and opportunities they deserve.
Whether you are organizing with your university’s Muslim Students Association, bringing people together at your masjid or encouraging friends and family to give, there is a place for you in this year’s campaign.
A shared commitment to unity
Charity Week is a volunteer-led movement rooted in Islamic and humanitarian principles. It brings people together for a week of coordinated fundraising for orphans and vulnerable children, with unity at the center of the effort.
That spirit makes this partnership meaningful to HDF. Every participant can contribute something valuable, whether that is time spent organizing an event, skills used to promote a fundraiser or a donation toward the campaign’s projects.
It might begin with a table on campus, a conversation after salah or a few friends deciding to plan something together. Each invitation gives another person a way to take part.
Making waves together
This year’s ocean theme and #WavesOfUnity invite us to see individual efforts as part of something larger.
A student who shares a fundraising page can reach people beyond their campus. A community dinner can bring together families who have never volunteered alongside one another. A friendly challenge between institutions can encourage more people to participate.
The relationships built during Charity Week can continue after the final event, encouraging people to keep serving their communities and children around the world.
What Charity Week 2026 supports
The Charity Week 2026 campaign spans emergency relief and longer-term assistance across four areas:
- Palestine and Gaza: Healthcare, medical education, hot meals and schooling.
- Sudan and South Sudan: Food, shelter, medicines, water and sanitation, and agricultural education for young people.
- Water initiatives: Clean water and sanitation for communities, schools and displacement camps.
- Community support: Orphan education, classroom restoration, safe housing and opportunities that help families build independence.
These priorities reflect the different services children need. A child’s ability to learn is connected to their health, their home and the stability of the people caring for them. Throughout the week, children and families should remain at the center of every event, appeal and donation.
How to get involved
You can take part in a way that fits your community:
- Start fundraising. Bring together your MSA, school, masjid, workplace or friends around a shared goal. A bake sale, sports tournament, community dinner or sponsored challenge can give people a reason to gather and contribute.
- Support an institution. Find a participating institution and help its community build momentum.
- Make a donation. Give directly to Charity Week 2026 or support a fundraiser that matters to you.
- Invite someone else. Share the campaign in your group chats, on social media or with someone who would enjoy helping organize an event.
As Charity Week USA and HDF come together this October, we invite you to bring what you can: your ideas, your time, your generosity and the people around you.
Start your Charity Week fundraiser and be part of #WavesOfUnity.
