If you’ve ever donated at a Lakemba Mosque collection, spotted a marquee at a community event or seen the volunteers and banners set up at a function run by the LMA, chances are you’ve come across Feed The World – even if you didn’t quite know what it was.
Worshippers giving at any of the organisation’s five centres – Lakemba, Cabramatta, Young, Strathmore (Melbourne) and Adelaide CBD – know they’re supporting causes nominated by the LMA, in many cases, Feed The World.
What’s less understood is that Feed The World is its own entity: a charity built from the ground up by the LMA to carry its mission of compassion and service far beyond Australia’s shores.
Put simply, if the LMA is what the organisation does locally – running mosques, community programs, youth, aged care and other initiatives to help those who require it – then Feed The World is the arm that channels that same spirit of service globally, reaching communities overseas in their moments of greatest need.
Feed The World was officially registered in October, 2022.
In its earliest days, the charity operated without fanfare within the LMA’s existing structure, directing funds toward urgent international relief efforts – support for Palestine, flood relief in Pakistan, food relief in Lebanon and earthquake relief in Türkiye and Syria, following the devastating February, 2023 disaster.
It wasn’t until March, 2024 that Feed The World stepped into the spotlight with its official public launch, held at the LMA’s Iftar in Lakemba.
Over 200 guests – including the Consul-General of Lebanon and the Grand Mufti of Australia – witnessed LMA Secretary Gamel Kheir describe the charity’s mission: responding promptly to emergencies and distributing aid efficiently to trouble spots around the world.
Just six days later, a Feed The World collection at a “Prayer in the Park” event at Parry Park raised valuable funds for the people of Gaza.
What sets Feed The World apart from many other Muslim charities operating in this space?
According to Head of Marketing and Operations Mohammed Issa, it comes down to two things: community connection and a focus on long-term infrastructure.
“A lot of charities do valuable, immediate work – food aid and similar solutions,” Mr Issa explains.
“One of our strengths is that we’re building infrastructure – medical centres, hospitals overseas – targeting root causes, not just symptoms.”
Being embedded within mosque communities, he adds, means Feed The World is genuinely listening to the people it serves, rather than operating at arm’s length.
That philosophy is already taking shape on the ground.
In November 2025, the Al Hamidy University Hospital Fundraiser – jointly hosted by the LMA and Feed The World at Lidcombe’s Renaissance function centre – raised $1million toward a hospital project in North Lebanon, with close to 500 guests attending, including the Mufti of Tripoli.
Indeed, Feed The World has also built a growing calendar of community fundraising events, including Australia’s first-ever Muslim golf tournament – launched in December, 2024 at Brighton Lakes Golf Course, Moorebank and now in its third year – and a Lebanon Fundraising Iftar last May in Georges Hall that raised over $100,000, and which was attended by the Consul of Lebanon in Sydney.
Given that a large share of the LMA’s community traces its roots to Lebanon, Feed The World’s on-the-ground presence there is extremely significant.
In October, 2025, the LMA officially opened new offices in Tripoli, which now house Feed The World’s international headquarters – alongside additional local offices in Akkar, Dunnieh and Menieh.
A senior LMA delegation – including President Hafez Alameddine, Secretary Gamel Kheir, board member Issa Kordi, Executive Director Khal Asfour, Chief Operating Officer Khaled Alameddine and Lakemba Mosque’s head imam Sheikh Yahya Safi – travelled from Sydney for the milestone opening.
“The official opening was a reflection of the unity, compassion and resilience of a community that has grown from humble beginnings into a truly global organisation,” Gamel Kheir said at the time.
As Feed The World continues to grow, so too does its ambition to build lasting relationships with donors – not just one-off gifts, but ongoing support through recurring donation options now available on its website.
“Everything’s becoming a subscription model these days, from software to Uber,” Mohammed Issa points out.
“Why not redirect one less subscription toward charity instead?”
This article marks the beginning of regular Feed The World updates in Minaret Media, where we’ll continue to explore the charity’s work, its people, and the causes it supports – from Zakat guidance and Ramadan giving to updates on its projects both here and overseas.
Because when it comes to global relief efforts led by the Lebanese Muslim Association, Feed The World is where the LMA’s compassion meets the world.
To find out more about Feed The World: https://feedtheworld.org.au/
