Our story
Built by ordinary community members who decided to act.
Amanah Relief USA was founded in the Bay Area in 2025 by Meriam Hussain and Dina Benkhelouf, after they found themselves repeatedly witnessing people around the world struggle and suffer. Feeling helpless was difficult — but they believed grief and frustration could be turned into meaningful action.
With the support of their community and like-minded individuals, they created Amanah Relief USA as a way to help others, raise awareness, and turn compassion into action.
Amanah — أمانة
Amanah means a sacred trust — something placed in your care that you are bound to protect. That idea shapes everything we do: every donation is a trust we carry on the donor's behalf until it reaches someone who needs it, and we show donors where their support went through photos, videos, and updates from completed projects.
Where we work
Rather than one fixed region, we dedicate focused periods of time to specific communities and urgent needs. So far, our community has supported families in:
Depending on the location, aid is delivered by our own volunteers — including a branch operating within a refugee camp in Syria — or through trusted partners on the ground, like Project Hope in Palestine. Here at home, our volunteers run homeless outreach drives across the Bay Area and East Bay with food, hygiene supplies, and essentials. Our local initiatives are organized and carried out primarily by volunteers from our own community.
Join us in this work.
Questions, volunteering, or fundraising ideas? Email us at dinabenski@gmail.com or follow along on Instagram.