New orphan sponsorship cohort welcomed this season
TAZC Field Report
Non-profit Organization
Tareek Al ZuhoorCharity
Walking a path of flowers, supporting orphans, families in need, and the wounded through education, dignity, and care.
About TAZC
A path paved with hope and dignity
Tareeq Alzuhoor Charity (TAZC) is dedicated to improving the health, education, safety, and well-being of children and vulnerable populations affected by war, conflict, displacement, poverty, and humanitarian crises. We deliver assistance and projects that help individuals and communities rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. TAZC was founded by renowned Iraqi oud musician Naseer Shamma in 2005 to provide medical care for Iraqi children suffering from congenital heart disease who lacked the means to receive treatment at home. In 2023, TAZC was formally registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, and in 2026 launched its first educational program for children in Gaza.
1300+
Children treated
2005
Founded by Naseer Shamma
501(c)(3)
U.S. registered nonprofit
Our Work
What we do
01
Treatment Abroad Program for Iraqi Children
In partnership with Narayana Health City in Bangalore, India, TAZC treated more than 1,300 Iraqi children with congenital heart disease between 2005 and 2018.
02
Educational Program for Children in Gaza
Launched in 2026, this learning and recreational program serves children aged 4–6, with a special focus on those who have lost one or both parents.
Founder & Patron
Founder
Under the patronage of Maestro Naseer Shamma
✦
Born in Al-Kut, Iraq (1963) and a graduate of Baghdad's Institute of Musical Studies (1987), Naseer Shamma is one of the most influential oud virtuosos of our time. He reconstructed the eight-string oud from a millennium-old diagram by the philosopher Al-Farabi, founded Beit Al-Oud Al-Arabi in Cairo (1999) with branches in Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Baghdad and Khartoum, and founded Tareeq Alzuhoor Charity in 2005 to bring life-saving care to Iraqi children. His lifelong commitment to the children of war and to dialogue through music is woven into the spirit of our mission.
Board of Directors
Aqeel Alazraki
President of the Iraqi Forum in Houston; holds a Master's degree in Media Studies.
Aziz Shaibani, M.D.
American board-certified neurologist; Medical Director of the Nerve and Muscle Center of Texas; Clinical Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine; Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Kansas University Medical Center.
Rana Tomaira
Senior Lecturer at New York University Abu Dhabi.
News & Impact
Stories from the path
Maestro Naseer Shamma named Ambassador for the IFRC
ircs.org.iq
Education partnership expands free music classes for children
Press Release