It was founded in 1981, and is funded primarily by Kuwaiti aid and dawah donations from Muslims.
[1] The Cape Town office was started in 1987 by Mahomed Farid Choonara, and under his directorship the agency grew to become one of the largest aid organisations in Africa.
[3] The AMA describes itself as a humanitarian, development and Dawah organization based in Kuwait with offices across Africa.
[4] The Agency's goals are to strengthen Islam by spreading the teachings of the Quran, as well as to build hospitals, schools and mosques.
[4] In 2010, the International Labour Office noted that the AMA focused on direct aid, including the building of wells for clean drinking water.