Islamic Relief

Losing one or both parents is traumatic for any child. In countries where war, famine and HIV/AIDS are a part of everyday life, millions of children are orphaned or left to struggle for survival. In the short term, our orphan—oriented projects provide food, clothing, healthcare and shelter for orphaned children and their families around the world. We also offer longer-term support by helping orphans to access education that will give them a better chance in life.

Our strategy for 2009 aimed to ensure that all sponsored children of school age were attending school, and that they had a basic school kit of stationery, books and, where needed, a uniform — and we achieved this in 99 per cent of cases. Families of orphans are vulnerable too, particularly widows and women who have to care for their families and be the main breadwinners. So we also offer them financial and practical support — for example, microcredit schemes, which include training to help them set up small businesses. We have programmes in Bangladesh, Bosnia, Kosova and Sudan.

Dental care for Kosovan orphans

Eight-year-old Edona Gashi from Drenas is proud of her new smile. She’s one of many children from poor families who have benefited from the free dental treatment on offer as part of Islamic Relief’s dental health project in Kosova.

“Before, we were begging on the road. Islamic Relief gave us clothes and food packages. Thank you for the opportunity to have our teeth looked after at the dental wellness centre — before, most of us didn’t even have toothpaste or had never been to a dentist. Now we have great treatment here. I have had two teeth taken out and now all the dental decay has gone.”

Unlike her 50-year-old father, who doesn’t have a single tooth left, Edona — and many other children like her — now have a healthier start and, with a better understanding of oral hygiene, they have a much smaller risk of losing teeth in later life.

As Edona beams, “Thank you for giving me my smile back.”