The Integrated Orphans Welfare and Livelihoods Programme contains several sub-projects that are integrated together to serve orphans and their families. The project began in mid 2005 and is a community-based project that works with orphans in north eastern Bangladesh. This area is prone to flooding and it is one of Bangladesh's most disadvantaged districts

The project includes children's education, health support, provision of shelter and sanitary latrines shelter and practical training for widows. Small business loans are also available for beneficiaries of this project.    

Widows and orphans are usually amongst the poorest of the poor. Orphans from destitute families are often deprived of their rights and are often survive in extreme poverty, homelessness, neglect and remain largely uncared for.

The Integrated Orphan and Welfare Livelihoods Programme addresses the needs of orphans and their families by providing guidance on how to generate income, and by giving access to small business loans, literacy classes, shelter and home renovation, safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, and by ensuring access to primary health care.

The project puts in place a mechanism for running a business loans scheme in each community that is self-sustaining and extends its to support to more families every year. The scheme is designed so that Islamic Relief does not need to supply additional funds to extend the scheme. This means that the community is able to develop itself through its own institutions.

Project Objectives

• Ensuring better livelihoods for orphan children and widows.
• Building the capacity of orphans and their families to find employment and income opportunities.
• Creating community institutions to raising awareness of the needs of orphaned children.
• Establishing small business loans schemes in target communities.

Project Activities 

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/