In 2000 Islamic Relief began orphan sponsorship in Karnataka and Kerala in southern India. Most sponsored orphans in Karnataka live in the capital, Bangalore, but there are also many living in Mandya and Tumkur districts. In Kerala, orphans are currently being sponsored in Calicut city and the districts of Kannur and Wynad.

Sponsorship provides orphans and their families with enough money to cover their basic needs, including food, shelter, healthcare and education. Islamic Relief works in partnership with local organisations on this project.

Poverty in India is widespread, affecting people in both rural and urban areas. Around 280 million Indians live below the poverty line and over a third of the population survives on less than $1 a day.

There are around 25.7 million orphans living in India. Many of these children live in basic housing with poor access to water and sanitation facilities.

Access to healthcare is difficult and it is estimated that half of all Indian children are currently suffering from malnutrition. Immunisation is one of the key development priorities as around 40% of all one year olds are not immunised against measles and 27% have never received a tuberculosis vaccine.

Although most children enrol at school, attendance rates are low and many never finish their education.

Project Objectives

·         To improve the standard of living for orphans and their families;

·         To ensure all orphans have access to healthcare facilities;

·         To ensure that all school-age orphans have access to education and attend school regularly;

·         To provide emotional support to all orphans;

·         To build orphans’ social skills;

Project Activities

·         Distributing monthly sponsorship;

·         Providing counselling and support to orphans and their families;

·         Carrying out health-checks;

·         Holding social activities for orphans;

·         Providing training and putting orphans in touch with employers;

·         Issuing all sponsored orphans with ID cards so that they can access medical and legal services easily;

"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/