In late February 2006 severe flooding displaced 2,500 and killed at least three people in the Dhamar governorate of Yemen. Three metres of flooding destroyed homes and livelihoods, and seriously affected access to drinking water in the area.

Islamic Relief co-ordinated an emergency flood relief operation over two days, distributing food and emergency relief items to flood survivors.

Yemen has not seen heavy rainfall on this scale since the 1980s. Dhamar’s roads do not have any drainage facilities which made the flood situation worse.

Most houses in Dhamar are made from mud and so could not withstand the severe flooding. Over 15 homes were destroyed in the floods. Many displaced people were able to move temporarily into their neighbours’ homes, but around 400 people sought shelter in a school and over 80 others stayed in an open, unroofed building.

Floods have seriously affected livelihoods, as many people in this region of Yemen depend on agriculture.

Project Objectives

• To provide essential aid to flood victims, particularly those who have lost their homes.

Project Activities

• Food items including sugar, rice, flour, wheat, milk and oil were distributed to flood victims
• Non-food items such as mattresses, pillows and plastic jerry cans, were also distributed to flood victims
• The Head of the Civil Defence attended IR Yemen’s relief distributions. IR Yemen received the full support of the Yemeni government and the Governor of Dhamar.

Beneficiaries

Two hundred and fifty individuals benefited from IR Yemen’s emergency response.

"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/