The project aims to provide business loans to assist in the creation of income and employment generation opportunities for micro-enterprises. The majority of recipients are returnees to pre-war homes. Housing loans are also provided for the repair and reconstruction of war damaged housing. Over two thirds of the borrowers are female headed households. They are all vulnerable members of the population who would not ordinarily be eligible for loans from banks and other financial intermediaries.

More than a quarter of a million people were killed during the war in Bosnia. A further 1.2 million were internally displaced and some 800,000 were forced to flee the country. Bosnia suffered extensive destruction of housing and severe damage to its infrastructure and economic activities. Over 40 percent of the housing stock was damaged or destroyed and the habitable homes left behind by displaced persons and refugees were often occupied by other displaced persons in search of shelter.

Project Objectives

• To alleviate poverty through the provision of micro credit assistance.
• To create income and employment generation opportunities.
• To provide low cost housing loans for the repair and reconstruction of war damaged properties.
• To improve the economic, emotional, social and political welfare of the beneficiaries, their families and their local communities.

Project Activities

• Providing loans for income and employment generation.
• Providing loans for the repair and reconstruction or war damaged homes.

Beneficiaries

The project will benefit 6,500 people.

"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."

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/