The Community Action Project (CAP) is a community-based development project that assists poor disadvantaged communities break the vicious cycle of poverty and improve their living standards.

IR aid workers encourage small groups of community members save money together who are then given access to loans and income generation activities. IR mobilises the community to build its own institutions and to take care of the immediate environment and improve hygiene and sanitation.

The Community Action Project (CAP) began in 1994 aiming to develop and mobilise people from disadvantaged rural communities.

Small groups of people are organised who gather money together and save it for investing in income generating activities. Islamic Relief collects the savings and deposits them in a Bank under the name of each member. IR also provides credit from each group's fund.   

Project Objectives

• Empowering targeted beneficiaries
• Institution building
• Enhancing the income of beneficiaries
• Improving awareness on child education, health and the environment

Project Activities

• Social mobilization
• Forming communities into groups
• Training groups
• Gather savings
• Develop skills of each groups
• Provide credit
• Provide awareness on social issues
• Establish links with governmental and non-governmental organisations
• Providing awareness on disaster preparedness
• Increasing access to safe water
• Increasing access to sanitary latrines

"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/