Almost 4 million children are orphans in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of children below 18 years have lost either one or both parents. Almost 4 million children are orphans, with half of them living in extreme poverty.
With your donations, the Alternative Orphan Family Sponsorship project was developed to support orphan families with a holistic approach.
Instead of the traditional one-to-one financial orphan sponsorship that only focuses on orphan development alone, our approach ensures the orphan child gets an education whilst the family is supported to earn a stable income.
750 new orphan households benefiting
SubhanAllah, your continued generosity during our Ramadan live appeal on Channel S, enabled us to take this project into its second phase, which means an extra 750 orphan households will soon be able to build themselves a sustainable future.
Each family is provided with an interest-free loan, training on financial and business management, and equipment to start a small business. A monthly stipend is provided to ensure all beneficiary children are enrolled in school and each year the children are provided with clothing, books, and other educational materials.
Self-help groups are established and supported by Islamic Relief so that the carers can provide each other with financial, social, and business assistance. The loan is then paid back into this self-help group, accessible to all in the community if and when needed.
Dignified change
During phase 1 of this project, strong relations were established with government line departments who play an important role in delivering technical training for skills development.
Integrating the Alternative Orphans Sponsorship programme with government services will help us bring about dignified change of the orphan families. Our work is founded on enabling people and institutions to fulfil the rights of the poor and vulnerable. We work to empower the dispossessed towards realising their God-given human potential and develop their capabilities and resources.