How to Empower them and their Families? 

Countless individuals suffer in silence every day since their family’s safety is no longer guaranteed as conflicts, wars, and natural disasters intensify throughout the world. 

Around 10,000 children lose their parents every day, and UNICEF estimates that there are 140 million orphaned children in the world today. These alarming statistics are especially noticeable in Gaza, where there has been an intense military conflict since October 2023. According to data from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, as of March 2024, the conflict has left about 17,000 additional orphans. 

The data make it clear that societies in some areas, especially in the Middle East and Africa, face a significant threat. Furthermore, ongoing conflicts and high poverty rates plague these areas. Orphans in these regions are frequently brought up in unstable social and psychological environments. They frequently lack access to psychiatric care in addition to lacking proper healthcare, education, and upbringing. 

Orphan Waqf Share: Empowering Orphans and their Families

The International Endowment Fund has been working on improving the effectiveness and sustainability of orphan sponsorships. We believe that giving orphans sponsorships for their education and necessities is essential, but we also think giving some support should go to their families. This will boost the sponsorships’ long-term effects and guarantee that the orphans will have a nurturing and supportive environment in which to develop.

Orphaned Children

A 14-year-old orphan named “Mariama” is one of the beneficiaries of Waqf Fund projects in 2023. This child lives in Niger, a country where 12 million people live in extreme poverty.

Mariam’s mother has been raising her four children by herself since her husband passed away, and she is currently selling vegetables to help make ends meet. Fortunately, Mariama’s mother was able to support her daughter thanks to her enrollment in the Waqf Fund’s Orphan Care Program. Thanks to the fund’s assistance, Mariama could get the supplies she needed for her studies and return to Quranic school.

Regarding Afghanistan, we approached our intervention in a different way. In 2023, we initiated a project aimed at supporting Afghani orphan families. The country has been struggling with issues that impact both the young and the old, such as poverty, instability, starvation, and malnutrition. Consequently, we set out to provide financial support for families to receive training in income-generating small projects through our parent organization, Islamic Relief. Additionally, we offered cash grants to help them start their projects, which eventually helped them become more self-sufficient and sustainable in the long run.

Why should you donate to orphans through the Waqf Fund?

• Enduring Sponsorship, with Allah’s permission: When you donate your Waqf share, we invest the amount you’ve donated in low-risk, Sharia-compliant investments. We then use the returns to provide sponsorships for orphans. A percentage of the earnings is reinvested to maintain the principal and grow it over time, enabling us to sponsor more orphans and enhance their lives.
• Sustainable Livelihood Support: We believe that supporting orphan families and enabling them to live dignified and respectable lives is crucial. Your donation will help our “Sustainable Livelihoods” projects, designed to give widows and orphan families the resources and means they need to support themselves. We use the returns from your Waqf shares to fund small businesses for these families, giving the whole household a consistent source of income. 

Donate now with Orphans Waqf Share or Sustainable Livelihood Waqf Share and fulfil your social responsibility towards orphans.