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Every child deserves love, security, and a future filled with hope. Yet millions of orphaned children around the world face unimaginable hardships, lacking access to food, education, and medical care. They grow up without the protection of a parent, navigating poverty, conflict, and displacement at an age when they should be learning, playing, and dreaming.
The Orphan Care Fund is Islamic Relief's pooled fund for orphan support. Your donation is combined with the contributions of other donors and directed to the orphans and orphan families who are in the greatest need, across multiple countries and programmes. It is a flexible, high-impact way to support vulnerable children wherever the need is greatest. If you would prefer to build a direct, personal relationship with a specific named child, Islamic Relief South Africa also offers a one-to-one Orphan Sponsorship programme where your donation goes exclusively to the same orphan every month, and you receive annual progress reports and the opportunity to correspond with the child.
The Scale of the Orphan Crisis
The number of orphaned children worldwide is staggering. Conflict, disease, poverty, and natural disaster continue to separate children from their parents at an alarming rate. In South Africa, the legacy of HIV/AIDS has left hundreds of thousands of children without one or both parents. Globally, the situation is no less urgent.
An orphaned child in Syria, supported through Islamic Relief's orphan programme.
How Your Donation Makes an Impact
When you donate to the Orphan Care Fund, your contribution is pooled with those of other donors and directed to the orphans and orphan families who need it most. This approach allows Islamic Relief to respond flexibly to the most urgent needs, whether that is emergency medical care in Gaza, educational support in Somalia, or family empowerment in Niger. If you would like to sponsor a specific named orphan and receive regular updates on that child's progress, visit our Orphan Sponsorship page to learn more.
Medical Aid
Assistive equipment, surgeries, therapy, and treatment for orphaned children who would otherwise have no access to healthcare.
Educational Support
Tuition fees, educational materials, school equipment, and skills training to ensure orphaned children can access and complete their education.
Shelter and Utilities
Home repairs, electricity supply, clean water, and sanitation facilities to ensure orphaned children and their families have a safe and dignified place to live.
Orphan Projects
A wide range of support including education, health, social welfare, sports, and leisure activities that nurture the whole child and support their emotional and social development.
Family Empowerment
Support for the mothers and caregivers of orphaned children, including vocational training, financial aid, and business support to help families achieve long-term self-reliance.
Psychosocial Support
Counselling, mental health support, and psychosocial programmes for orphaned children who have experienced trauma, conflict, or bereavement, helping them heal and build resilience.
Supporting Orphans Around the World
For more than 40 years, Islamic Relief has been on a mission to uplift and change the lives of orphans around the world who have faced the impacts of war, bereavement, poverty, and ill-health. Each year, we are trusted by tens of thousands of orphans and their families to provide access to their most essential needs and the tools to break free from the cycle of poverty.
Gaza
More than 17,000 children have been orphaned since the October 2023 escalation. Islamic Relief has ramped up its Orphan Sponsorship programme, now supporting more than 17,000 children, as well as providing vital psychosocial support to more than 100,000 orphans and vulnerable children affected by the conflict.
Niger
Islamic Relief supported 600 widowed women caring for orphaned children through an orphan families project. In addition to the Orphan Sponsorship Programme, which aids 3,500 children, we provided six months of financial aid, food distributions, and hygiene training. The project also empowered 89% of women to take an active role in decisions on child education and marriage.
Somalia
Beyond the Orphan Sponsorship programme, Islamic Relief empowers caregivers in Somalia with vocational training, business support, and seasonal distributions for Ramadan, Qurbani, and Eid. When a fire destroyed livelihoods in Hargeisa, we provided grants of approximately $2,500 to 75 orphaned families, along with business training and mental health support.
Photo: In Syria, Islamic Relief supports thousands of orphans through various projects.
What Islam Teaches About Caring for Orphans
The Quran addresses the rights and dignity of orphans directly, in multiple verses that make clear the gravity of neglecting or mistreating them and the immense reward of those who protect and support them.
Caring for an orphan is not only an act of compassion. It is an act of worship. It is a form of Sadaqah Jariyah whose reward continues long after the donation has been made. When you give to the Orphan Care Fund, you are fulfilling one of the most beloved acts in Islam and transforming a child's life in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
The two programmes serve different purposes and suit different types of donors.
One-to-one Orphan Sponsorship is a direct, personal relationship between a donor and a specific named orphan. Your donation of R1,200 per month goes exclusively to that same child every month. You receive a welcome pack, an annual progress report written by field officers who visit the orphan, and the opportunity to correspond with the child. It is the most personal way to support an orphan. Learn more about Orphan Sponsorship here.
The Orphan Care Fund is a pooled fund. Your donation is combined with those of other donors and directed to the orphans and orphan families who are in the greatest need across Islamic Relief's global programmes. Although this is not a direct one-to-one sponsorship, your donation goes towards providing critical care and support to specific orphans that Islamic Relief supports. This approach allows greater flexibility to respond to urgent needs and to support a wider range of orphan projects, including family empowerment, medical care, and psychosocial support.
Both approaches are deeply rewarding in Islam and both make a real, lasting difference to vulnerable children.
Yes, in many cases. Zakat may be given to the poor and the needy, which are among the eight categories of eligible Zakat recipients defined in the Quran (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60). Orphaned children who are living in poverty, or whose caregivers are in financial need, qualify as Zakat recipients. Islamic Relief South Africa ensures that Zakat is directed only to eligible recipients. If you would like to confirm eligibility for a specific programme, please contact our Donor Care team on 021 696 0145.
Yes. Donations that fund education, skills training, and family empowerment for orphaned children are among the clearest examples of Sadaqah Jariyah, ongoing charity whose benefit continues after the donor's death. A child who receives an education because of your donation will carry that knowledge for life. A mother who receives vocational training will use those skills to support her children for years to come. The reward of such a donation continues to reach the donor long after the gift has been made.
The Orphan Care Fund supports orphans and orphan families across all countries where Islamic Relief has an active presence, including Gaza, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Niger, Indonesia, Pakistan, and many others. Donations are directed to where the need is greatest at the time of distribution. Islamic Relief currently supports orphans across 27 countries through its various orphan programmes.
Islamic Relief defines an orphan as a child below 18 years of age who has no father, or whose father has been absent or whose whereabouts have been unknown for two years or more (one year for refugees), of any gender, religion, or race. Double orphans, who have lost both parents, are given priority in selection. Children are also assessed based on financial need, the vulnerability of their caregiver, and the conditions in which they are living.
Yes. Islamic Relief South Africa supports orphaned children locally through its local orphan sponsorship programme. South Africa has a significant orphan population, largely as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as poverty, violence, and family breakdown. Islamic Relief South Africa works with local partner organisations to identify and support orphaned children and their caregivers. If you are interested in sponsoring a local orphan specifically, please contact our Donor Care team on 021 696 0145 or email Donor.Care@islamic-relief.org.za.
The wellbeing of an orphaned child is inseparable from the wellbeing of their caregiver. In most cases, orphaned children are cared for by their mothers or other female relatives, who are themselves often living in poverty. If the caregiver cannot meet the family's basic needs, the child suffers. By empowering mothers and caregivers through vocational training, financial support, and business mentorship, Islamic Relief creates the conditions for long-term stability and self-reliance. A mother who can earn an income is a mother who can feed, clothe, and educate her children without depending on ongoing aid.
Yes. Islamic Relief South Africa is a registered Section 18A organisation (NPO 043-357-NPO). All qualifying donations are tax deductible under South African law. Upon request, we will issue you with a Section 18A tax certificate that you can submit to SARS when filing your annual tax return. Please ensure you provide your full name, ID number or tax number, and email address when making your donation so that we can issue your certificate promptly.
According to our published figures, 86 cents of every rand donated reaches the people we serve. The remainder covers essential operational costs including field staff salaries, logistics, monitoring and evaluation, and organisational administration. These costs are necessary to ensure that programmes are delivered effectively, safely, and accountably. We are committed to transparency in how your donations are used, and we publish annual impact reports that detail our programme expenditure and outcomes.
You can donate to the Orphan Care Fund in the following ways:
Bank Transfer: Standard Bank | Account Name: Islamic Relief SA | Branch: Fordsburg | Branch Code: 005205 | Account No: 005318459 | Swift: SBZAZAJJ | Reference: Orphan Care + your mobile number.
Online: Visit donate.islamic-relief.org.za and select the Orphan Care Fund.
Phone: Call us on 021 696 0145 or toll-free on 0800 111 898 and our Donor Care team will assist you.
Email: Send your query to info@islamic-relief.org.za and we will get back to you promptly.