About the Situation
By the Numbers
44% of the people living in Egypt survive on less than $2 a day
30% of Palestinian families live in “extreme poverty”
(Source: USAID)
Millions of families around the world struggle on a daily basis to find nutritious meals to eat; to maintain sanitary living environments; and to receive vital health screenings.
Whether because of harsh climates, tense political situations, low employment levels or high food prices, many of these families find themselves living in conditions that exacerbate poverty and close off opportunities to progress.
In Egypt
One out of five Egyptians lives below the poverty line—44% of the 88 million people in Egypt live on less than $2 per day. Underemployment in Egypt is widespread, and political unrest in 2011 has raised existing unemployment rates, high food prices and poverty levels.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has recently declared Egypt among the most vulnerable countries facing food crisis, with the nation on the brink of exhausting its supply of staple foods, such as rice and vegetable oil.
Millions of families in Egypt are struggling to survive.
In Palestine
The economic and social wellbeing of an estimated 3.5 million indigenous Palestinians continues to deteriorate. Poverty, unemployment and food insecurity levels have dramatically risen over past years, worsening already harsh living conditions, especially for Palestinians living in rural areas.
More than 57% of Palestinian families live below the poverty line—30% live in “extreme poverty.”
How Islamic Relief USA is Helping
Islamic Relief’sTM family sponsorship program helps to improve living standards of impoverished families in at-risk communities. Families are provided with the basic resources necessary for daily life, and with tools and programs that support income-generation opportunities.
Beneficiaries of the family sponsorship program receive food parcels, support for medicinal expenses and school supplies for children. In additional, many families in this program receive financial support for entrepreneurial opportunities that will help them generate income to support themselves—and to contribute to their communities’ economic viability—for decades to come.
Islamic Relief has implemented family sponsorship programs in Egypt and Palestine, benefitting more than 30,000 people so far.
