About the Situation
By the Numbers
More than 49,004,000 people live in South Africa
50%% of the population lives below the poverty line
23% of the population is unemployed
(Source: U.S. government)
More than 5 million people in South Africa have HIV or AIDS, making the country the second in the world for concentration of the disease, according ot the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. South Africa is also ranked first in the number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS, according to the U.S. government: 300,000 South Africans died from the disease in 2009. Millions of children have become orphans after the disease took one or both of their parents.
The extreme susceptibility to this fatal disease makes impoverished living conditions even harder to overcome—the sicker the individuals, the less likely income can be generated to support themselves or their familes. It is estimated that half of the people living in South Africa live below the poverty line.
How Islamic Relief is Helping
Islamic ReliefTM opened an office in South Africa in 2003 to implement and oversee education and health programs that would alleviate suffering due poverty and to help children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Islamic Relief USATM supports one-to-one orphan sponsorships and Udhiyah/Qurbani meat distribution campaigns in the region.
