Health

About the Situation

Preventing illness is often as simple as soap, clean water, hygienic sanitation facilities and perhaps as piece of netting to protect children from malaria-transmitting mosquito bites. When these basic items are provided, the number of illnesses drops drastically. These are still unattainable luxuries in some regions of the world.

But preventing illness is not the only challenge. Once an individual becomes ill, access to health care varies widely: Poor populations tend to have less access to health care. In some countries, as few as 10% of births are attended by skilled health workers, according to the World Health Organization. Poor children live much shorter lives than children from wealthy families, in part due to inadequate health care. The WHO report finds that addressing these disparities could save the lives of 700,000 women and more than 16 million children by 2015.

How Islamic Relief is Helping

When crisis hits a country, Islamic Relief provides humanitarian aid that often includes emergency health care and distribution of clean water to prevent illness. Our teams often stay to implement long-term development projects, such as rebuilding destroyed water and sanitation facilities, or constructing new facilities for populations lacking them. Projects like these reduce illness rates and save lives.

Here are some of Islamic Relief’s current and recently completed health programs:

• Al Selo water and health project, Afghanistan
• Water, health, and environment program, Afghanistan
• Tongjiang education, health, and water supply program, China
• Child friendly village, Mali
• Malaria project, Mali
• Vulnerable children, Mali
• Community livelihood improvement project, Pakistan
• Nowshera integrated rehabilitation program, Pakistan
• Punjab integrated rehabilitation program, Pakistan
• Dialysis unit at Abu Al Qasem hospital, Palestine
• School lunch, Palestine
• Ramadan and Udhiyah/Qurbani food distributions

HOW YOU CAN HELP