Project Descriptions – A Look At Your Beneficiaries
All funds raised for the RISE-UP! To End Poverty campaign will benefit 8 IDRF development and relief projects around the world. Each selected project correlates with a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to show how IDRF and its supporters are also striving to take action to eradicate poverty. IDRF works in partnerships with International NGOs and grassroots organizations to implement projects that are culturally sensitive and projects that create a foundation for long-term sustainability.
The following are 8 IDRF projects your funds will support:
- CANADA – EEL GROUND SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM
- PAKISTAN – PROMOTING LITERACY IN THE UNDERPRIVILEGED AREAS OF PAKISTAN
- TANZANIA – WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
- KENYA – PROVIDING HEALTHCARE SUPPORT TO POOR PEOPLE IN MOMBASA
- PALESTINE – DISTRIBUTION OF HYGIENE KITS TO IDPS
- UGANDA – IMPROVED INCOME AND NUTRITION FOR HIV/AIDS AFFECTED FAMILIES
- ETHIOPIA – PROMOTING SANITATION AND FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVES BASED ON CONSTRUCTION OF BIOGAS SYSTEM
- CANADA – BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF CANADIAN ISLAMIC-BASED ORGANIZATION ENGAGED IN INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION (IWS)
1) CANADA – EEL GROUND SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM
Eel Ground, a First Nations Reserve in New Brunswick, is an Aboriginal community that faces numerous health problems stemming from a complex social origin. Obesity, malnourishment, child neglect, and substance abuse all occur in higher rates amongst First Nations communities when compared to the rest of Canada. To assist First Nations families, IDRF has partnered with Canadian Feed The Children (CFTC), to bring daily breakfasts and nutritional education to the Eel Ground School, a kindergarten to grade 8 school for First Nations children. By providing children with a healthy breakfast, IDRF hopes to provide each child with better health and concentration throughout the day, thereby heightening the child’s chances of success in school. Furthermore, by raising awareness in the school community about healthy eating, children can learn to make healthy choices throughout life, further increasing their ability to succeed.
2) PAKISTAN – PROMOTING LITERACY IN THE UNDERPRIVILEGED AREAS OF PAKISTAN
Less than half the population of Pakistan has the ability to read and write according to an UNDP survey conducted in 2005. Without proper access to education, many children grow up without the opportunity to practice and develop literacy skills. Children living in rural areas of Pakistan are especially at risk for the fact that there are either no schools or not enough schools to educate community children. IDRF has partnered with DIL Canada to support literacy in underprivileged areas of Pakistan. IDRF’s and DIL Canada’s longstanding partnership has funded school operating costs and supplies, teacher training and salaries, and student tuition fees for numerous schools across Pakistan. By giving children who live in underprivileged areas an equal opportunity to obtain an education, IDRF hopes to provide the next generation of Pakistani children with the ability to support themselves and their families and thereby helping them to escape the perpetual cycle of poverty.
3) TANZANIA – WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
In Tanzania, half the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Access to loans from formal financial institutions is limited and even experienced entrepreneurs often lack the skills required to operate their own businesses successfully. IDRF has partnered with AFREDA (Action for Relief and Development Assistance) to provide micro-credit loans below market rates to underprivileged women, and to train these women on small enterprise management. Thus far, 200 women have benefited from the economic and livelihood development project by learning how to keep proper records, sell goods and services for a profit, and implement marketing strategies. By employing a micro-credit loan system in Tanzania, IDRF hopes not only to provide disadvantaged women with a new viable source of income, but also with a sense of confidence and pride which can help them provide for their families.
4) KENYA – PROVIDING HEALTHCARE SUPPORT TO POOR PEOPLE IN MOMBASA
In Mombasa, Kenya, approximately 150,000 people live in the impoverished slums throughout the city. Due to poor sanitation and a lack of access to food and water, many children in poor communities die of preventable diseases such as malaria and pneumonia. Women, who are also greatly affected, need treatment for reproductive health problems and support throughout pregnancy to ensure their child has a healthy upbringing. Although medical facilities are within reach, poverty-stricken families are unable to pay for the help they need. To assist those at risk, especially women and children, IDRF is working with the local BOMU Medical Centre to provide treatment and outpatient services to those who cannot afford it. Along with hospital services, medical camps will be set up within slum communities to promote sanitary, healthy living. By working in partnership with BOMU, IDRF hopes to ensure that disadvantaged individuals have access to healthcare at no cost and that preventable diseases do not go untreated.
5) PALESTINE – DISTRIBUTION OF HYGIENE KITS TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPs)
The recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which displaced 50,000 people and killed over 1,300 Palestinians over a period of 22 days, has devastated thousands of families, many of which lost their homes, lives, health, and loved ones. Together with the Welfare Association (WA), IDRF is working to meet the immediate needs of the people of Gaza by providing residents and families with emergency relief assistance. More specifically, IDRF and WA are distributing personal hygiene packs to 2,000 displaced families in the Gaza Strip to ensure that displaced families have access to basic necessities such as soap, shampoo, sanitary supplies, and child undergarments. The project is also targeting expecting mothers and their newborns in hopes of reducing child mortality and ensuring maternal health by negating health risks associated with improper sanitation.
6) UGANDA – IMPROVED INCOME AND NUTRITION FOR HIV/AIDS AFFECTED FAMILIES
Uganda is still one of the poorest countries in the world; nearly 36 percent of Uganda’s population lives below the poverty line. Absolute poverty, although declining, still disproportionately affects women, children, and HIV/AIDS victims. IDRF has partnered with Reach The Youth – Uganda (Reach) to improve the income and nutritional levels of 150 HIV/AIDS affected households in the Kalangala district. By providing training in both animal husbandry and horticulture – establishing 15 village multiplication centres, distributing 165 improved goat breeds and 3 improved seed varieties – IDRF and Reach will provide 150 HIV/AIDS affected households, specifically those headed by orphans and single mothers, with more viable sources of income and nutrition. By increasing the income of HIV/AIDS affected households, IDRF hopes to provide disadvantaged families with the motivation to work collectively for their own social and economic improvement, thereby allowing them to afford basic needs such as food, healthcare, and clothing.
7) ETHIOPIA – PROMOTING SANITATION AND FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVES BASED ON CONSTRUCTION OF BIOGAS SYSTEM
Ethiopia is heavily reliant on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of the country’s GDP, 60 percent of its exports, and 80 percent of the population’s total employment. Due to this dependence, the agriculture sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. IDRF is working with Women and Children Development Organization (WCDO) to relieve some of the pressures placed on the environment in Ethiopia. The projects aims to improve the overall health status of the targeted community by addressing issues stemming from a lack of energy resources, and poor sanitation and waste management practices. To address these problems, IDRF and WCDO are constructing a biogas system, a communal latrine, and a kitchen –all of which will benefit 1175 disadvantaged men, women, and children. By using a biogas system, families benefiting from the project will spend less of their income and time on collecting firewood, which should also reduce the burden placed on the surrounding forests. The biogas system will provide effective waste management, and will develop the community’s organic farming through the use of by-products of the biogas system. Overall, this project exemplifies IDRF’s commitment to both assisting disadvantaged people and promoting environmental sustainability. With multi-faceted projects, such as this one, IDRF continues to take action toward meeting numerous Millennium Development Goals simultaneously.
8) CANADA – BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF CANADIAN ISLAMIC-BASED ORGANIZATION ENGAGED IN INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION (IWS)
As the number of organizations working in IWS grows, so does the need to aid these organizations with efficient and effective IWS practices. In November 2008, IDRF received a grant from the Harbinger Foundation to begin a project based on building up the capacity of Canadian Islamic-based organizations engaged in IWS. With the grant, IDRF is able to conduct much-needed research in the field and is also able to effectively build bridges amongst Islamic organizations working in IWS. Through such collaboration, IDRF hopes to provide efficient and effective water and sanitation services to disadvantaged families as well as to reduce the spread of water-borne diseases –all of which helps preserve environmental sustainability and the good health of all people.
