Islamic Relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Delivering humanitarian aid and emergency relief since 1992

ISLAMIC RELIEF IN

BOSNIA

AND HERZEGOVINA

SERVING HUMANITY

ISLAMIC RELIEF IN BOSNIA

SERVING HUMANITY

“Islamic Relief Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the foundation that helped build the greater Islamic Relief family.�

DR HANY ELBANNA, Founder

Islamic Relief Bosnia and Herzegovina was established 26 years ago, during the Bosnian War. We were among the first charities to arrive and have continued to work in Bosnia ever since.

The war was a catastrophe and the humanitarian needs were high. The quality of our work was recognised by the UN and the international community, we helped coordinate the activities Muslim charities in the region after the war.

Our office in Bosnia helped expand and enhance the Islamic Relief family. It continues to build and grow within the country, helping the most vulnerable people, developing communities, and promoting peace, stability and growth.

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WHERE WE WORK

OUR WORK

WHERE WE WORK

“IR Bosnia is about more than humanitarian work. It has supported local education and helped preserve intellectual resources. Many academics have taken part in Islamic Relief’s activities over the years.”

FARUK MEKIC, Professor

Tuzla Sarajevo

OUR WORK

Banja Luka

Zenica Mostar

“Everything is easier when you have someone beside you. I have no father but I have my mother and good people who will help us. Thanks to Islamic Relief, I had the opportunity to attend summer and winter school. That was amazing experience for me..”

SARA ZUMBERI, Sarajevo

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A BETTER FUTURE

A BETTER FUTURE

A BETTER FUTURE

We are committed to supporting the orphans and vulnerable children of Bosnia.

We believe that all children have the right to dignity and protection of violence.

2YE6ARS OF

ORPHAN SHIP SPONSOR

Sahl ibn Sa’d reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The one who cares for an orphan and myself will be together in Paradise like this,” and he held his two fingers together to illustrate.

SAHIH AL BUKHARI 5659

Globally, we sponsor 56,000 orphans and around 1,500 in Bosnia. Our projects for orphans include food distributions in Ramadan, Qurbani meat, gifts at Eid, providing firewood in the winter, clothing, school supplies, and psychotherapy for traumatised children.

We have been sponsoring orphans for 26 years, since the war, and we will continue to help the most poor and vulnerable people in our society.

5OR6PH,A0NS00 1IN,B5OS0NI0A SPONSORYED GLOBALL

Photo credit: Michał Huniewicz

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WINTER

OUR PROJECTS

OUR PROJECTS Our projects help people all year round.

We work throughout the entire country and help people of all ages and backgrounds.

Our staff is made up of experienced staff and volunteers, all of us working with the aim of serving humanity, alleviating suffering, ending hunger, illiteracy and diseases.

WINTER The winter is especially harsh for the poor, the widows, and the orphaned.

Food, clothing, and shelter are basic human needs and some people in our communities do not have these basic needs met.

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We provide winter clothing to orphans including shoes, winter jackets, hats, shawls and gloves.

We also provide firewood to orphans, widows, and the elderly to ensure they can stay warm as the weather conditions become more difficult.

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QURBANI

RAMADAN

RAMADAN

At Islamic Relief we work all year round to relieve food poverty and help families maintain a healthy, stable livelihood.

During sacred times of the year such as Eid al-Adha, we also help communities fulfil their Islamic obligations and charitable acts to families and communities worldwide.

The Prophet ( ) said, “(Allah said), ‘Every good deed of Adam’s son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.’ Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk.”

SAHIH AL BUKHARI 5927

The blessed month of Ramadan is a time to increase our rewards and purify our souls while we fast for the sake of Allah. In this month many of us fast after having eaten and drank during suhoor and then we break our fast with food and drinks at iftar.

However, there are people around us who fast with little or no food. We aim to help all of our brothers and sisters, our families and friends by providing food parcels throughout the month. The food parcels include XXXX and provide enough for a family of XXXX.

Last year we distributed XXXX food parcels in Ramadan. Since 1992, we have reached over 2 million people with our Ramadan food parcels.

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Every year during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal – a goat, sheep, cow or camel – to reflect the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail, for the sake of God.

Those who receive the Qurbani meat include widowed women, orphaned children, refugees and poor, elderly or disabled people. For the majority of these people, meat is not part of their regular diet. The Qurbani meat allows some families to eat meat after a whole year.

QURBANI Last year we provided XXXX Qurbani meat packs to people in Bosnia. Since 1992, we have reached over 2 million people with our Qurbani meat packs.

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TRANSFORMING LIVES

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Breaking the cycle of poverty We don’t believe in only distributing aid to communities in need. We aim to help the most poor people transform their lives and break out of cycles of poverty.

We want to empower and help people so they can lift themselves out of poverty, so they no longer have to rely on assistance from charities.

Our raspberries project is helping almost 50 families become economically independent.

We have provided plantations, education, and equipment to disadvantaged people including orphaned families, returnees, and women.

Now they can generate their own income and improve their living standards.

Similarly, we have built over 100 greenhouses for widows so they can have jobs and regular income. We have also provided food dryers for widows and their families so they can fruits, herbs, and vegetables and generate an income from there.

Our sustainable solutions aim to benefit individuals, families, and communities.

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HEALTH & WELLBEING Improving health and mental health Serving humanity by improving the health and wellbeing of people is something we have been doing for many years. Recently we donated an ultrasound device to Travnik Hospital. It is estimated that this will help 10,000 people ever year.

We continue to reconstruct health centres and provide support to people with disabilities and special needs.

The trauma of war affected men, women and children in Bosnia. Our Pass it Forward project has been created to help those in need of psychosocial support. Not only do we provide healthcare to those who require it, but we also provide psychosocial support to help with mental health.

We run special therapy sessions for orphaned children, helping them with stresses and nurturing their confidence and self-esteem.

In order to provide these services to large numbers of people we have engaged in the reconstruction of health centres so people can access high-quality healthcare and assistance from trained professionals.

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INVESTING IN BOSNIA’S FUTURE

BUILDING HOMES

INVESTING IN BOSNIA’S FUTURE BUILDING HOMES

Having a home is a human necessity We recognise that having a home improves economic growth, resilience, and sustainability in communities. Having a home allows people to plan their lives, their work and the education of their children.

With this in mind, we have helped thousands of people find a secure place to live. We have also helped people return to their pre-war homes by helping reconstruct them.

We continue to plan and build more homes for those in need.

“Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim…”

IBN MAJAH

By providing educational support for the whole family, people and communities can escape poverty with the chance of a better job.

Education also helps build self-confidence, self-assurance and increased access to opportunities. This, in turn, impacts on generation after generation within even a single family and additionally further developing the wider community.

That’s why we are committed to educating children. Last year we sponsored XXXX children in their pursuit of education.

We have been reconstructing schools so that the future of Bosnia, its children, have the best chances possible to succeed in life.

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WWW.ISLAMIC-RELIEF.BA INFO@ISLAMIC-RELIEF.BA +38733666223 JUKIĆEVA 75, SARAJEVO, BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA