Project Overview
In March 2003 Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) extended the Orphans Sponsorship Programme to Kosova.

Sponsorship provides orphans and their families with enough money to cover their basic needs including food, shelter, healthcare and education.

Project Background
Over 10,000 people were killed during the 1996-1999 conflict in Kosova and most of these were men. The loss of the family breadwinner has left thousands of orphans and widows destitute.

At the moment, local authorities provide around €60 a month to families in Kosova’s poorest communities. However, in most of these families there are more than three orphans and this small income is not enough to cover the costs of basic household necessities such as food, clothing and heating. As a result, many children are weak and malnourished, which has made them more vulnerable to illness.  

Education has also become more expensive in Kosovo, which has led to huge numbers of children dropping-out from school.

Project Objectives

• To reduce child poverty in Kosova’s poorest communities;
• To ensure that all school-age orphans attend school;
• To improve the physical and mental health of sponsored orphans;
• To provide opportunities for orphans to build their social and life skills;

Project Activities

• Monthly distribution of sponsorship;
• At the beginning of each school year, sponsored orphans receive a school bag filled with books and stationery;
• Visits from Orphans Welfare Staff;
• Sponsored orphans also benefit from IRW’s seasonal Ramadhan and Qurbani food distributions;
• All sponsored orphans have the opportunity to go to IRW’s annual summer school;

Beneficiaries
Over 250 orphans are currently being sponsored in Kosovo. Twenty-four of these orphans are sponsored by local sponsors.