In February 2006 Islamic Relief (IR) began the Disaster Relief Capacity Building project in China. This programme will incorporate the Sphere Project into China’s disaster relief efforts. The Sphere project is a humanitarian charter that outlines minimum standards for disaster response.

Organisations that are directly involved in emergency relief will receive training from IR on the Sphere Project. The training programme will focus on capacity building, disaster preparedness, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Islamic Relief is working in partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) on this project.

Poverty Alleviation officials from 14 provinces and representatives from 11 aid agencies attended IR’s three-day training programme.  

In the long-term, disaster victims will benefit from the Disaster Relief Capacity Building project as agencies implementing relief are now fully trained according to Sphere Project standards. The project will therefore also contribute towards long-term poverty alleviation and sustainable development in China.

A huge number of China’s 1.3 billion people live below the poverty line. According to official statistics, almost 60 million people in 592 counties of China suffer from poverty. Poverty is more prevalent in central and western China which are prone to natural disasters.

The frequency of natural disasters has hindered the sustainable development of these regions and in the past few years there has been an increase in the number of the people living below the poverty line.

The CFPA have partnered with Islamic Relief to set up a workshop for agencies implementing disaster relief in these regions.

Project Objectives

• Incorporating the Sphere standards into China’s disaster relief programmes;
• Analyse current disaster relief procedures in China, focussing on long-term development;
• Create guidelines for basic living requirements for disaster victims;
• Establish a dialogue between international agencies and local professionals on disaster relief;
• Strengthen public awareness of disaster preparedness and disaster relief;
• Set a standard for future disaster relief conferences and workshops.

Project Activities

• Conducting field visits to ensure that the project fits into the culture of the local population;
• Publicising the Sphere Project handbook in China;
• Providing government officials, aid agencies and local professionals with training that complies with Sphere project standards of disaster preparedness and relief;
• Poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/