Inflation and the dramatic increase in the cost of living over the past few years has caused a substantial effect on people around the world and especially for orphan families. They were struggling more than ever to afford the essentials, and our previous prices were no longer enough to sustain basic needs.

To accommodate a higher cost of living globally while remaining true to our values of excellence and sincerity, Islamic Relief has decided to increase pricing to $90/month across the board for all countries, and ultimately make a greater impact for orphan families.

This is to ensure that your sponsorship can truly continue supporting the orphan in today’s tough economic conditions. Your increased support allows them to better account for their unmet needs, so that they can attain quality food, continue their education and cover their expenses.

Our Orphan Sponsorship Program targets orphans younger than 18 and their families when they fulfil either of the following criteria:

• The father or both parents have passed away
• A child whose father’s whereabouts have been unknown for two years or more (one year or more for refugees and internally displaced people)

A Sponsorship can continue past the age of 18 up to the age of 24 if the orphan is in higher education or if the orphan has medical needs which require the sponsorship to continue.

Children who are identified for sponsorship are usually within a family home, living with their mother or extended family members such as aunts, uncles, or grandparents.

Islamic Relief sponsors children regardless of race, gender, religion, or ethnicity, if they meet the requirements set out in the program selection criteria.

The Orphan Sponsorship Program is one of the oldest running programs within Islamic Relief, having started in 1986, and has since grown to support over 80,000 orphans worldwide. It serves orphans around the world, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where we have Field Offices.

The program provides life-saving necessities to orphans, improving their health and nutrition, implementing projects within the community and supporting the orphan educationally, socially, and morally.

This program is uniquely a true 1-1 sponsorship model which means donors are paired on a one-to-one basis with an orphan. This allows for the life of the same orphan to be continuously transformed long term, which means they are able to truly rise above their circumstances, gain the opportunities they deserve, and build a better life for themselves and their families.

Many orphans also benefit from other Islamic Relief run programs such as, micro-finance, Ramadan food parcels, Qurbani packages, water projects, social activities, health, vocational and educational projects.

As an organization, Islamic Relief works with a wide range of communities, both Muslims and non-Muslims. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race or ethnicity but give aid to those who are most in need.

For those who are interested, our orphan sponsorship program is Zakat eligible. If you would like to designate your orphan sponsorship as part of your Zakat donations, kindly let us know. We can pair you with a Muslim orphan.

When you sponsor an orphan, your support extends to their entire household. In most cases, this monthly assistance is a key source of income for the family and is used to meet essential needs such as food, rent, utilities, and other basic living expenses. 

An orphan’s vulnerability is closely linked to the wellbeing of their family. Supporting the child means supporting the environment they depend on for stability and care

Le montant reçu par l’orphelin correspond généralement à 80 % de votre don, avec des variations possibles dues aux fluctuations des taux de change.

Les dépenses opérationnelles correspondent au travail considérable effectué par Islamic Relief sur le terrain pour s’assurer que les meilleures pratiques sont mises en place pour l’orphelin que vous avez parrainé. Les orphelins sont suivis au moyen de visites régulières à domicile effectuées par nos travailleurs sociaux et de réunions de groupe afin de s’assurer qu’ils bénéficient pleinement des avantages du parrainage. Nous pouvons tirer parti des réunions de suivi pour organiser des séances de sensibilisation au processus de parrainage, à la manière de rester en bonne santé, à l’importance de l’éducation et à d’autres sujets.

We encourage a minimum sponsorship time of one year but you may sponsor an orphan for as long as you wish until they have graduated from our sponsorship program.

2023 was the first time we reviewed the sponsorship prices in 20 years, and introduced a new price model of $90/month (or $1,080/year) for all countries. Due to inflation and the dramatic increase in the cost of living, we found it increasingly difficult to meet the basic needs of the orphans’ families in most countries with the previous pricing model.

To accommodate a higher cost of living globally while remaining true to our values of excellence and sincerity, Islamic Relief has decided to increase pricing and ultimately make a greater impact for orphan families. Learn more about this through our  Pricing Increase FAQ.

The program may be reviewed as needed over the course of the sponsorship to improve its design, inputs, deliverables, objectives and impact. Thus, the cost of the sponsorship may rise over the course of the sponsorship.

You will always be notified about any changes to the sponsorship cost.

Le parrainage peut être interrompu par les bureaux locaux si l’orphelin a dépassé l’âge limite, s’il se marie, si ses revenus augmentent de manière considérable, s’il quitte une région où travaille Islamic Relief, ou si la famille ou l’orphelin ne coopère pas.

Dans ce cas, nous réorientons immédiatement vos dons vers un nouvel orphelin et vous informons de l’évolution de la situation. En cas de décès, le parrainage peut être transféré à un frère ou une sœur s’ils sont admissibles au programme.

If you would prefer to sponsor a child other than the one we’ve chosen for you, you can call us at 1-855-377-4673, Monday – Friday 9am-5pm (EST) or email us at [email protected]

When you start your sponsorship, you will receive a biodata report that includes a photograph and detailed information regarding your sponsored orphan. In addition to the initial report, you will receive a single consolidated annual progress report in December of each year. Please note, the reporting period will be for the previous year. Donors may request their orphan’s annual progress report via [email protected] if they have not received their report in December.

Oui, le parrain et l’orphelin peuvent correspondre par l’intermédiaire d’Islamic Relief Canada!

We encourage donors to send letters and pictures to their orphans annually. You can email any letters and photographs to your orphan to  [email protected]

Nous contrôlons toutes les lettres pour nous assurer qu’elles sont appropriées et nous supprimons toutes les coordonnées. Votre message sera ensuite transmis au bureau local compétent.

Veuillez noter qu’une confirmation ou une réponse peut prendre des mois en raison de divers facteurs, notamment les conflits politiques, la localisation des orphelins (la plupart de nos orphelins vivent dans des régions reculées), la charge de travail des bureaux locaux, les catastrophes naturelles et la sécurité, entre autres facteurs indépendants de notre volonté.

Oui, des rencontres supervisées, virtuelles ou en personne, peuvent être organisées avec le bureau local après entente avec Islamic Relief Canada.

Une fois que nous aurons reçu votre demande, nous vous enverrons un formulaire à remplir au moins huit semaines avant la rencontre, ainsi que nos lignes directrices sur les rencontres avec les orphelins, qui doivent être lues et signées.

Of course! 100% of your gift goes directly towards the orphan and his/her family with no overhead costs. If you wish to give an extra monetary gift to your sponsored orphan, you can visit islamicrelief.ca/orphangifts online. 

N’oubliez pas d’indiquer le numéro d’identification de l’orphelin si vous en parrainez plusieurs, afin que nous puissions envoyer le don au bon enfant. Les dons sont transférés sur une base trimestrielle.