We, Islamic Relief, Bangladesh offer our material support to the distressed during emergencies and disasters and work through various other interventions in the marginalized communities for building their capacities and empowering them for them to be able to access their rights and entitlements in the most effective and constitutional manner. We design and implement developmental projects and programs which have a positive and sustainable impact on the whole community.

IRB work focuses on the following sectors: Humanitarian Assistance and Early Recovery, Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Livelihoods, Orphan and Child Welfare, Health and Nutrition and Water and Sanitation.

Humanitarian Assistance and Early Recovery (HAER)

Since the devastating cyclone in 1991, Islamic Relief, Bangladesh has been playing active role in all major disasters in Bangladesh. Whatever the magnitude of disaster or scale of relief operation, IRB has directly intervened in flood, tornado, cyclone, cold wave, drought, monga and in disasters resulting from conflicts and violence. In each and every disaster in Bangladesh IRB seeks to provide help as many people as possible with the basic necessities of food, water, shelter, means of income generation, cash for work, cash for training and medical treatment. IRB responds to unfolding emergencies with the aim of alleviating the suffering of those affected.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

DRR is a crosscutting issue requiring mobilization of knowledge, skills and other resources. The negative impacts of disasters and vulnerability in the country are the basis for IRWB disaster preparedness and response strategy in the country. The objectives of the program are to carry out systematic efforts, to reduce the impact of disasters and improve quality of life.

Islamic Relief, Bangladesh implements DRR activities as a major component of emergency and disaster preparedness program for building capacity and enhancing resilience of the people against disasters. IRB intends to assess and sustain its DRR initiatives in line with Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015) and Standing Order on Disaster by focusing on the following key strategic areas:

Development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms, networks and capacities for the sustainability of DRR activities through consultative and participatory process.
Integration and mainstreaming of DRR into planning and programs in humanitarian and development sectors.
Execution of advocacy and awareness-raising efforts in close collaboration with national level partners on DRR.

Sustainable Livelihoods

IRB works to ensure the sustainable livelihood for the most vulnerable communities so that they can become self-sufficient and less reliant on humanitarian aid. This program is being implemented through providing different type of interventions such as training on income generating activities (IGA), awareness on social issues, asset/IGA means transfer, sharia based micro-finance, empowering targeted communities through formation of community based organization and building linkage with different service providers, etc.

Currently Islamic Relief, Bangladesh is implementing the program in Rangpur district covering its 4 Upazilas with supporting 39,475 direct and 212,425 indirect beneficiaries under 6 projects.

Orphan and Child Welfare

Child Welfare Program is one of the core programs of Islamic Relief, Bangladesh. Under this program we are sponsoring about 2,000 children countrywide through our One-to-One Sponsorship program. It was undertaken to develop orphans living with their mothers. The program is supporting children as well as widow mothers to pursue a sustainable livelihood through micro-finance activities and complementary community based interventions. Moreover, one of our urban-based project comprising 304 children focuses on education and gender equality.

Health and Nutrition

Providing access to healthcare and medication is fundamental in the fight against poverty. Islamic Relief, Bangladesh aims to improve the health and nutritional status of poor people through increasing access to health and nutritional facilities and improving knowledge on health and hygiene awareness.

Islamic Relief’s health and nutrition programs include nutrition support to children, providing medication, mobile healthcare (health and eye clinics) and carrying out health and hygiene training. The program mainly undertakes preventive interventions and awareness raising among the communities.

Water and Sanitation

The objective of Water and Sanitation Program is to reduce water borne diseases and threat of arsenic contamination through ensuring access to safe water, personal hygiene and hygienic sanitation facilities for the vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. Under the program, different types of interventions were taken such as creation of safe water sources through installation of Shallow Tube Well (STW), Deep Tube Well (DTW), Pond Sand Filter (PSF), Rain Water Harvesting, etc. As a part of hygiene sanitation, IRB has been installing sanitary latrines at the proper places. Apart from that, it provides training and awareness on different hygiene promotion and WATSAN issues for enhancing the knowledge and capacity of the targeted communities