Thousands of houses in Kosovo were destroyed during the 1996-1999 conflict. Many Kosovan refugees returned to the province after the war to find their homes looted and burned to the ground.

The Orphans Housing Loans project provides orphans and their families with small housing loans so that they can rebuild their homes. The project works in the Drenica region of central Kosova in the districts of Drenas, Skenderaj and Malisheya.

The Drenica region in Kosova was one of the main sites of Serbian aggression during the conflict. Seven years after the war ended, many families are still living in houses that were damaged during the conflict. These houses are in desperate need of repair and are not sufficient protection from the harsh Balkan winters. During the colder months all family members are at risk from health problems, but children are particularly vulnerable.

Over 80% of the orphans involved in Islamic Relief’s Orphans Sponsorship programme are living in houses that have been damaged by the conflict.

Project Objectives

To improve the living conditions of orphans and their families by providing them with the means to reconstruct their homes.

Project Activities

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) provides small housing loans to orphans and their families. These interest-free loans will be used to repair and reconstruct houses that have been damaged during conflict.

Since the project began in 2005, IRW has distributed over 100 loans, worth €102,300, to more than 680 beneficiaries.

"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/