Along with the water schemes, Islamic Relief will also give proper hygiene education to the affected communities through delivering hygiene sessions and provide master training to community activists. All the water schemes will be checked thoroughly for water quality and relevant hygiene messages will be delivered to the beneficiaries.
Islamic Relief has also planned to construct 5,000 household latrines along with the water schemes. These schemes are funded by Islamic Relief, European Commission and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF).

Recently Islamic Relief and EC have signed an agreement for an integrated development programme for AJK and Balochistan. Though the project has started already, a launching ceremony of this project was organised on July 12, 2006 at 15.00 Crystal Ball Room, Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. Chief Guest was Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed (Chairman Cabinet Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs) and among the guest speakers were, H.E. Emmanuel Mersch (Charge de’ Affairs of EC), Dr. Shahzad Waseem (Ex-State Interior Minister), Shamsa Hussain (Acting Country Director IR) and Mr. Sultan Mehmood (Acting Head of Programmes).
The project aims to provide the measures to mitigate vulnerability and improve well being of the people living in the districts of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Chaghi and Kharan in

Balochistan who have been marginalised and deprived of basic rights due to the circumstances that they live under. This will be achieved through the adoption of an integrated approach addressing cross sectoral development concerns. The duration of the project is three years. The proposed activities will enhance the capability and ability of the targeted groups to identify and address their prioritised developmental needs through the formation of Community Organisations (COs). The intervention will further lend support to building the capacity of the COs by providing means for sustaining the management of Water and Livestock resources, giving access to basic necessities such as health services and sanitation facilities and providing opportunities for the community to gain economic independency through the adoption of income generating activities.
Partnership between the European Commission and Islamic Relief has been strengthening in past few years through various activities in the sector of development and relief & rehabilitation in Pakistan and in other countries. Islamic Relief takes it as an honor to be part of the EC’s efforts to alleviate poverty and strengthen disadvantaged communities worldwide.

Islamic Relief initiated Legal Aid for Widows project in 2005 to address the issues related to the widows headed families. This project is funded by the European Commission and is part of the EC’s global initiative for democracy and human rights.
As part of the project IRP organised a seminar on July 05, 2006 concerning to Women and Children’s Rights. The purpose of this seminar was to create awareness among the participants the problems faced by the widows families and that still proper legislation is required to safe guard the rights of widows and children’s. Pakistan is one of the major countries who have ratified the “CEDAW” and “CRC” a very long ago but still lot of work is required to be done on the subject. The widow families of the LAW programme are grateful to the European Commission for such a significant initiative and provided them an opportunity to obtain their legal documents, education and inherited right.

Chief Guest of the seminar was H.E. Wasi Zafar (Minister for Law, Justice and Human rights) and among guest speakers were Mr. Michael Dale (Head of EC’s Operations in Pakistan), Dr. Arifa Syeda Zahra (Chairperson - National Commission on the status of women) and Mrs. Nahida Mehboob Elahi (a prominent Lawyer of Supreme Court of Pakistan and Secretary General Human Rights society of Pakistan). Participants were from various walks of life including diplomats, human rights activists and beneficiaries of LAW project. Local and International media was present at the seminar for the coverage. It was reported on PTV (the national TV channel of Pakistan) at prime time news 21.00. Newspapers also reported about the seminar a day before it was held and after.

Mr. Adil Almahi-Country Director Islamic relief Pakistan briefly mentioned about IR and particularly LAW project in his welcome address.
At the seminar speakers stressed the need for making concerted efforts to eliminated discrimination against women and children through legislation. Federal minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Wasi Zafar who participated as a chief guest said the government was alive to the challenges with respect to children and women rights and taking steps to redress it effectively through legislation. He said the government had always supported efforts aimed at creating awareness among the masses about women and children’s rights and added that holding seminars and discussions would go a long way in this regard.
Speaking on the occasion Chairperson National Commission on the status of women Dr. Arifa Syeda Zahra said women were contributing valuable services for the development and prosperity of the country and added that environment should be made more comfortable for them through taki ng concrete steps. Head of EC’s operations in Pakistan Michael Dale highlighted the objective of the project which focuses on non formal education, inheritance cases pertaining to widows.
 

 The President of Pakistan Gen. Pervez Musharraf awarded Sitar-i-Isaar to Mr. Adil Al-Mahi (Country Director – Islamic Relief Pakistan) and the whole IRP Team, for the greatest efforts of Islamic Relief in response to the Earthquake on October 08, 2005. The award is the acknowledgement of the President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for the tireless hard work of the team of Islamic Relief in Pakistan. Gen. Pervez Musharraf assured Islamic Relief for the Government of Pakistan’s constant support.
Mr. Adil Al-Mahi said “This is a great acknowledgement of his Excellency and the whole nation for the tremendous job and sacrifices done by Islamic Relief Pakistan staff at various levels. The teams has done a collective effort to help the victims of the devastated earthquake. Our intentions are always to assist those who are in need of immediate help and to provide basic needs to the underprivileged

communities.This ”Star of dedication” has encouraged the staff of Islamic Relief to do further more good work in the time of need. We have a long term commitment to the development of the people of Pakistan and will always be there whenever there is assistance required”.

intellectual growth. Through this sponsorship programme, not only sponsored orphans but their siblings are also benefiting in continuity of their schooling.
Islamic Relief has launched Orphans Appeal in Pakistan. 711 orphans have already been sponsored from the earthquake hit areas. The sponsorship amount Rs. 2000 per month per orphan and 100% of this amount will reach the orphans family.
The launching ceremony of the Orphans Programme was held at a hotel in Islamabad. The Chief Guest was Federal Minister Saleem Saif ull Khan of the event was Deputy Speaker National Assembly: Mr. Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob. The special guests Dr Shahzad Waseem.
Saleem Saif ull Khan in his address acknowledged the efforts of Islamic Relief in promoting sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities through relief and development programmes. He appreciated Islamic Relief for serving Pakistan’s community in the most difficult areas of AJK and Baluchistan for the last 14 years as a silent soldier with full dedication and commitment in the field of Health, Community Development, Disaster Management, Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, Prevention of Blindness, Water and Sanitation, Small Scale Enterprise Development, Legal Aid for Widows and Orphan Sponsorship Programme and also for working for the earthquake victims in District Muzaffarabad, District Bagh & District Neelum Valley.
Islamic Relief is coordinating with Federal Government ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction Rehabilitation Authority) and AJK Government in conducting the relief activities in the earthquake hit areas. The challenge which Islamic Relief is facing is Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation phase has already started and Islamic Relief has mobilized its resources for this phase through PPAF funding of 12 million US $ and Islamic Relief’s direct resources which is close to 7 million US $.
 

The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz inaugrated a one-day conference at the Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad on 6th of December 2005. Islamic Relief hosted this conference to discuss the problems faced by Muslim NGOs as a result of government restrictions in the wake of 9/11. Islamic Relief organized an exhibition of Islamic Relief’s vital work in earthquake affected areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).
Islamic Relief together with its partners including Oxfam, The Red Cross and UNOCHA set up an International Humanitarian Forum as a response to the structural problems faced by humanitarian organisations in the Muslim World in terms of governance and organisational capacity.Delegates also discussed ways to combat the increasing alienation and targeting of the humanitarian sector by

governments and financial and other institutions post 9/11.Islamic Relief has been advocating for the rights and improvement of Islamic NGOs for the past two years and to that end has held several major conferences around the world to discuss with governments and NGOs the best way to help donors to reach the beneficiaries as per their humanitarian mandate.
Donor agencies, international and local NGOs’ representatives, Ministers and other government officials and heads of various institutes attended the conference.

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