Islamic Relief began working in South Africa in 2003.
The local fundraising office raises funds for our work worldwide, and also runs projects such as orphan sponsorship and seasonal Ramadan and Qurbani programmes.
We work south of Johannesburg, in Vlakfontein, and in the informal settlements around Ennersdale, in Mountain View, Fine town, and Kapok and Hopefield squatter camps.
The South African government provides social security for orphaned children, but there can be delays of up to three years in processing these grants. In the interim, we provide support to orphaned children and their families – giving priority to children who are HIV positive or who have a parent with HIV or AIDS.
In December 2016, we celebrated the official opening of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, with Islamic Relief providing USD $7.7m/110m ZAR to fund a cutting-edge oncology unit. Located in Johannesburg, the hospital will be a centre of excellence offering specialist care to children across Africa.
