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If you have just watched “The orphans at war” documentary
by Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani and want to make a difference, you have come to the right page.

At the heart of The Zahra Trust’s work is caring for the most vulnerable, marginalised and underserved people across the world, which is why we provide emergency as well as holistic and sustainable care to orphans and widows and families that are struggling to cope. 

Women and children living in poverty are at great risk of malnourishment, exploitation, violence and more. Without sufficient support or financial stability, many children living in poverty drop out of school to find low-paid, unstable and manual work. In some cases, they are abused or manipulated into committing crimes.

Donate now to help us provide urgent support and ongoing care
for vulnerable families across our areas of operation.

Global Poverty at a Glance: 

  • 1 in 28 people worldwide are in need of life-saving assistance, and there are over 84 million people displaced from their homes. UNOCHA 2022 
  • 21 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Yemen. UNICEF 2021 
  • 1 in 4 people – 2 billion people around the world – lack safe drinking water. WHO/UNICEF 2021 
  • Moderate or severe food insecurity affects more than 30 percent of the world population. FAO 2021
  • Half of the world’s population does not have access to the health care they need. WHO 2021 
  • In conflict zones, 27 million children are out of school. UNICEF 2021 

How we are addressing the issues 

Across our areas of operation, The Zahra Trust ensures that aid prioritises vulnerable female-headed households comprising of orphans and widows which are statistically the most vulnerable and at-risk. We provide them with all that is required to feel safe, secure and cared for. This includes, but is not limited to providing shelter, food, clothing, clean water as well as education and training. In addition to meeting these immediate needs, we also ensure that we provide sustainable care and our staff maintain contact with each family to monitor their progress and help address any issues they may be facing.

In Iraq, where orphans make up around 5% of the orphans of the world, The Zahra Trust has invested in an orphan and widow’s village to permanently home vulnerable and impoverished families and provide them with ongoing care as well as security and the tools for self-sufficiency and independence so that they can work their way out of poverty and break the cycle for coming generations. This village, which the Trust intends to continue to expand in order to house more vulnerable households, is a ground-breaking programme that encompasses many different elements, delivering multi-faceted aid. We ensure that all housing projects run by The Zahra Trust give full ownership rights to the families with all deeds in their names. This established site is also the base for many distributions and serves as a site for safe spaces, recreation and educational programmes for the children and widows.

The Zahra Trust works to provide support for vulnerable families through a community-based approach seeking to relieve critical struggles which they face. This includes food aid, clean water and sanitation, shelter and essential support.

The provision of necessities is beneficial in the short-term, however developmental aid is key to ensuring that families can pave their own way out of the cycle of poverty for future generations. It is for this reason that The Zahra Trust invests in livelihood programmes that bolster development including the provision of goods for trading, skills training and support with promotion of their business.

The Zahra Trust has a host of activities available for the orphans and widows under its care as well as the wider community to provide opportunities for self-sufficiency. This includes, but is not limited to, tailoring and the provision of sewing machines, manufacturing products and handicrafts for sale and vocational training and literacy.

The Zahra Trust is also working to build safe and secure homes for families identified as being particularly vulnerable. We are in the process of expanding these projects to ensure that we can home as many families as possible. Across our areas of operation, we also house families into existing homes as well as subsidise the cost of rent for families to ensure that the burden of the cost is eased on families with exceptionally low incomes. 

In 2021 alone, you helped us:

  • Feed over 800,000 people in need  
  • Provide water to around 1 million people  
  • Provide well over 2,000 people with urgently required medical assistance 
  • Provide education and vocational training to over 12,000 adults and children 
  • Provide over 2,000 families with winter supplies.