Ihsan Foundation
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What we do · Somalia

Eight pillars. One promise of dignity.

Our approach moves from relief to resilience: we respond rapidly to urgent needs, support household recovery and restored livelihoods, and invest in long-term education, infrastructure and economic resilience.

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Our mission

From the first food basket to a child's graduation day

To save lives, restore dignity, and strengthen vulnerable communities through rapid humanitarian assistance and sustainable development programmes in food security, WASH, health, education, economic empowerment, and child protection.

Every pillar is run through the same accountable system: households are verified and registered, aid is tracked with QR cards and mobile money, and donors see field evidence — photos, GPS check-ins and proof videos — for what they funded.

Emergency ReliefHealthEducationLivelihoodsOrphanCashWASHQurban, Adak
Impact across all eight pillars2019 – 2026
Our approach

Relief to resilience

We don't stop at the emergency. Each pillar moves families along the same path — from surviving the crisis to standing on their own feet.

Phase 1

Respond

Rapid humanitarian assistance for urgent needs.

Phase 2

Recover

Support families and communities as they restore stability and livelihoods.

Phase 3

Resilience

Invest in sustainable education, infrastructure and economic opportunity.

Strategic thematic areas

Our eight programme pillars

Pillars marked as a priority are the main focus of our somalia country office this year.

Emergency Relief & Food Security
Priority in Somalia 2 live projects
01 / 08 · Emergency Food Assistance & Crisis Response

Emergency Relief & Food Security

Providing urgent food assistance and seasonal humanitarian support to vulnerable families affected by poverty, drought, and displacement.

  • Food package distribution. Household enrolment with QR cards that lock against duplicate claims.
  • Hot meals & Ramadan iftar. Daily meal counters and venue reconciliation for seasonal iftar.
  • Emergency shelter & relief kits. Vulnerability scoring that prioritises female-headed households, IDPs and PWDs.
Families reached
18,500+
Families reached
Food baskets
42,000
Food baskets
Iftar meals
120,000+
Iftar meals
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Orphan & Widow Sponsorship
Priority in Somalia 1 live project
05 / 08 · Financial Aid & Welfare Programs

Orphan & Widow Sponsorship

Supporting orphans and widows through financial aid, education, and welfare programs to restore dignity and stability.

  • Kafala sponsorship. Monthly stipends to verified guardians via bank or mobile money.
  • Beneficiary profiles. Health, schooling and photo updates shared with sponsors.
  • Graduation tracking. Transition planning at 17.5 years and livelihood handover at 18.
Orphans sponsored
1,250
Orphans sponsored
Students in cash support
400
Students in cash support
Widows supported
380
Widows supported
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WASH & Community Infrastructure
Priority in Somalia 1 live project
07 / 08 · Safe Water, Sanitation & Essential Facilities

WASH & Community Infrastructure

Improving access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene services, and essential community infrastructure to protect health and dignity in underserved communities.

  • Deep boreholes. GIS mapping, aquifer depth, yield and salinity testing.
  • Hand-dug wells. Land survey, BOQ costing and signed land-use consent.
  • Mosques & community buildings. Construction, rehabilitation and Waqf documentation.
Wells & boreholes
85
Wells & boreholes
People with water
64,000+
People with water
Litres trucked
3.2M
Litres trucked
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Qurban, Adak & Aqiqa
Priority in Somalia 1 live project
08 / 08 · Livestock Sacrifice & Meat Distribution

Qurban, Adak & Aqiqa

Delivering Qurban, Adak and Aqiqa livestock sacrifice and meat distribution programmes to support vulnerable families and communities.

  • Partner order allocation. Bulk orders by species and share (1/7 or whole animal).
  • Vet clearance & stock by batch. Animals counted by category and hub from purchase to slaughter, with a health certificate per delivery batch.
  • Proof video & distribution. Timestamped slaughter video and QR-card meat hand-off with GPS.
Animals sacrificed
4,200
Animals sacrificed
Meat parcels
31,000
Meat parcels
Proof videos delivered
100%
Proof videos delivered
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Health & Nutrition
1 live project
02 / 08 · Primary Healthcare, Nutrition & Maternal-Child Support

Health & Nutrition

Delivering essential healthcare, maternal care, and child wellness programs to improve community health and reduce preventable deaths.

  • Mobile medical camps. Triage, physician notes and pharmacy stock in rural and IDP camps.
  • Cataract treatment & surgery. Screening and sight-restoring surgery for elderly patients.
  • Malnutrition (MUAC/OTP). Screening, therapeutic food and recovery tracking for children under five.
Patients treated
9,800+
Patients treated
Cataract surgeries
640
Cataract surgeries
Children screened
5,200
Children screened
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Education & Child Protection
2 live projects
03 / 08 · Quality Education & Safeguarding

Education & Child Protection

Promoting access to quality education while safeguarding children from exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

  • School access support. Tuition, scholarships, report cards and attendance monitoring.
  • Learning materials. Books, uniforms and bags with headteacher sign-off on delivery.
  • Qur'anic centres (Madrasa). Hifz programmes, teacher stipends and facility repairs.
Students supported
3,400
Students supported
School kits
7,800
School kits
Partner schools
46
Partner schools
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Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment
1 live project
04 / 08 · Skills, Livelihood Recovery & Self-Reliance

Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment

Empowering communities with skills, resources, and opportunities to achieve self-reliance and withstand future crises.

  • Milk goat distribution. Lactating goats that give families daily nutrition and income.
  • Vocational training. Tailoring, mechanics, solar installation and digital skills.
  • Micro-business grants. Business plans, mentors and tranche payments via mobile money.
Milk goats given
2,300
Milk goats given
Women trained
860
Women trained
Micro-grants
310
Micro-grants
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Cash & Zakat Assistance
06 / 08 · Direct Support for Vulnerable Families & Orphans

Cash & Zakat Assistance

Providing direct cash and Zakat assistance to vulnerable families and orphan children, helping them meet urgent needs with dignity.

  • Zakat distribution. Eligibility checks under Islamic philanthropy rules.
  • Mobile money transfers. Bulk disbursement via M-Pesa, EVC Plus and Sahal with SMS receipts.
  • Voucher programmes. Pre-distribution vouchers with identity cross-verification.
Households paid
6,400
Households paid
Paid via mobile money
96%
Paid via mobile money
Avg. transfer time
4 min
Avg. transfer time
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In the field

See the pillars at work

Short films made from our own field photography — from water points in Lower Shabelle to food distributions in Garissa.

Eight pillars in the fieldField reel
Offices & active sitesSomalia
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Not sure which pillar to choose?

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