FAQ

What does IHH orphan care program include/cover?

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which has been since 1992 working to deliver humanitarian assistance to people in need wherever in the world and has been working out solution-oriented projects by looking at issues that make people dependent on help from human rights viewpoint, undertakes caring for orphan children and carries out activities to help protect them in their own countries, with their families, relatives or in orphanages. Our foundation supports orphan children with continuous and periodical assistance. Continuous help is provided through Sponsor Family System. Periodical help is given at intervals of three, four, six months or one year or at Ramadan month and Qurban season in the form of education, health, shelter and similar projects.

What are the objectives of orphan care activities?

• To support orphan children who are unable to live on their own until they become self-sufficient, to provide them with education and prepare them for life with compassion of a family. 
• To take necessary steps to prevent violations of basic rights and freedoms of orphan children as well as other children.
• To construct safe environments where both material and non-material needs of orphan children are met.

Is there a unit within IHH specialized in orphan activities? How can I contact such a unit? 

Yes. Orphan Care Department within IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is specialized in orphan care activities. You can get in touch with the department staff by calling our head office in Fatih at 0212 631 21 21/236-241 or by visiting us in person.

Could you give some information about IHH orphan care works? Where and what kind of activities are done?

IHH primarily concentrates its orphan support activities in war zones, refugee camps, post-conflict areas and regions suffering from natural disasters, chronic hunger and poverty. It contributes to meeting basic needs of orphan children such as accommodation, education, health, food and clothing in five continents 135 countries and regions from South America to Far East.

Does IHH do any orphanage-related activities?

Yes. IHH has been since it was founded building orphanages in different countries and regions around the world, maintains and restores existing ones and provides them with periodical aid. The following active orphanages were built by our foundation: Istanbul Orphanage (Indonesia/Aceh, 2006), Dar al-Iman Orphanage (Bangladesh/Arakan Refugee Camp, 2009), Togra Orphanage (Bangladesh, 2009), Hacı Şerefoğlu Orphanage (Philippines/Mindanao, 2010), Haripur Education City (Pakistan, 2005), Msal Orphanage (Pakistan, 2003), Şifa Orphanage (Thailand/Pattani, 2011) and Rara Orphanage (Pakistan, 2009).

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Which children does IHH treat as orphan?

An orphan child supported by IHH orphan care program is someone in Turkey or anywhere in the world who has lost their father or both mother and father due to war, occupation, natural disaster, chronic hunger, illness, accidents and similar reasons and who lives with their relatives or in an orphanage.

Could you give some information about Sponsor Family System?

Orphan care activities that have been in place since 1992 were given a boost in 2007 with Sponsor Family System. The funds raised regularly in the system that aims to protect orphans are used to meet food, shelter, clothing, health and education needs of orphans.   

What is the maximum number of orphans one can sponsor?

A person can sponsor and support in the Sponsor Family System any number of orphans they wish.

How much monthly payment should be made for one orphan?

Monthly expense of one orphan is €35 or 50 USD. However, charity-givers who are not sponsoring any orphans can donate to Orphan Assistance Pool any amount they would like to spend on orphans.

How can I sponsor an orphan?

You can start sponsoring an orphan by filling out Sponsor Family Application Form and sending it to IHH Orphan Care Department (Sponsorship form can be reached at www.yetim.ihh.org or via head office contact line at 0212 631 21 21 / 241). Donors who apply to be part of the Sponsor Family System make sponsorship payment to IHH as they specify on the application form (by hand, with credit card, wire transfer or postal check transfer) until the end of the sponsorship period (minimum one year).  

What comes after sponsorship application?

Sponsorship starts with payment of monthly orphan sponsorship fee. Information form about the sponsored orphan is sent to the sponsor at latest one month after the first payment. We submit related reports and development reports to donors one year later. Our donors can access detailed information about the orphans they sponsor at www.ihh.org.tr/yetimlerim/ar

What are the points to consider while filling out Sponsor Family Application Form?

• All the questions on the form should be answered carefully.
• Medium of payment (bank, credit card, postal check, by hand) as well as name and Turkish Citizenship Number of the donor must be noted on the form. 
• Donors should phone the foundation head office to confirm that Sponsorship Application Form has been received.

What needs are met with €39 a month?

Our foundation meets basic needs of orphans such as education, food, accommodation and health with monthly donations of sponsor families (€39 or 50 USD).

What does IHH aim to achieve with sponsorship system?

Our first aim in such activities is to protect orphan children in famine, poverty and war zones against organ mafias, human traffickers and missionaries, and to provide to some extent safety and love that they need while growing up. In regions with no actual conflict, we hope by educationally supporting orphan children to contribute to training of generations that will one day assist their countries and communities. This is an investment in humankind and a gain for the world.

Can I get online information about sponsorship system?

Yes. You can get detailed information about Sponsor Family System, register for the system and make a donation at www.ihh.org.tr/yetim/en

How can I donate?

• You can donate by hand at IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation head office.
• You can donate on the Internet by using online donation system at www.ihh.org.tr.
• You can make a bank transfer to our bank account numbers published on our webpage.
• You can also make a transfer to our postal check account published on our webpage.

Could you give some information about ‘Make Room for Orphans in Your World’ campaign?

As part of our orphan care activities, to put the problems facing orphan children on the agenda of the international community and create public awareness, to raise funds for upcoming orphan projects, to monitor existing projects and conduct feasibility studies for future ones we are preparing between 1 February and 31 March an organization named “Make Room for Orphan in Your World,” in which we will be bringing together orphans children we look after in different parts of the world with sponsor families and volunteers in Turkey, and visiting orphans with our volunteers, donors, health workers and press members in their homes or orphanages in the countries they reside.   

With this campaign we are planning to add 5000 more orphan children to the continuous support list. The campaign will provide opportunities to come together with orphans in different countries and regions around the world, provide moral support to the children and reach out to more orphans. Moreover, we will be organizing the second “Orphan Solidarity Days,” which was held the previous year for the first time, between 16-31 March to observe problems of orphan children on the ground and work out solutions to the problems.  

What are Orphan Solidarity Days and what do they aim?

Orphan Solidarity Days, which were first held in 2011, are organized each year in March and start with visits to countries where IHH carries out orphan care activities. In addition to visiting countries and regions of activity and observing conditions on the ground, Orphan Solidarity Days aim at preparing new projects specially directed at orphans, improving one-on-one relations with local partner organizations, closely monitoring and reporting activities jointly conducted with these organizations, guiding the organizations by providing them with long-term suggestions, and strengthening sponsor-orphan relations through donors joining IHH teams on these visits. Getting to know orphan children and their families, embracing them and getting acquainted with them, observing psychological condition of the orphans via psychologists and pedagogues included on trips to orphanages, designating disabled children if there are any and providing help are also among the objectives of Orphan Solidarity Days.     

Which countries are included in Orphan Solidarity Days program?

As part of the 2012 Orphan Solidarity Days, teams will be sent from Turkey to 23 out of the 36 countries where orphan care activities are conducted, while in the remaining 13 countries events will be held by our partner organizations.

The countries to be visited this year are Turkey, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon in the Middle East; Somalia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania in Africa; Afghanistan, Bangladesh Arakan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Pattani and Pakistan in Asia; Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania in the Balkans; Haiti in Central America; Chechnya in the Caucasia. 

The countries where Orphan Solidarity Days programs will be held by partner organizations are Yemen in the Middle East; Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sudan and Djibouti in Africa; Aceh, Philippines/Mindanao, Jammu Kashmir, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in Asia; Kosovo and Macedonia in the Balkans; Ecuador in South America.

What projects will be accomplished at Orphan Solidarity Days?

As part of the Orphan Solidarity Days in the countries and regions listed above, a number of activities will be carried out such as distributions of clothes, stationery materials, books, toys, blankets-mattresses and food items, health screenings, meeting various needs of orphanages, providing sewing machines, sesame-grinding machines, milking cows to families with orphans or offering financial support so they can open mini-stores to earn income, orphan wedding programs, circumcision organizations, picnics, trips to sea and pools, biking and kite-flying events, mass dining, trips to zoos and natural parks and various educational activities with children. Moreover, activities that fit with needs and cultural traditions as well as aid organizations could be held depending on the demand from and needs of the regions. 

Is it possible to support or undertake these projects?

Yes. Donors can support or undertake these projects. Construction and restoration of orphanages/homes for orphans, building health centers, internal furnishing of housing buildings, providing school furniture and other necessities, health services and all other project-based activities are achieved with sponsorship from institutions and companies. 

Is it possible to make any amount of contribution to orphan activities? Is aid in-kind also accepted?

Yes. You can make any amount of contribution to our orphan care activities. You can also make appropriate aid in-kind at campaign periods announced on our webpage www.ihh.org.tr/yetim/en Other funds raised, except in Sponsor Family System and Project Sponsorship, are gathered in Orphan Assistance Pool. Any amount of contribution is added to this pool of funds and the funds are used to maintain and restore orphanages, to set up dormitories and libraries for orphanages, to buy clothes for orphans, to provide health screenings, and to organize social events for orphans.      

When will Children Meeting be held and what will it cover?

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation organizes children gatherings with participation of orphans from countries and regions where the foundation operates in order to introduce its global orphan care program to the people of Turkey and draw attention to the issue of orphan children. The fifth of such gatherings will be held in Istanbul on 3 June 2012. International Children Meetings bring together individuals from various walks of society and vocations ranging from representatives of political parties to members of civil society organizations. The programs that features staged performances of orphan children as well as presentations and speeches by domestic and international artists are broadcast live globally and watched by millions.

IHH is holding a short film contest named “Sacred Entrustment Orphans.” Could give some information about the contest?

Our foundation is organizing a short film contest themed “Sacred Entrustment Orphans” to urge humankind to protect our sacred entrustment orphans, to attract attention to and create awareness around the issue. The award ceremony for the contest, in which amateur and professional short films from around the world will vie in fiction, documentary and animation categories, will be held in Istanbul during the Fifth International Children Meeting. The jury for the contest has significant figures such as Derviş Zaim, İhsan Kabil, Rıdvan Şentürk, Semih Kaplanoğlu and Yusuf Kaplan, and the deadline for entering a film is 21 May 2012. Detailed information regarding the competition can be reached at www.beyazguvercin.org

IHH is holding a painting contest named “Beautiful Days.” Could give some information about the contest?

In the “Beautiful Days” contest, orphan children supported materially and non-materially by our foundation will paint a beautiful day they had or dream to have. The paintings to be reviewed by a selection committee whose members are experts in their fields will be original works of the children and will depict their spiritual and emotional world. Orphan and homeless children in 36 countries and regions included in our orphan care program will be able to enter the contest in three different age categories such as 6 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 16. 

How to become a volunteer in orphan activities?

You can take part in our activities by filling out Volunteer Application Form on our webpage. To get detailed information you can phone us, send an e-mail or visit Volunteer Care Department at our head office.

Is it possible to donate to orphan program via text message?

Yes. You can donate TL 5 when you text YETİM to 3072.

How can we contribute to orphan children in social networks or on the web?

You can support our activities in social networks by following us at facebook/ihhen or twitter/IHHen and promote our activities through your own accounts.