24 year old Sadiqa lives with her elderly parents. Her father is 70 years old and too sick to work. Her mother runs a small poultry farm with 50 chickens.

Sadiqa also lives with her two elder brothers. Both suffer from mental illness which places a strain on the time and limited resources that the family has. The eldest has suffered with the illness since birth. The second became ill following his marriage which has since ended.

“I face many difficulties in my family…We have financial problems and I have to help my family take care of my brothers. With my mother’s earnings from the poultry farm we are able to feed the family only to a certain extent” says Sadiqa. But problems still exist and the family need more money.

To help with this, Sadiqa is learning dress-making skills at the Vocational Training Centre in Nintavur. The Centre was set up by Islamic Relief after the tsunami of December 2004 to address issues relating to the affected community’s access to livelihoods, health and education.

Without this, things would look bleak for future. “There is no other way” she says, “I think things will stay the same until I find a job after training”.

Having received a Ramadan food parcel from Islamic Relief, Sadiqa acknowledges the impact that IR is having in the area. “Islamic Relief has helped the community in a great way since the tsunami. Temporary shelters and livelihood support have helped the affected community and the orphans are pleased with the education packages given to them. I am sure that this support will help the children for a long time to some”.