OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen

Jeddah (IINA) : The Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF) under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that the number of projects approved and executed since its establishment up to 2017 is about 2,695 projects, worth a total amount of $249 million.

OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen lauded the ongoing generous voluntary contributions by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. He also thanked the member states that had previously donated to the ISF and appealed to others to play their roles in supporting the Fund.

Since the inception of the ISF in 1974, the State of Palestine has been prioritized in the receipt of direct support from the Fund to champion the just cause of the Palestinian people in the areas of health, social, cultural and educational amenities among others. The total amount provided by the ISF to support the Palestinian people is $27 million.

On another hand, the ISF supported women and children to the tune of $2.4million covering orphans’ welfare, child protection and advancement of rural women. It also contributed to microfinancing operations for poor widows in many countries.

The ISF further paid attention to universities, having provided $75 million to the sector, comprising the building of faculties and relevant facilities and supported student scholarships. The ISF assistance covered Islamic studies centers in reputable and world class universities such as Harvard University in the United States and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

The ISF also provided in-kind and financial assistance which amounted to $55 million to some Muslim communities affected by natural disasters and crises in 59 countries in order to mitigate their impacts.

The Fund provided financial assistance to 506 schools, 213 mosques and 109 hospitals in the amount of $33 million while assistance to the youth and sports sector with the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation and Muslim Scouts camps totaled $3.2 million.

ISF participated in financing academic symposia and Islamic forums to the tune of $10 million. It provided $36 million for several projects and programs at Islamic cultural, social and seasonal entertainment centers in the Muslim world.

Since its inception, the ISF has also contributed to Islamic dawa all over the world through financing education programs, printing Islamic books, with providing a total amount of $7 million so far.

Furthermore, the ISF contributed to the establishment of radio stations and participated in the production of Islamic films, editing and publication of Islamic manuscripts, as well as supporting relevant newspapers and journals.