Al-Qalam 
By Fazlin Fransman Taliep
“Are we doing enough?”
Yusuf Mohamed’s question put the responsibility squarely before the institutions gathered at Islamic Relief South Africa’s inaugural National Summit for Vulnerable Children.
In a country where disadvantage shapes childhood so profoundly, how effectively are those working to protect children responding?
Held at the NMJ Islamic Centre in Morningside, Durban, the summit brought together government representatives, child welfare practitioners, researchers, civil society and faith leaders under the theme “Together for Every Child”.
Convened by Islamic Relief South Africa, it sought practical ways to strengthen the protection, care and development of orphaned and vulnerable children.
The challenge was both human and institutional. Hunger, grief, disrupted schooling and exposure to violence can intersect in a child’s life. Yet assistance may depend on navigating organisations that each address only part of the problem.
The summit’s focus on cooperation asked participants to consider what happens between those interventions, and who takes responsibility when support falls short.
South Africa’s circumstances give that question urgency. Statistics South Africa found that 57.3% of children experienced deprivation across at least three dimensions of their lives in 2023. The country’s income-based Gini coefficient stood at 0.635 that year, reflecting deep inequality. Unemployment reached 33.7% in figures released as the summit opened, adding pressure to households already struggling to provide stability for children.
For welfare organisations, those pressures sit alongside violence, substance misuse and strained family relationships. Effective care requires an understanding of the circumstances surrounding a child and the support available to their caregivers.
Mohamed, Islamic Relief South Africa’s CEO, and head of programmes Abdelrahman Shat emphasised collective responsibility in their opening contributions
Shabel Firuz, head of orphans and child welfare at IslamicRelief Worldwide, brought an international perspective on collaboration and emerging priorities.
Dr Yaa Ashantewaa Archer-Ngidi of the Institute of Afrikology challenged participants to recognise children’s potential alongside their vulnerability. Her keynote rejected the treatment of orphaned children as a social burden. IslamicRelief’s account captured her observation that “until we see the light in a child’s eyes, none of the work we do truly matters”.
Islamic Relief’s Goal Getters project gave practical expression to that perspective. Presented at the summit, it uses personal development plans to help children identify strengths, set goals and review progress. Its design connects academic and spiritual development with physical and emotional wellbeing, financial literacy and personal growth. Educators and care workers are expected to coordinate support as children’s needs change.
The approach places children’s ambitions within the work of care, requiring adults to understand both what they hope to achieve and what stands in their way.
Delegates also mapped service gaps and overlaps, examining where organisations could combine expertise and reduce duplication. This provided a practical starting point for improving how support reaches children.
Discussions on advocacy, safeguarding, government and community leadership broadened that work. For Muslim institutions, the responsibility towards orphaned and vulnerable children gives such cooperation an ethical foundation and a practical purpose: strengthening the families and communities on which children depend.
A proposed Five-Year OVC Sector Action Framework for 2027–2031 gave the discussions a longer horizon, alongside consideration of governance, partnerships and social investment.
With the summit concluded, the task is to translate proposals into agreed responsibilities, resources and measurable action. Its success will depend on whether children receive help earlier, whether families can navigate services more easily, and whether support continues as needs change.
