Islamic Relief began working in Mali in 1997, helping people affected by civil war in the northern regions. We now work in the north, the south, and the central areas surrounding the capital, Bamako. Islamic Relief was one of the first organisations to reach some of the worst affected regions during the 2005 food crisis. As part of our emergency response, we distributed 95 tonnes of food to over 30,000 people in Gourma Rharous. Today, our work in Mali is focused on long-term development. We work with vulnerable communities to boost their resilience to food shocks. Our recent projects include climate-change adaptation, water and livelihoods. We also sponsor orphaned children in Mali. The sponsorship programme provides families with a regular allowance to help them to meet their basic needs, and includes food and clothes distributions.