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Around one-tenth of the world’s population suffers from some form of disability. For many, disability goes hand in hand with poverty. Living with a disability can push people further into poverty, and poor communities are often at greater risk of incurring injuries, suffering from deteriorating health and being unable to access specialist medical care.

Islamic Relief provides support for people with physical and mental disabilities through our various health and nutrition programs around the world, focusing on children who do not have access to the medical care they need.

Sami’s Story

Playing cricket outside his home in Shikaripallya village near Bangalore in India, 9-year-old Sami is just like any other young boy his age. He likes playing outdoors and spending time with his friends and family. But Sami is also one of over 400 million people in Asia who suffer from some form of disability.

When he was nine months old, Sami was involved in an accident that resulted in his leg being amputated. Statistically, his disability means he is far less likely to succeed in education and will continue to face problems in accessing the medical care he needs. Some estimates suggest that only 5 percent of people with disabilities have access to education, and global literacy rate for people with disabilities is as low as 3 percent for men and 1 percent for women.

Sami’s family sank further into poverty when he lost his father. He was a year old at the time he was orphaned, and his mother has since been struggling to provide for him and his three sisters. The family lives in a slum area where most homes are one-room huts built from bits of concrete, plastic and tin sheets. Because Sami’s mother earns very little money from her job, his older sisters had to drop out of school to work as domestic helpers to supplement the family’s income.

Struggling to earn enough to meet their basic family needs, Sami’s mother has been unable to pay for his medical needs. This is an all too common situation in the developing world, where one in five people have some form of disability, according to a study by the World Bank. Often the condition could have been prevented, treated or better managed if appropriate medical care and facilities had been available. Instead, only three percent of disabled people are able to get access to the care they need.

Fortunately, Sami is now being sponsored by an Islamic Relief donor, which means that with the money his mother receives for Sami’s orphan sponsorship, he is able to attend school, receive medical treatments, and get new prosthetic limbs as he grows. Although life is still difficult for the family, Sami’s quality of life has improved and he has a far better chance of completing his education. Seeing him play cricket with his friends, it is clear that given the chance, Sami will not let his disability hold him back.