News
March 5, 2026
The “Orphan Day in the Islamic World” event for the year 2026 was held at the Al-Yarmouk Hotel Hall in Baghdad under the slogan “Dignity Preserved… A Future Built,” organized by the Orphan Care Union in cooperation with the Al-Rakeezeh Foundation for Relief and Development, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, corresponding to 15 Ramadan 1447 AH, with the attendance of more than 150 orphaned boys and girls along with their mothers.
The event was attended by member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Ms. Nihal Al-Shammari, along with a large number of representatives of organizations and institutions working in the field of orphan care, in a scene that reflected the expanding societal interest in orphan issues and the necessity of enhancing joint efforts to serve them.
The event included a diverse program of activities and events directed at children, including choral performances, as well as interactive competitions and educational games aimed at bringing joy to the hearts of orphans and enhancing the spirit of participation among them.
The occasion also witnessed the launch of a symbolic activity entitled “A Letter to My Future,” where children wrote letters expressing their dreams and aspirations for the future, in an educational and humanitarian initiative aimed at encouraging orphans to think positively and trust their ability to build a better future.
Among the most notable moments of the event was the collective iftar initiative, through which the event organizers sought to break away from the usual protocol nature of such occasions, as representatives and directors of charitable institutions moved to sit at iftar tables alongside the families of orphans, with each representative sharing a table with one of the attending families. This humanitarian step embodied the spirit of genuine solidarity and affirmed that orphan care is not limited to material support but also includes emotional participation and closeness to the details of their daily lives.
The event also witnessed the honoring of field workers in the field of orphan care, in appreciation of their direct efforts in following up on the affairs of families and providing them with support and services, as the first line of defense in humanitarian and social work.
The event received notable media attention, as a number of media outlets participated in covering the event and conveying its atmosphere, highlighting community initiatives aimed at enhancing the dignity of orphans and protecting their rights.
The event comes within the framework of reviving Orphan Day in the Islamic world, a humanitarian occasion approved by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation during the meeting of the foreign ministers of member states held in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, in December 2013. It seeks to enhance societal awareness of the necessity of caring for orphans and standing by them, drawing inspiration from Islamic values that have given special attention to the care of orphans.
The event concluded with a fundamental message that the dignity of the orphan is a shared societal responsibility, and that building their future can only be achieved through the cooperation of institutions and individuals in supporting and caring for them, both materially and morally, ensuring a dignified life and real opportunities for the future.
