From Emergency Relief to Community Recovery
Supporting crisis-affected communities through coordinated relief, protection, essential services and early recovery while strengthening local capacities for resilience.
What We Do
Fourteen integrated programmes carry out VIRD Foundation's mission — from emergency response to long-term community transformation.
PROGRAMME DIRECTORY
Fourteen programmes, one continuum
Each programme below is presented in full — overview and areas of intervention together in one place. Jump to any programme directly:
PROGRAMME 01
Humanitarian Assistance & Emergency Response
We provide and coordinate assistance for people affected by poverty, disasters, emergencies and other forms of vulnerability..
Areas of support include:
- Emergency food assistance
- Non-food items
- Emergency WASH
- Emergency shelter support
- Cash/voucher assistance where appropriate
- Rapid needs assessments
- Community preparedness
- Emergency referral systems
- Essential household support
- Emergency healthcare
- Protection and referral services
- Emergency livelihood recovery
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Community-Centred Humanitarian
Women, children and community members gathered during a community outreach and engagement activity.
Investing in Education & Human Potential
Supporting children and young people through improved access to education, learning resources, scholarships, skills development and stronger educational systems for lifelong opportunity.
Education & Human Capital Development
We support equitable access to quality learning and opportunities for human development.
Our interventions include:
- School infrastructure
- Girls' education
- Early childhood development
- Teacher support
- Learning materials
- Scholarships where appropriate
- Literacy and Complementary education program
- Digital learning skills
- STEM and pratical skills
- TVET and Apprenticeships
- Career guidance
- Disability-inclusive education
- Community learning spaces
- Quránic and Islamic education support
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Learning, Skills & Child Development
School children learning together with educational materials during a classroom activity.
Community Health & Nutrition Services
Bringing quality health and nutrition information and services closer to communities through prevention, counselling, screening, referrals and stronger community–health system linkages.
PROGRAMME 03
Health & Nutrition
We work with qualified health institutions and communities to strengthen access to health and nutrition services.
Focus areas include:
- Community health education and promotion
- Nutrition education
- Nutrition screening and referral
- Maternal and child health support
- Adolescent health education
- Community outreach and Referral systems
- Health-facility support
- MHPSS and Psychosocial support where appropriate
- SBCC for health and nutrition
- Growth monitoring and promotion
- Infant and young child feeding education
- Disease prevention
- Vulnerable-group health support.
VIRD will work with qualified health institutions and relevant authorities to complement — not duplicate — public health services.
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Bringing Safe Water Closer to Families
Expanding community water access to reduce the time and effort women and families spend collecting water while improving hygiene, health and household well-being.
PROGRAMME 04
WASH
Water. Sanitation. Hygiene. Dignity.
VIRD supports communities to achieve sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.Our WASH interventions may include:
- Boreholes
- Water systems
- Sanitation Facilities
- Hygiene promotion
- Menstrual hygiene
- Handwashing facilities
- Hygiene promotion
- School WASH
- Health-facility WASH
- Mosque WASH
- Qurán school WASH
- Water-quality awareness
- Disability-accessible facilities
- Climate-resilient water systems
- Water governance and maintenance
Every infrastructure investment should be accompanied by appropriate operation and maintenance arrangements.
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Empowering Women Farmers, Strengthening Food Security
Strengthening women’s participation in agriculture through improved skills, climate-resilient farming practices, productive inputs and market linkages that enhance incomes, nutrition and household food security
PROGRAMME 05
Food Security & Agriculture
We support vulnerable households and smallholder farmers to strengthen food security and agricultural resilience.
Programme areas include:
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Farmer training
- Seeds and Agricultural inputs
- Irrigation and water management
- Livestock and poultry
- Kitchen and communitygardens
- Post-harvest management
- Storage
- Agro-processing
- Farmer organisations
- Market linkages
- Youth and women agribusiness
- Nutrition-sensitive agriculture
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Skills, Enterprise & Self-Employment
Equipping women, youth and vulnerable households with market-relevant skills, productive assets and enterprise support to create sustainable businesses, generate income and strengthen economic independence.
PROGRAMME 06
Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment
Our objective is to help people develop sustainable productive capacity and income opportunities.
Interventions include:
- Vocational training
- Entrepreneurship
- Business development
- Start-up support
- Apprenticeships
- Savings groups and initiatives
- Financial literacy
- Market linkages
- Digital entrepreneurship
- Youth employment pathways and partnerships
- Women-led enterprises
- Productive assets
- Business mentoring
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Vocational Skills for Sustainable Livelihoods
Providing practical, market-oriented skills and entrepreneurship support that enable women and young people to pursue employment, establish enterprises and build sustainable sources of income.
Skills to Enterprise, Enterprise to Opportunity
Transforming practical skills into viable livelihood opportunities through vocational training, business development, productive assets and market linkages.
Empowering Young People to Lead & Thrive
Building the knowledge, confidence, leadership and life skills of young women and men so they can participate meaningfully in education, employment, entrepreneurship and community development.
PROGRAMME 07
Women & Youth Empowerment
Empowering Women. Investing in Youth.
Women and Girls
VIRD promotes the meaningful participation and empowerment of women and girls through:
- Economic empowerment
- Financial inclusion and literacy
- Leadership
- Entrepreneurship
- Agricultural livelihoods
- Skills development education
- Health and nutrition
- Community participation
- Economic opportunity
- Protection and referral
Youth
We see young people not simply as beneficiaries, but as partners, innovators and agents of change. Our youth programmes focus on:
- Employability
- TVET
- Entrepreneurship
- Digital Skills
- Agriculture
- Innovation
- Leadership
- Peacebuilding
- Financial literacy
- Climate action
- Youth0led initiatives
- Prevention of violent extremism
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Skills & Enterprise for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Equipping women with practical skills, entrepreneurship knowledge and enterprise support to create income-generating opportunities, strengthen financial independence and improve household resilience.
Youth in Agriculture & Agribusiness
Creating opportunities for young people to participate in modern agriculture through climate-smart technologies, mechanization, entrepreneurship, skills development and stronger agricultural value chains.
Women in Livestock & Agribusiness
Empowering women to participate in livestock production and agricultural value chains through skills development, productive assets, enterprise support and market linkages that strengthen incomes and household resilience.
Women in Modern & Climate-Smart Agriculture
Breaking barriers to women’s participation in modern agriculture by expanding access to mechanization, climate-smart technologies, technical skills and agribusiness opportunities.
Community-Based Protection & Family Support
Working with children, caregivers and communities to strengthen safeguarding, family resilience, social protection and inclusive support for those facing vulnerability.
PROGRAMME 08
Child Protection & Social Protection
Protecting Children. Supporting Vulnerable Families.
VIRD foundation is committed to protecting children and vulnerable people from:- Abuse
- Exploitation
- Neglect
- Trafficking
- Harmful practices
- Hazardous labour
- Sexual exploitation and abuse
Our social protection work may include support for:
- Extremely vulnerable households
- Orphans and vulnerable children
- Older persons
- Persons with disabilities
- Vulnerable women
- Food-insecure families
- Emergency-affected househols
- Vulnerability assessment
- Referral and linkage
- Social protection awareness
- Productive inclusion
- Household resilience initiatives
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Education Through Islamic Philanthropy
Mobilizing faith-inspired giving to support education, learning materials, scholarships and other opportunities that enable vulnerable children and young people to learn, develop and build brighter futures.
PROGRAMME 09
Islamic Social Finance & Philanthropy
Turning Charity into Sustainable Opportunity
VIRD foundation seeks to responsibly mobilize and manage Islamic social finance instruments to support vulnerable individuals and communities. These may include:Zakat
Supporting eligible vulnerable people and households in accordance with applicable requirements and appropriate Islamic guidance
Sadaqah
Mobilizing voluntary charitable contributions for approved humanitarian and development purposes.
Waqf
Supporting sustainable community assets and services through responsible endowment arrangements
Qard Hasan
Where appropriately approved and structured, VIRD foundation may facilitate interest-free financing mechanisms to support eligible beneficiaries.
Ramadan Giving: Mobilization and distribution of charitable assistance during Ramadan to support vulnerable individuals and households with essential needs and enable them to observe the holy month with dignity.
Eid Assistance: Provision of food, clothing, essential items or financial support to vulnerable families, children and individuals so they can celebrate Eid with dignity and inclusion.
Food Assistance: Provision of food packages, meals or other appropriate food support to food-insecure and vulnerable households, particularly during emergencies, Ramadan and other periods of heightened need.
Vulnerable Household Support: Targeted assistance to households facing severe poverty, disability, displacement, illness, food insecurity or other significant vulnerabilities, based on transparent needs assessment.
Orphan and Child Support: Support for orphans and vulnerable children through education, nutrition, healthcare, protection, essential needs and other services that promote their safety, dignity and well-being.
Livelihood Assistance: Support that helps vulnerable individuals and households develop sustainable income-generating capacity through skills training, productive assets, business support, agriculture, entrepreneurship or appropriate financing.
Sadaqah Jariyah
Developing charitable assets capable of generating continuing community benefit.Examples may include:
- Water facilities
- Mosques
- Qur'an schools
- Libraries
- Learning spaces
- Health facilities
- Productive community assets
Restricted Islamic funds will be appropriately tracked, managed and reported according to their purpose and applicable requirements.
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Faith-Inspired Giving & Community Solidarity
Strengthening a culture of generosity and collective responsibility through Zakat, Sadaqah, Waqf and other forms of Islamic philanthropy to address community needs and advance sustainable development.
Dignified Support for Vulnerable Families
Channeling Zakat, Sadaqah and other charitable resources towards appropriate social protection, essential needs and livelihood opportunities that strengthen family well-being, dignity and resilience.
Building Mosques, Strengthening Communities
Developing dignified and sustainable Islamic community infrastructure that provides spaces for worship, Qur’an education, community learning, charitable activities and social cohesion.
Islamic Community Development
Faith-Inspired Community Development
VIRD foundation recognizes the important role that mosques, Qur'an schools, Islamic educators and community institutions can play in strengthening community well-being.Our Islamic community development initiatives may include:
- Mosque construction, rehabilitation and accessibility
- Mosque WASH
- Qur'an schools
- Qur'an education
- Community learning spaces and Islamic libraries
- Teacher/educator support
- Child-safe learning environments
- Literacy initiatives
- Digital learning resources
- Islamic learning facilities
- Islamic educational materials
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Supporting the Journey of Faith
Mobilizing dedicated sponsorship and charitable support to help eligible Muslims with limited financial means undertake Hajj or Umrah with dignity, appropriate preparation and transparent beneficiary selection.
Hajj & Umrah Pilgrim Sponsorship
Supporting the Journey of Those Who Cannot Afford It
VIRD foundation's Islamic community development framework also include Hajj and Umrah sponsorship for eligible financially disadvantaged Muslims.The initiative support:
- Vulnerable elderly pilgrims
- Low-income individuals
- Women facing financial barriers
- Persons with disablilities
- Other appropriately selected beneficiaries
The process is intended to be:Transparent → Needs-Based → Verified → Accountable → Dignified
Sponsorship may include appropriate support for travel preparation, documentation, accommodation, welfare and pilgrimage-related assistance.
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Community-Led Environmental Restoration & Resilience
Working with communities to rehabilitate degraded land, conserve natural resources, restore ecosystems and strengthen local capacity to adapt to climate and environmental change.
Climate & Environmental Resilience
Building Climate-Resilient Communities
VIRD foundation recognizes that climate change can intensify poverty, food insecurity, water shortages, displacement and livelihood vulnerability.Our work include:
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Water conservation
- Environmental education
- Tree planting
- Land restoration
- Waste management
- Disaster-risk reduction
- Climate-resilient infrastructure
- Renewable energy solutions where feasible
- Community climate adaption
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Community Dialogue for Peace & Social Cohesion
Creating inclusive spaces for dialogue, mediation and collective action that strengthen relationships, prevent conflict and enable communities to work together towards shared development goals.
PROGRAMME 13
Peace Building & Social Cohesion
Building Peaceful and Inclusive Communities.
VIRD foundation applies conflict-sensitive and Do No Harm approaches to community programming.We may support:
- Community dialogue
- Peace education
- Youth engagement
- Women's participation
- Mediation
- Social cohesion
- Community leadership
- Local problem-solving
- Prevention of violent extremism initiatives where appropriate
Our approach seeks to strengthen peaceful relationships and inclusive community participation.
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This Programme
Community-Based Research & Evidence Generation
Generating practical evidence through participatory research, field assessments and community engagement to understand local needs, identify effective solutions and continuously improve development programmes.
Research, Innovation & Knowledge
Evidence for Better Decisions. VIRD foundation is committed to using evidence, data and learning to improve programme quality and accountability.
Activities include:
- Baseline studies
- Community needs assessments
- Vulnerability assessments
- Programme evaluations
- Research
- Data analytics
- Innovation pilots
- Learning events
- Case studies
- Publications
- Knowledge products
Where We Work
Northern Ghana. See our Where We Work page for our current focus districts.
Related projects and stories for this programme will be listed here once published.
Support This ProgrammeCOMPLETE PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES
Detailed areas of intervention
Our programmes are integrated: activities are selected with communities and delivered according to assessed need, capacity, partnership and available resources.
Humanitarian Assistance & Emergency Response
Emergency food assistance, Water and sanitation, Emergency shelter support, Healthcare assistance, Cash and voucher assistance, Protection support, Emergency household assistance, Disaster preparedness, Early recovery, Livelihood restoration.
Education & Human Capital Development
School infrastructure, Scholarships, Educational materials, School feeding support, Teacher capacity development, Early childhood development, Adult literacy, Digital learning, Technical and vocational education, Youth skills development, Community learning spaces.
Health & Nutrition
Maternal and child health, Community health, Nutrition education, Nutrition screening, Disease prevention, Health promotion, Maternal nutrition, Child nutrition, Mental health and psychosocial support, Elderly support, Health awareness campaigns. VIRD will work with qualified health institutions and relevant authorities to complement — not duplicate — public health services.
WASH
Boreholes, Water systems, Water-point rehabilitation, Household sanitation, Community sanitation, School WASH, Mosque WASH, Hygiene education, Menstrual hygiene management, Community-led sanitation, Water-point management and maintenance. Every infrastructure investment should be accompanied by appropriate operation and maintenance arrangements.
Food Security & Agriculture
Climate-smart agriculture, Farmer training, Agricultural inputs, Irrigation, Livestock development, Kitchen gardens, Cooperatives, Post-harvest management, Agricultural value chains, Nutrition-sensitive agriculture, Market linkages.
Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment
Vocational training, Technical skills, Entrepreneurship, Business development, Financial literacy, Savings groups, Qard Hasan initiatives, Productive asset support, Start-up support, Market linkages, Employment partnerships, Value-chain development.
Women & Youth Empowerment
For women: Entrepreneurship, Vocational skills, Financial inclusion, Leadership, Enterprise development, Savings and livelihoods, Women's community organizations. For youth: Digital skills, Entrepreneurship, Employability, Career guidance, Technical and vocational training, Innovation, Leadership, Volunteerism, Employment partnerships.
Child Protection & Social Protection
Child safeguarding, Child protection, Birth registration, Family strengthening, Orphan support, Disability inclusion, Elderly support, Social assistance, Community safety nets, Protection referral mechanisms.
Islamic Social Finance
Zakat (supporting eligible beneficiaries in accordance with applicable principles and requirements.); Sadaqah (voluntary charitable giving to support humanitarian and development needs.); Waqf (developing sustainable charitable assets capable of generating long-term social benefit.); Qard Hasan (supporting appropriate interest-free financing mechanisms for productive economic activities.); Sadaqah Jariyah (supporting lasting charitable initiatives whose benefits continue over time.). Restricted Islamic funds will be appropriately tracked, managed and reported according to their purpose and applicable requirements.
Islamic Community Development
Mosque construction, Mosque renovation, Mosque WASH, Accessibility improvements, Islamic learning spaces, Qur'an schools, Qur'an libraries, Islamic educational materials, Teacher development, Digital Islamic learning, Community welfare facilities.
Hajj & Umrah Sponsorship
Full Hajj sponsorship, Partial Hajj sponsorship, Umrah sponsorship, Elderly pilgrims, Women, Youth, Persons with disabilities, Vulnerable individuals, Hardship cases. Future Islamic social investment mechanisms may include a dedicated BARAKA Hajj Waqf, subject to appropriate legal and Shariah structuring.
Climate & Environmental Resilience
Tree planting, Climate education, Climate-smart agriculture, Renewable energy, Waste management, Biodiversity, Land restoration, Sustainable natural-resource management, Community environmental action, Climate adaptation.
Peacebuilding & Social Cohesion
Community dialogue, Peace education, Conflict prevention, Mediation, Civic education, Inclusive participation, Community accountability, Social cohesion initiatives.
Research, Innovation & Knowledge
Baseline studies, Community needs assessments, Vulnerability assessments, Programme evaluations, Research, Data analytics, Innovation pilots, Learning events, Case studies, Publications, Knowledge products.