Six Programs, One Mission: A Complete Guide to ARCD's Programs

What does it actually take to restore dignity to a community that has been stripped of the basics, including clean water, a clinic, a school, a meal? For Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD), the answer is not one program or one intervention. It is six carefully designed, deeply connected programs that work together across 32 African countries to address the full spectrum of human need.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in New Jersey, ARCD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating at the intersection of immediate humanitarian relief and long-term community development. As of 2025, the organization has reached over 1.1 million people, constructed more than 1,500 water wells, established over 150 educational centers, sponsored more than 3,000 orphans, and facilitated over $7 million in in-kind donations. Behind each of those numbers is a structured, evidence-based program designed to create change that lasts.

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Why Six Programs? Understanding ARCD's Approach

Before diving into each program, it helps to understand why ARCD operates across six areas rather than focusing on one. The answer lies in how poverty actually works.

Poverty is not a single problem. A family that lacks clean water also faces higher rates of illness. A child who is sick cannot attend school. A parent without marketable skills cannot earn enough to feed their children. An orphan without a sponsor falls behind in every dimension of life. These challenges are interconnected, and ARCD's programs are designed to address them as a system.

ARCD's programs are philosophically grounded in the Fiq-ul-Ihya framework, a Maqasid Al-Shariah-based implementation model that positions the Preservation of Life at the center of all interventions. Alongside this, every program aligns with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that ARCD's work connects to globally recognized standards of progress. 

The six programs fall into two categories: four Development Programs (WASH, Health, Education, Empowerment) that address root causes of poverty, and two Relief Programs (Food and Nutrition, Orphan Sponsorship) that respond to immediate vulnerabilities. Together, they cover the full continuum from emergency response to long-term transformation.

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Program 1: WASH

Over 1.34 billion people across Africa face water insecurity. In rural communities, women and children walk hours every day to collect water; time that could be spent in school, generating income, or simply living with dignity. The water they collect is often unsafe, leading to waterborne diseases that are a leading cause of child mortality.

ARCD's WASH Program (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) addresses this crisis head-on. The program focuses on two interconnected project categories:

• Water Wells: Construction of artisanal water wells equipped with pumps or solar-powered systems to provide communities with a safe, reliable water source that does not depend on daily collection walks.
• Sanitation and Hygiene: Construction of latrines and handwashing stations, alongside training campaigns that promote hygiene behavior change and reduce disease transmission at the community level.

The ripple effects of clean water access are enormous. When a well is built, girls stay in school instead of fetching water. Mothers spend less time managing sick children. Communities become more resilient to climate shocks and drought. ARCD has built over 1,500 water wells to date, a figure that represents not just infrastructure, but time, health, and opportunity returned to communities.

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Program 2: Health

Africa has only 1.55 health workers per 1,000 people. For millions of people in rural communities, access to even basic medical care is a distant dream, let alone specialized treatment. Preventable and treatable conditions cause significant disability and death every year simply because healthcare infrastructure is not there.

ARCD's Health Program works to bridge this gap not by operating facilities directly, but by partnering with Ministries of Health and other NGOs to strengthen local health systems from within. The program's project categories include:

• PHCCs Building and Maintenance: Constructing and maintaining Primary Health Care Centers as first points of contact for communities.
• Specialized Health Centers and Hospitals: Building and equipping facilities for eye care (including cataract surgery), obstetrics and gynecology, and renal dialysis.
• Cataract Surgery Camps: Organizing medical camps that perform sight-restoring surgeries in remote and underserved areas where people have lived with preventable blindness.
• In-Kind Medical Donations: Supplying essential equipment and medical supplies to partner health facilities.
• Training and Education: Providing continuous professional development for local healthcare workers so that capacity remains long after a project ends.

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Program 3: Education

There are 98 million children out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa. The barriers are many: crumbling or nonexistent school buildings, school fees families cannot afford, and a simple lack of books, desks, and supplies. Without education, the cycle of poverty perpetuates across generations.

ARCD's Education Program takes a holistic approach to dismantling those barriers, investing in infrastructure, financial support, and materials at once. Its project categories include:

• Schools Building and Maintenance: Constructing and renovating formal schools to give children safe, adequate places to learn.
• Masajids Building and Maintenance: Building mosques that serve as multi-purpose community and educational hubs, extending access to learning in communities where schools are scarce.
• Education Scholarships: Providing financial support that covers school fees, uniforms, and other costs so that no child is turned away from education because of money.
• In-Kind Donations: Distributing books, desks, computers, and essential educational supplies to schools and students who need them.

Program 4: Empowerment

Aid that creates dependency is not transformation. ARCD's Empowerment Program is designed with a different goal: to move individuals and communities from dependency to self-reliance by investing in their economic potential.

The program focuses particularly on women and youth through two core project categories:

• Vocational Training: Sponsoring individuals in training programs that equip them with marketable skills in trades such as tailoring, carpentry, and mechanics. Skills that create real employment opportunities in local economies.
• Microfinancing: Providing small, interest-free loans, known as Qard Hasan, to aspiring entrepreneurs to start or expand their businesses. Each loan creates a ripple effect, generating income, local jobs, and economic confidence that spreads through families and communities.

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Program 5: Food and Nutrition

Two-thirds of Africa's population faces food insecurity. Malnutrition is a leading cause of child mortality, and conflict and climate shocks continue to push communities into acute crisis. For families on the edge, a single disruption can be the difference between survival and tragedy.

ARCD's Food and Nutrition Program provides a critical lifeline by delivering immediate food assistance and nutritional support to communities when they need it most. The program's three project categories include:

• Ramadan Baskets Distribution: Distributing food baskets containing a month's worth of essential staples to families during the holy month of Ramadan, when charitable giving and community solidarity are at their highest.
• Udhiya (Qurbani/Laya) Meat Distribution: Facilitating the Islamic ritual of sacrifice during Eid al-Adha and distributing fresh meat to impoverished families who would otherwise have none.
• Nutrition Support: Providing targeted nutritional interventions, including supplementary feeding for malnourished children and mothers, to combat stunting and wasting before they cause irreversible harm.

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Program 6: Orphan Sponsorship

Africa is home to 52 million orphans. These children face extreme vulnerability (poverty, exploitation, and lack of access to education and healthcare) often without a single stable adult in their corner. Simple charity is not enough. What these children need is consistent, comprehensive, long-term support.

ARCD's Orphan Sponsorship Program provides exactly that. Rather than placing children in institutions, the program's philosophy is to keep orphans with their surviving close family members while providing structured support that benefits the whole family. The program currently sponsors over 3,000 children through four project categories:

• Cash Disbursement: Regular direct financial support to the orphan's guardian family to cover basic living expenses; stability that allows a guardian to keep a child in school and fed.
• Case Management: Dedicated social workers are assigned to each child to monitor well-being, provide psychosocial support, and ensure each child's rights are protected throughout the program.
• School Supplies: Distribution of backpacks, books, and essential supplies so that every sponsored child can attend school equipped to succeed.
• Ramadan and Eid Gifts: Special gifts and support during Islamic holidays to ensure orphans feel included, celebrated, and part of their communities.

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How All Six Programs Connect

A child in the Orphan Sponsorship Program receives school supplies because the Education Program established centers for them to attend. Clean water from the WASH Program reduces the illness burden on the Health Program's facilities. Economic independence built through the Empowerment Program reduces reliance on Food and Nutrition distributions over time.

This is what it means to operate at the intersection of relief and development: every immediate intervention is designed with long-term transformation in mind, and every development program is grounded in the realities of communities facing urgent need right now.

With five regional offices across the continent, ARCD's teams are embedded in the communities they serve, not operating from a distance, but building local trust, understanding local context, and delivering programs that communities actually need. 

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Ready to Be Part of This Mission?

Every well-built, every child sponsored, every family fed, it starts with a donor who decided to act. If ARCD's work resonates with you, there are several ways to get involved:

• Donate now to support whichever program area moves you most.
• Sponsor an orphan and provide a child with consistent, holistic care.
• Support the WASH Program and help fund a water well that a community will use for generations.
• Explore all programs and find the cause closest to your heart.

Join more than 1,650 donors who are already changing lives across Africa. Six programs. One mission. Yours to be a part of.

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FAQs

1. What does ARCD stand for, and what does the organization do? 

ARCD stands for Africa Relief and Community Development. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in New Jersey, USA, that operates six humanitarian programs across 32 African countries, addressing clean water access, healthcare, education, economic empowerment, food security, and orphan care.

2. How many programs does ARCD run, and what are they? 

ARCD runs six core programs: the WASH Program (clean water and sanitation), the Health Program, the Education Program, the Empowerment Program, the Food and Nutrition Program, and the Orphan Sponsorship Program. Four are classified as development programs and two as relief programs.

3. Which countries does ARCD work in? 

ARCD operates across 32 African countries, managed through five regional offices on the continent, covering East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa.

4. How can I donate to a specific ARCD program? 

You can choose your area of impact when you donate through ARCD's website. Whether you want to fund a water well, support education, or contribute to food relief, donations can be directed to the program that matters most to you.

5. How does the Orphan Sponsorship Program work? 

The Orphan Sponsorship Program provides monthly cash disbursements to a child's guardian family, assigns a dedicated social worker for ongoing case management, distributes school supplies, and provides holiday gifts. ARCD's philosophy is to keep orphans with their surviving family members while providing comprehensive support rather than placing them in institutions.

6. What is the WASH Program, and why does ARCD prioritize it? 

The WASH Program focuses on building water wells and sanitation facilities in communities facing water insecurity. ARCD prioritizes it because clean water is foundational; without it, health, education, and economic progress all suffer. Over 1.34 billion Africans currently face water insecurity.

7. Does ARCD provide scholarships for students? 

Yes. The Education Program includes a scholarship component that covers school fees, uniforms, and associated costs for students who would otherwise be unable to attend school. The program also distributes in-kind supplies like books and computers.

8. What is ARCD's microfinancing program, and who is it for? 

The microfinancing component of the Empowerment Program provides small, interest-free loans (Qard Hasan) to aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth, to start or grow businesses. It is part of ARCD's broader strategy to build economic self-reliance rather than long-term dependency.

9. Is ARCD a transparent organization? Where can I see its financials? 

Yes. ARCD holds a Candid Platinum rating, the highest transparency certification in the US nonprofit sector, and publishes independently audited annual financials.

10. How do ARCD's programs align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals? 

Each of ARCD's six programs directly aligns with multiple SDGs. The WASH Program connects to SDG 6; Health to SDG 3; Education to SDG 4; Empowerment to SDG 8; Food and Nutrition to SDG 2; and Orphan Sponsorship to SDGs 1 and 4. This alignment ensures ARCD's work contributes to globally recognized benchmarks for human development and poverty reduction.

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