To qualify for aid the orphans are assessed by the charity’s field workers as having lost his/her parents and not having any other guardian or extended family to support  them.

The charity registers all orphans requiring urgent aid between the ages of newborn baby to 16 years old. Beyond the age of 16, orphans seeking further education and to attend university can apply for educational grants through the charity.

The I.O.F has several orphan registration branches in Iraq, in the cities of Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf/Kufa, and Hilla, which are the worst areas in Iraq affected by terrorist activity.  These orphan branches have orphans coming to their offices everyday, and the branches register their details and e-mail their forms to the London Headquarters regularly.

Each orphan is different from the next.  All the orphans registered and sponsored through the I.O.F are the under the age of 18, and have grieved the loss of one or both parents and in many cases have no other provider.   The majority of children are from poor backgrounds, having mostly lost the bread-winner in the family, and are in a majority of cases              only small children, many being not more than 2-3 years in age when sponsorship begins. The children are on many occasions mal-nutritioned, in shock, and suffer from depression, which the I.O.F tries to alleviate through gatherings with other children, social activities, parties, gift distributions, and a basic education and living income organised through sponsorship.