Last Ramadan, Islamic Relief provided food packs to 1,402 households in Grozny, Chechnya. Our teams also distributed food vouchers that allowed rightsholders to buy the food items they needed at the store. 

One of the beneficiaries is Larisa Mukaeva, a 44-year-old widow. A mother of 3, she is the current breadwinner of the house, after her eldest son lost his job and struggles to find work.  

“When Saidi was alive our poverty didn’t seem to be a great deal, and now after his death, I feel at such a loss.  

“My elder son finished law school last year and has a diploma. It is several months already since he has been trying to find a job but in vain.  

“He tried selling phones at a private shop with his friend, but soon had to leave because the shop owner decided to scale down the number of staff, so now Bek is looking for a job again.”  

 “Alhamdulillah, not so long ago we have started to receive a bread-winner-loss allowance for Saifullah ($142) and I have recently found a part-time job in a food store nearby.  

Struggling to Provide for Her Children’s Needs  

“I cannot work the full day because Saifullah has digestion problems and needs care. We are trying to diagnose his disease, but no doctor has given the exact statement yet.  

“Medical tests and consultations are quite expensive and sometimes we have to go outside Chechnya to have more of them, and we also have to pay communal services (around $65 per month) that’s why food often becomes an issue.  

“My brother-in-law often helps us with food and clothes during tough times, but he has a wife and three children and they are expecting one more child, so I don’t feel at ease when he spends money on us.  

“I pray so much that Bek-Muhammad would find a job and our situation improves, in sha Allah.”  

A Ramadan of Hardship 

 “Ramadan is surely a special month that brings more joy and hope to all Muslims. It seems to me, however, that after Saidi is no longer with us, Ramadan is no longer the same too. As well as the whole of my life in general. I know that everything is in Allah’s hands, so I don’t lose hope and rely upon Him! 

“During Ramadan, I wake up earlier to prepare something to eat for my sons, like some porridge or fried eggs. We have our suhoor and then do our prayers. Every evening Bek goes to the nearest Mosque for tarawih and Saifullah stays with me.  

We usually have various dishes that I can cook with the available ingredients. I cook well and sometimes even in darkness, when we have electricity failures, I cook better. As my children say, the food I make is more delicious when prepared without light”  

How Islamic Relief Helps 

“Islamic Relief is doing a great job for all those who receive this support during Ramadan.  

“I have learnt about Islamic Relief from my friend, who knew about Saidi’s death and our hardships and helped me apply. We didn’t participate in any other projects. But this help came right in time! When we needed it so much!   

“These days when the life of people here seems to grow harder and harder, Islamic Relief gives hope for improvement.  

“People can feed their families and for all of them, this is a great support. 

“For our family, this is a great relief, and this food will help us save up some money we need for other expenses, like medical needs, communal services and studies.  

“When I was shopping with the Ramadan voucher, I felt the barakah of it. I think I bought with it more than I could buy with an equal sum of money at any other store.   

“I thank all those who helped us, all who work in Islamic Relief and those who donate money to it. May Allah be pleased with them all!”