Yaqub Batrs Toma (76) is the head of the household and lives with his wife in Iraq. He currently resides in Ninawa, Teleskop and benefited from the IRW-Iraq Ramadan food basket distribution.
How does he provide for himself and his family in terms of food? He said, “My wife and I live here alone, we are both old, we don’t have the ability to work and we don’t have children to support us, neighbours and charitable people help us.”
Regarding hard times and the effect of food shortages on his family’s life, he stated “We need food too much because we both have medical problems and take medication”, so we have to eat healthy food, but sometimes we have nothing to eat when we have no one to support us.”
Daily Life in Iraq During Ramadan
He found that the month of Ramadan had a significant impact on their lives. He also appreciated the warmth they received from the Muslims from their community and within Islamic Relief.
“We are Christians, but we see that it is a month of goodness and blessing with your help,” he stated.
Image: Yaqub and his wife, recipients of the food basket distribution in Iraq.
When asked about the changes and community events during Ramadan, he said, “We spend all our time with my wife at home because we have no place to go.”
He also said, “We are Christians, but we celebrate with our Muslim neighbours, who offer us a dish from their kitchen.
How Islamic Relief Helps
Regarding the impact of the IRW-Iraq food distribution in his community during Ramadan, he said, “Your support has made everyone happy, and us too, even though we are Christians.”
Regarding how the Ramadan food package helped his family, he said, “Your food package made us happy because we saw that there is no discrimination between Muslims and Christians and that you support them all equally.
When asked about how he came to know about IRW-Iraq and how he benefited from other projects he replied, “We knew you from neighbours who told us about your NGO and your great support.
He was asked how we could improve our Ramadan food packages, to which he replied
“I think you are doing humanitarian work because the name of your NGO is Islamic, but you help everyone regardless of religion and nationality, but I hope you will continue this work and not limit yourself to the month of Ramadan.”
Finally, he thanked the IRW Iraq organisation and wished them success.
In Ramadan 2023, Islamic Relief distributed food packs to the most needy communities worldwide, including those most vulnerable in Indonesia.
Around 2,580 food packs were distributed, benefiting around 10,320 individuals in need across Aceh, Cianjur and Jakarta. The content of the food pack provided covers a month’s worth of food.
The program prioritised the most vulnerable people – those affected by disasters and the impact of poverty. Among these groups included female-headed households, pregnant and lactating mothers, orphans, elderly and individuals with disability.
One of the recipients of the program includes Ibrahim (66), a Quran teacher, and his wife Khasdiana (63), who is a housewife.
Image: Ibrahim and Khasdiana from Aceh, Indonesia, one of the recipients of the food pack.
Unable to Earn a Livable Wage
Ibrahim was born and raised in Lam Asan Village, Indra Jaya District, Aceh Jaya in Indonesia. He has a physical disability that makes it hard for him to move around without mobility support, such as the crutches he uses now. To help him with these struggles, his wife regularly helps during his Quran classes as he’s teaching the children.
Image: Ibrahim from Aceh, Indonesia, one of the recipients of the food pack, with his crutches.
For food, Ibrahim solely relies on what he earns from the teaching Qur’an and charitable donations. Due to his disability, he is unable to find another job to improve his family’s financial situation.
He feels fortunate to live near flowing mountain water. Thus far, the resource continues to fulfil his family’s needs. He also is not charged any money for using it.
How Islamic Relief Helps
Islamic Relief’s Ramadan food support aims to help fulfil family needs for food during Ramadan.
Ibrahim considered the Ramadan food package extremely helpful and helped him and his family survive the month. He is very grateful for the help in making it easier for him to fulfil his needs considering the increasing costs of food due to inflation.
Give Families Hope and Relief
Keep the blessings of Ramadan going. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food, rebuild their livelihoods and more.
Last Ramadan, in 2023, one of the ways Islamic Relief has tried to support vulnerable communities around the world is through food distribution projects. One of the countries these food packs were delivered to was Ethiopia.
Ethiopia experiences a wide range of major socio-economic effects. Internal ethnic conflicts, drought, continued political unrest and war, as well as the steadily rising cost of living, have all taken a massive toll on the population.
To combat issues such as food insecurity that come about as a result, Islamic Relief food distribution projects aim to support those most in need. These include orphans, through their fasting guardians, elders, lactating and destitute mothers, IDPs (internally displaced persons), people in poverty and other vulnerable groups.
One of the recipients includes Momina Warrio and her family of 6, who live in Weltane IDP camp in Meiso, Oromia in Ethiopia.
Image: Momina from Meiso district, Oromia, Ethiopia, one of the recipients of the food pack.
Struggling to feed their family
“Getting enough food is quite difficult for us because we don’t have a regular and dependable source of income.
“My husband and I do not have a steady source of income to buy enough food for ourselves and our kids. My husband is a labourer, and we are very reliant on his meagre wages to cover our daily expenses.
“I occasionally gather wood in the jungle and sell it for a few pennies in town to supplement our income. As my husband and I get older, it becomes more difficult to maintain a labour force, generate income, and feed our kids on a regular basis.”
“Our children will go hungry if I and my husband become ill and are unable to work at our labour jobs.”
Life as an Internally Displaced Family in Ethiopia
“For us, experiencing the effects of food shortages is not new. We have lived with this ever since we left our home and became IDPs. We frequently suffer greatly from a lack of nourishment.
“My husband and I will be forced to stay home during the rainy season because we are unable to travel to our regular workplaces. The entire family encountered hunger at that time due to a lack of food to eat, especially our kids.
“Likewise, we experience challenges during fasting occasions like Ramadan due to an extreme absence of food for fitur (iftar) and suhur (suhoor).”
Ramadan While Internally Displaced in Ethiopia
“In the past, before we became IDPs, we used to fast Ramadan with no challenges…as we were able to gather crops and cereals using our fertile farming lands.
“We were physically and psychologically strong and economically better off to fast the whole month of Ramadan and benefit from its numerous spiritual benefits.
“We used to eat a well-balanced diet during Ramadan or out of Ramadan. For instance, we could prepare and eat meat and meat-related meals, too many biscuits and cookies, barley and oat soup, kitfo, etc. But now the experience is totally different.
“Food is extremely scarce in the Weltane IDP Centre. Due to the severe impoverishment in the neighbourhood, purchasing food is out of reach for all of us.
“The majority of Muslims who practise fasting throughout Ramadan lack sufficient food and other basics. There have been occasions when we were fasting in Ramadan with no food and only drinking water.
“This breaks our hearts as we are unable to fast throughout the holy month of Ramadan.”
How Islamic Relief Helps
In 2023, more than 6595 households and 32,975 individual rightsholders benefited from the food pack project. Both In-kind and cash voucher assistance modalities were utilised to deliver the Ramadan food support.
“This Ramadan food package is a huge benefit to my family and my IDP neighbours because it alleviates the hardships, we are experiencing due to the food crisis,” Momina says.
“We are pleased that the pack includes the food items we frequently consume. Food costs increase during Ramadan, and we are unable to buy those expensive food items. We will be able to meet our food needs during and beyond Ramadan thanks to the food pack support.
“We are grateful to Islamic Relief and its donors for their kind support of underprivileged families like ours. I thank IR and the givers for the kind assistance I received. I pray to Allah (SW) to accept the fasting and good deeds of all IR families, especially those who donated these Ramadan food packs.”
Image: Momina and family from Meiso district, Oromia, Ethiopia, one of the recipients of the food pack.
Give Families Hope and Relief
Keep the blessings of Ramadan going. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food, rebuild their livelihoods and more.
Ethiopia faces a wide range of major socio-economic issues. Internal ethnic conflicts, drought, continued political unrest and war, as well as the steadily rising cost of living have taken a toll on its population. And the situation is only worsening.
In the escalating humanitarian crisis, Islamic Relief is providing relief to the people of Ethiopia, including through our Ramadan project.
Implemented every year during the holy month, the Ramadan project aims to help the most vulnerable communities. These include orphans and their guardians, elders, new mothers, IDPs (internally displaced persons) and impoverished families.
Last year, in 2023, more than 6595 households and 32,975 rightsholders benefited from the project.
One of the recipients was Misra Ali Ahmed and her family, who live in an IDP camp in Meiso, Oromia in Ethiopia.
Image: Rightsholder Misra Ali Ahmed, 30-year-old mother of 4, from Meiso, Ethiopia.
Unable to Afford Basic Necessities
As parents of 4, Misra and her husband struggle to provide for their and their children’s needs.
“I have no income; my husband works as a daily labourer, and we fulfil our daily necessities with his hard-earned money.
To be really honest, we cannot afford to feed our kids with the wages that my husband earns on a daily basis because his daily work will not always be there.”
To help with the bills, Misra would sometimes go to the forest during the summertime to collect wood to sell in the town nearby and make some money. However, it was still not enough to cover the food, clothing and other essentials the family needed daily.
“Feeding our five children at least once a day has been a burden for us as parents.”
Life as an Internally Displaced Family in Ethiopia
Misra and her family are IDPs. They had to flee their home because of the conflict between the Somali and Oromo tribes, leaving behind their livelihood.
“We experienced the most difficult time when we first became IDPs. Since the first day we left our home, my family, especially my children, has been severely suffering from food shortages.
“We had to settle in a remote area where there are no opportunities for work, generating money, or supporting our family. We don’t have any land to use for cultivating crops.
“My husband will go to work with an empty stomach during times like Ramadan and the rainy season, when our food shortage becomes more and more challenging to handle. On these occasions, we will experience starvation, which is so tough to cope with.”
Ramadan While Internally Displaced in Ethiopia
“We have enthusiastically welcomed the holy month of Ramadan since it is a special and wonderful experience for us, despite the fact that we are dealing with serious socioeconomic challenges.
“In the past, we used to have special occasions and distinctive everyday routines during the month of Ramadan. We used to prepare special meals like biscuits, soup, and cookies and share them with our relatives and neighbours.
“We have no special diet either during Ramadan, (it’s) usually injera with shiro stew. There are some bad times (when) we miss Injera and Shiro, so we spend the whole day and night with an empty stomach.
Likewise, without enough food supplies to go around in the camp, getting together with the family’s other IDP neighbours is a rare occurrence.
“Unfortunately, for the past three years, we have fasted throughout Ramadan without having enough food or other essentials like electricity. These days, without proper food or electricity, we are fasting and experiencing a different Ramadan.
“We used to spend a lot of time praying, visiting family, preparing unique traditional foods, and sharing Fitur with our loved ones.
“(But now) there is no mosque nearby where anyone can perform tarawih prayers, and there is no electricity access to recite the glorious Qur’an in this blessed and holy month.”
How Islamic Relief Helps
“Indeed, Allah is always there to look after us, even though we lack access to better healthcare or a decent standard of living.
“I consider myself to be a member of the Islamic Relief family, (as) this is not the first time that Islamic Relief has helped me.
“In the organisation’s last two years of the Qurbani project, I obtained Qurbani meat packs. Additionally, I am included in the durable solution livelihood project that the organisation is implementing in the Weltane IDP centre.
With this project, I and my IDP neighbours are deployed in the camel fattening initiative. I, along with the other nine families from the Weltane IDP community, have gotten 180,000 ETB from Islamic Relief and bought two baby camels that we are currently fattening. I’m hopeful that we’ll generate income and improve our standard of living.
Your Impact of Giving Food Packs
“This Ramadan food pack support will be particularly beneficial for my family and also the Weltane IDP fasting families, who have been struggling with an extreme shortage of food.
“The food package includes 60 kg of wheat flour, 5 kg of split lentils, 5 kg of rice, and 2 litres of oil. (It) would greatly assist us in meeting our food provision needs for the upcoming two and three months.
Image: Misra and family from Meiso district, Oromia, Ethiopia, one of the recipients of the food pack.
“As we have an extreme shortage of foods, these package contents will add some nutritional value to our diet. We can prepare lentil stew, rice porridge, soup, cookies, biscuit pancakes, and other kinds of meals for my children, and they will enjoy eating them.
“Throughout Ramadan, we can fast without being concerned about getting Fitur meals. Our kids will like eating the cookies, biscuits, porridge, and pancakes we make for them.
“I am sure every IDP family is truly happy as a result of this distribution of Ramadan food packs because it brings them joy and happiness. It significantly helps us to cut our higher food expenses and saves the time and effort we spend searching for food for our children.
“I thank Islamic Relief and the Ramadan food pack donors for the generous support I have obtained today. And I ask Allah (SWT) to bless all IR families and these specific Ramadan food pack donors and accept their fasting and their good deeds during this holy month.”
Give Families Hope and Relief
Keep the blessings of Ramadan going. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food, rebuild their livelihoods and more.
In Ramadan 2023, 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 was Luiza Djabaeva, a 31-year-old mother of four. She works as a housewife, taking care of the children and the small flat her family lives in while her husband works.
“These days, life is really becoming very hard. The prices grow very quickly, there is no stability.
“Timur works as a taxi driver and his daily earnings (around $12) are spent on our everyday needs.
“We also have children’s allowances (around $480) which we have started to get recently, and with the rise in prices almost all of it too is spent on food and clothes, medicine when children get ill and communal services ($60 per month).
“My attempts to save up some money for improving our living conditions often fail.
“During tough times, we have to depend on our relatives who share with us what they have.”
Making Do With Little Space
“Alhamdulillah, we have all the needed communal supplies here, the only problem is that we live in a former accommodation centre and our flat is 20 square meters.
Image: Luiza’s family, from Chechnya, lives in dormitories transformed into apartment houses.
“There is no place to put a desk or an additional bed for children. Muhammad goes to school and he does his homework at his grandmother’s place which is on the same floor as ours.
“Soon Safiya will go to school, in shaa Allah, and Khaleem and Khussein too and we are unable to arrange a place for them to do their home tasks and keep their textbooks. This is so frustrating!
Hope for Ramadan during tough times
“Ramadan is the time of hope and peace for all Muslims. It’s also the time of mercy and forgiveness, strengthening of our Iman, increasing our good deeds and improving our characters. So, we too are trying to do good deeds – fast and improve ourselves with Allah’s help!
“During Ramadan, we wake up earlier to have suhoor. My children also are starting to fast little by little. For suhoor, we eat rice with milk, buckwheat or some fried eggs. Then we do our prayers. Every evening Timur does tarawih prayer at the nearby mosque. He sometimes has iftar with his friends.
During Ramadan, we eat less because there is less time for meals. We eat dates for Iftar when we can afford them. During the rest of the year, I cook all possible dishes out of flour, e.g. some buns, chepalgash, khingalsh, galnash.
“Children like them and this food also helps to save up some means for other needs, because children need clothes to wear and toys too. And when you buy a sack of flour the price for a kilo is less and you can save up a little.”
How Islamic Relief Helps
“The support we and the families like ours receive from Islamic Relief during Ramadan is very valuable. The food pack lasts for days during which we don’t have to bother ourselves about where to get the food from. It is a great relief, especially now, when the situation is so unstable.
Image: Luiza from Chechnya taking her voucher at a distribution point in the dormitory and at home.
“With us, the Ramadan food pack will in sha Allah last for about a week or more, and it will help save money we would have to pay for communal services during the whole month. So, it is great support!
“We have become part of the Islamic Relief Ramadan project thanks to our community leader Layla. She was our head when the dormitory was still an accommodation centre for IDPs (internally displaced persons) and continued her mission into the day. She knows the needs of people and does the best she can to help others.
“We received a voucher from the IRR with which we could choose goods at a food store, and this was great because we chose what we wanted and bought more sweets for the month of Ramadan, which children appreciated most. I cannot tell you what can be improved because this aid was ideal! We couldn’t ask for more!
“I have so many words of gratitude for all the people who made this project possible! May Allah grant you with His mercy multiple times! And may He treat you as those He is pleased with!”
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
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.
Image: Larisa Mukaeva, a widowed mother of three children, and her youngest son, from Chechnya.
“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!
Image: Ramadan 2023 programme encompasses 1,402 families in Chechnya, including Larisa’s.
“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!”
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
Ramadan food distribution is a signature program of Islamic Relief. In 2023, Islamic Relief distributed 400 food packs to vulnerable communities in Mithapukur, a sub-district of Rangpur in Bangladesh.
Rangpur is one of the poverty-prone districts in Bangladesh. Within the area, families cannot afford to buy food the whole year round. During Ramadan, this makes fasting difficult, as they often go days without a proper meal is difficult.
To combat this issue, Islamic Relief has ensured that families in Rangpur get enough food throughout Ramadan.
Struggling to Feed Their Family
One of the recipients is Sultana Razia, a 45-year-old mother of 3. Her husband is the family’s breadwinner, but she tries to earn some income to help him out wherever she can.
“I work as a seasonal day labourer, picking potatoes from the land, harvesting rice from the paddy field. Being a Iabourer, I only earn BDT 200 a day. I do sewing at home from which I earn BDT 250 in a week. I give all my earnings to my husband to spend for family purposes. Thus, I contribute to my family.
“I do not have any steady income. I feel bad when I cannot share family expenses. My husband does not earn much, and it is difficult for him to run the whole family with his little income.
“During this difficult period, we cannot provide food to our daughters. Sometimes they starve and go to sleep without food. We eat one or a maximum of two meals a day instead of three meals. My daughters suffer from malnutrition due to lack of food and become physically weak.”
How Islamic Relief Has Helped
Sultana and her family are regular recipients of aid from Islamic Relief. In 2022, she received a Ramadan food pack and Qurban during Eid al-Adha. Her family also received winter clothes in December 2021 from Islamic Relief’s winterisation program.
In early 2021, she participated in the “Preventing Early Marriage in Bangladesh” project In Mithapukur Upazila, as her second daughter, Rubaya Akhter, was selected as a direct beneficiary of the project. The program gave them BDT 5000 as a grant to increase family income.
The Impact of Ramadan Food Packs
Likewise, in 2023, like many other needy families in her village, Sultana and her family, received a Ramadan food pack from Islamic Relief.
“People in my neighbourhood are poor and the Ramadan pack is a blessing to everyone. The pack gives them comfort and ensures their food security. As such, they sincerely concentrate on their prayers with more devotion.
“This Ramadan food pack is a great help to me. We are a family of 5 members. Before, we hardly managed 3 meals. Now Islamic Relief has ensured our meals in Ramadan. We would be able to break our fast together. We are so much relieved now.
Image: Sultana Razia received her Ramadan 2023 food pack.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Islamic Relief from the bottom of my heart. By distributing the Ramadan food pack, Islamic Relief has supported many vulnerable people like us. We are extremely happy to receive these Ramadan food packages.
“I would also like to convey my gratitude to donors, and I will always pray for donors so they continue distributing Ramadan food package in future.”
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
Our Ramadan program at Islamic Relief ensures food for families in need worldwide. This includes Bangladesh where, within the town of Thakurgaon, many people live in extreme poverty. They struggle to afford food, especially during Ramadan, when they are unable to prepare anything for Suhoor and Iftar, making it harder for them to fast.
Hamida Bewa’s family is one of the rightsholders within this area. She is a 70-year-old who lives with her two adult children, both of whom have disabilities. Her daughter, Omela Khatun, aged 45, cannot speak. Her son, Kolim Uddin, aged 40, is intellectually impaired.
Life in Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh
Hamida’s family struggles to find work. Sometimes, Hamida and her daughter work as domestic help. However, this is nowhere near enough to provide them with a steady income.
“It is so unfortunate that I am dependent on my disabled daughter. Despite her impairment, she works as a domestic help to the neighbours’ house. She washes their dishes and in return, they provide her (with) some food. We share that food and save our lives.
“I become so upset whenever she goes to work. I often cry myself and curse my misfortune. It gives me immense pain and sorrow that I am dependent on my impaired daughter.”
Unable to Afford to Eat
“We are poor. The lives of the poor are always difficult. But my life is even more difficult. Both my son and daughter are disabled. I feel so helpless whenever I think about what their future in my absence would be. Who would take care of them? Who would feed them? It is a terrible test for me. I am a widow and there is no other earning member in my family. I hardly remember when we had three meals in a day.
“We starve most of the time. If we are lucky, we manage two meals. Flood brings distress to everyone. During floods, my daughter cannot go to work and those days we have no choice but to starve.”
“Whatever we are offered from donors, those are our only options. As such we treat ourselves with the food we receive.
“Sometimes I feel so frustrated remembering our old days. I do not know when I will be able to see my homeland again.”
Ramadan in Thakurgaon, Bangladesh
“Ramadan is very special. Allah has asked (us) to worship more during this Holy month. But (for) poor people like me who do not have any food for them, it is difficult even to pray. I cannot fast properly because I don’t get enough to eat during sahur.
“We do not get three times meal. It is even difficult for us to collect one meal. We struggle to arrange rice and lentil. We consider ourselves lucky if we manage two meals a day.
“Our regular diet is rice, lentils or vegetables. Sometimes we are blessed when people donate us one or two pieces of fish. We cannot recall when was the last time we had meat. For poor people like us, it is difficult to survive.”
How Islamic Relief Has Helped
“Islamic Relief is implementing a project titled “SUFOL’’ in our area. I am one of the participants of that project. That’s how I know about Islamic Relief in Bangladesh.
“I was relieved when I received Ramadan food pack from Islamic Relief. I am so thankful. This food pack was a real blessing. I was so worried what we would eat during Ramadan.
Image: Jovial Hamida receives her card for collecting Ramadan 2023 Food Pack from Islamic Relief teams in Bangladesh.
“Islamic Relief helped us and made me worry free. They have provided enough food for us. We would be able to fast for a month by eating properly. We would be able to eat food for the whole month. My son will not starve during Ramadan.
“I have nothing more to say except thanking Islamic Relief for their tremendous help. In shaa Allah this year we (will) have no worries for food, and I (will) be able to fast smoothly.”
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
Every year Islamic Relief distributes Ramadan food packs to the underprivileged to bring happiness in their lives. One of the rightsholders Islamic Relief serves is 36-year-old widow Tayeba and her children, who live in Bhasan Char Rohingya Camp.
From Hardship to Greater Hardship
Tayeba became a widow after her husband was tortured and brutally killed by the Myanmar Armed Forces. She had no choice but to flee to Bangladesh to save her and her children’s lives.
Two years ago, she was relocated to Bhasan Char, an island far away from the mainland with inadequate facilities.
Worse still for Tayeba are her prospects for the future. Within the camp, there are no job opportunities for the refugees. Due to her low educational level, she is struggling to find a suitable job. Without a stable income, she faces financial hardship with her four children.
“My life is miserable. I lost my husband and now I am helpless with my four orphan children. We were sent to this island and since then we have been living in a building. However, I wish if I had a fixed income of my own, we would have lived better. We are struggling for survival.”
Struggling to Provide for Her Children
“My children are malnourished and suffer from protein deficiency. I cannot afford to arrange eggs, chicken, meat, milk, and fruits for them.
“Being a mother, I feel sad when I cannot arrange anything for them even if it is a small thing. Last month, my son Osman wished to have an egg on his dinner menu, but I could not afford to give him. He was very upset and slept without having dinner.
“It was so painful to me as I could not buy just an egg. I cried the whole night realising my situation.”
Alongside food, Tayeba also struggles to send her children to school and afford the medicine they need.
“My children go to a school run by the NGO. They need a private tutor, however, I cannot afford to keep a tutor for them.
“Sometimes if they are sick and need to see a doctor, it is even difficult to buy medicine. I cannot provide proper medicine when they fall sick.”
Ramadan as a Refugee
My daily life is a bit different during Ramadan. I wake up very early to cook pre-dawn (Suhur) meal. After having our Suhur, we offer Fajr prayer. I also prepare a day-long meal for my younger kids as they cannot fast.
“Ramadan always reminds me of the days which we used to pass in our country. I miss my husband the most. We used to have Iftar and prayer together. My husband used to take us for Eid shopping. I miss my husband as well as my homeland immensely.
“When we were kids and used to keep fasting, my parents used to arrange good Iftar to treat and to encourage us. As a mother, I wish to apply the same to my children but reality is difficult.
“During Ramadan, my children wish to have special food items. I have no money to buy some special food items during Ramadan.
How Islamic Relief Has Helped
“I have been familiar with Islamic Relief since the very first day of my relocation to Bhasanchar. Every month I receive a monthly food ration from them.
“I had the opportunity to participate in one of their adolescent awareness sessions, in which my girls participated as well. Last year, I also received the Qurbani Meat pack.
“We have been receiving Ramadan food packs for the last 2 years from Islamic Relief. My children are happy when they have this Ramadan pack. They were so excited about having it. I was very concerned about what would I arrange for them during Ramadan.
“The food supply has been a great relief and we now concentrate more on prayers. I hope I will be able to complete Ramadan with this food pack.
“Islamic Relief has distributed food packs in our community as well. It brings immense joy to our community.
“I hope Islamic Relief will continue providing Ramadan food packs every year because it is a blessing to poor people like us.
“The Ramadan Food pack is enough for my family and we are extremely happy and pleased. I am so grateful to Islamic Relief. I pray for them.”
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
Every year, Islamic Relief distributes Ramadan food packs to the underprivileged to bring hope and joy in their lives.
One of the recipients includes 50-year-old Mohammed Nur and his family, who live in Bhasan Char Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh.
No Way to Earn a Living
On the island, there are fewer livelihood opportunities. To earn a living, most locals fish in the sea.
However, for 50-year-old Mohammed Nur, who lives on the island’s Rohingya camp, his physical constraints prevent him from doing so.
“We are struggling to survive. As I have no earning source, it’s very difficult to bear the expense of my family. My family members have no earning source either. Therefore, living here is very difficult.”
Life as a Rohingya Refugee
“I feel nostalgic when I remember the sweet memories of our homeland.
“We were well off in Myanmar. We used to have Iftar together with friends and relatives. We used to buy different Iftar items and Eid presents for all.
“We had everything but now we are penniless here in the camp. Here we are dependent on others as I have no income. We receive monthly food ration and manage with it.”
Without a stable source of income, Mohammed Nur and his family are dependent on monthly food rations.
“Whatever we are offered from donors, those are our only options. As such we treat ourselves with the food we receive.
“Sometimes I feel so frustrated remembering our old days. I do not know when I will be able to see my homeland again.”
Ramadan at the Rohingya Camp
“I believe Ramadan is the month when we get closer to Allah.
“I try to follow all the rituals during Ramadan. I try to accomplish all 30 days of fasting. If I feel very sick, only then do I skip fasting.
“We break fast at sunset with a simple diet. We offer Taraweeh prayer at night. My wife and I also recite the holy Quran and offer additional prayers.”
How Islamic Relief Has Helped
“I am familiar with Islamic Relief since I have been relocated to Bhasan Char.
“Islamic Relief has been providing us with monthly food ration since the beginning. Moreover, I have been helped by WASH facilities and Qurbani meat packs donated by Islamic Relief.
“We are extremely happy to have Islamic Relief’s Ramadan support. We have been receiving the special Ramadan gift for the last two years.
“Islamic Relief’s Ramadan food package is different from other NGO’s Ramadan support. It brings joy and happiness to every single family in our camp.
Islamic Relief distributed a total of 12,417 food packs to vulnerable families in the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) camp in Bhasan Char and Ukhiya, including Mohammed and his family.
“The food pack was a great relief to my entire family. The children were extremely happy having this Ramadan pack.
“I sincerely thank Islamic Relief, particularly for their remarkable efforts during this sacred month of Ramadan.
Save Families From Hunger
Multiply your rewards from Allah (SWT) this Ramadan. Give families in need the opportunity to enjoy nutritious food for Suhoor and Iftar during this blessed month.
