Ramadan is upon Us and millions are suffering under the cogs of the Coronavirus pandemic, poverty, famine, and conflict. How do families affected by multiple crises celebrate the holy month of Ramadan?

Ramadan in Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Rohingya, East Africa and other countries hit hard by conflict and poverty should be a time of festivity and good will, where family members sit together at the table to break them at sunset. Instead, sadly it is not the case for millions of vulnerable families.

Life is often filled with hardship and suffering for poor people, especially displaced refugees living in these countries. And in this respect, Ramadan will be no different than any other month of the year. Due to conflict, blockade, famine, and the impact of economic restrictions, poverty is commonplace. As a result, millions of displaced refugees are struggling just to survive.

Poverty and Food Insecurity

Rising food prices mean that poor families are unable to access nutritious food. In Palestine, 1.6 million Palestinians don’t have enough to eat, and most people are forced to spend more than half of their income on food. This means that they have less to spend on other essentials, such as education and medicine.   In Gaza, 50% of people suffer from food insecurity. Unemployment stands at a staggering 43%.  In Kenya on the other hand, 17.6 million people live in extreme poverty. Somalia has a 73% poverty rate. And Yemen is on the brink of famine after a long civil war that began in 2015.

Poverty and food insecurity make observing Ramadan very difficult for poor families. When there’s not enough food to go around, it’s hard to plan and cook nutritious iftar meals to break each fast with. The increase in food prices also means that it’s impossible for many families to invite friends and neighbors to share in large meals, an important tradition that fosters a sense of community during Ramadan.

How You Can Help

Today, United Hands Relief launched its annual Pre-Ramadan Feed a Family Campaign. Our teams and partners on the ground will work to provide vulnerable families with the food their need for the month of Ramadan. All Muslims should be able to celebrate Ramadan, regardless of where they live in the world, and that’s why we’re asking our donors to give generously before the beginning of the holy month, so we can deliver the food packages to families on time.

For $100, you can provide a needy family with enough food to last them the entire month of Ramadan in Palestine, Yemen, Jordan (Palestinian & Syrian refugees), and Lebanon (Palestinian & Syrian refugees)

For $75, you can provide a needy family with enough food to last them the entire month of Ramadan in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rohingya, Bangladesh, Kashmir, Pakistan.

For $10, you can provide a comforting warm iftar meal in the above mentioned countries.

$30 – Eid gift for orphaned children.

Bring these impoverished hungry families hope and joy they really deserve.