Writing the next #HalfTheStory for Ramadan

61,652 hot meals.

1,450 packs of freshly baked bread.

525 boxes of vegetables, 225 frozen chickens, and 8 water wells.

Those are just SOME of the things that you’ve helped us to deliver during Ramadan 2023. Thank you for your support. Read on to learn what we’ve been doing!

Feeding People

Feeding families has been very important this year. The ‘cost of living’ crisis isn’t unique to the UK. In Lebanon, the pound collapsed, which meant that basics like bread became unaffordable. At our flagship bakery in the Beqaa Valley this month, we’ve given out 1,450 packs of fresh bread to families who are struggling to get essentials.

Ramadan is an extremely busy time for our teams in many countries. We took volunteers abroad to help hand out 6,057 food parcels and serve hot meals to 61,652 individuals. In total, the food parcels that we gave out during the month will be used to produce more than 1.8 million meals!

Sponsoring Families, Widows and Orphans

Caring for older people, children and families is high on our (and probably your) agenda. That’s why our teams spend time in community settings, chatting with families and learning how we can help them.

This has led to our Family Sponsorship programme, which now operates in several countries. During Ramadan, you’ve helped to support an additional 14 families who live in Lebanon. What does that involve?

Sponsorship is usually set at a rate that will cover the family’s bills, food and health costs. By providing these essentials, we enable the family to get on with earning income, caring for dependants, or going to school. It gives them more opportunities to reach their own potential and lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty.

This month we’ve also extended the programme to support another 101 orphaned children. These precious children are always so happy to spend time with our teams and we are devoted to caring for them. For Eid, we were delighted to give out new clothing for 357 children, and Eid gifts for 507 children!

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll have seen some of the people who touched our hearts – like the amazing older lady who gets around on one leg. You’ve helped us to support them, with another 23 widow sponsorships (a promise to provide their food and bills) made during Ramadan.

The gift of healthcare

You’d be surprised how resourceful many people can be in the face of adversity – for example, people who can’t get a wheelchair or afford their heating. But our teams are working so hard to alleviate their suffering. This month we’ve delivered 18 wheelchairs, 75 gas cylinders for heating, and 500 hygiene kits.

You might already know about our Shifa clinics – modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment to provide a range of important health services in deprived areas. Our first Shifa clinic, in Lebanon, is always busy. This month, the medical team treated 4,378 patients! We’ve just opened a similar venture in Bangladesh and April has seen 350 patients being treated (with free medicine included).

Emergency operations are identified and funded on a case-by-case basis and our team has funded 6 operations in Lebanon and Pakistan during Ramadan. One of those was Jawad, the toddler with a kidney cyst. His operation was a great success and has turned around the future – for him and his parents. We’ve also given his dad a tuktuk so that he can support the family.

Not strictly related to healthcare, but also given out on an adhoc basis: our emergency cash grants are provided to people in urgent need, and our team has distributed cash to 170 people in Lebanon during this blessed month.

We would like to take this opportunity to send a huge THANK YOU to all our supporters for the absolutely AMAZING compassion and love you’ve shown during Ramadan. Here’s our promise: For the rest of the year we’ll carry on using your funds to support thousands and thousands of vulnerable brothers and sisters all over the world, InshaAllah.

Eid Mubarak!