Volunteering abroad during Ramadan

In March and April, Salam Charity took volunteers to Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria to deliver aid, meet beneficiaries, and serve community iftars. Here are the highlights from some of our trips.

Week 1 – Lebanon

Our first team of 14 people arrived in Lebanon in the first week of Ramadan. Their journey began in Akkar, adjoining the Syrian border. Around a quarter (100,000) of the population consists of Syrian refugees.

Our team met families and children living in Akkar, identifying those who needed aid and distributing large food parcels (filled with ingredients to last about a month).

They visited three of our mobile school tents, working with the children to paint decorations for Iftar.

When evening came, the team set up lights and tables for the huge community feast. It was attended by 280 people in the camp who enjoyed Mansaf with salad and yoghurt, fruit, pastries, and dates.

On the second day, our team travelled south to visit Burj el Barajneh – an overcrowded refugee camp in the suburbs of Beirut. Here, our volunteers met local families and distributed boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables.

From Beirut, our hardworking team continued south to meet refugees living in five more camps, providing a hot meal for 100 people in the El Buss camp in Tyre.

The next day was spent visiting Salam Charity projects in Beqaa, which has been a focus for our work for several years. The volunteer team experienced ‘school’ at the Al-Yasmine camp before distributing around 70 food parcels and meeting the families who received them. In the evening, they set up and served another iftar feast for 65 families – dishing up generous portions of chicken and rice followed by yoghurt, dessert and dates.

The final day was Orphan Fun Day – always one of the best bits of any deployment trip! Our team spent the afternoon at Playzone in Beirut, running activities, games, and arts and crafts for 50 children. Then they dished up a child-friendly Iftar menu of chicken, fries, coleslaw, and lots of juice and fruit!

Week 1 – Pakistan

Another team travelled to Pakistan in the first week of March. They started in Swabi where they met four families who had been identified for potential sponsorship. Thanks to our generous supporters, the team was able to provide each family with food packs, beds and blankets, new clothes, and cash to help with basic expenses.

Volunteers visit current projects and help us to prioritise future work. This time, our team visited a hospital in Peshwar to visit a child whose medical expenses were funded by Salam Charity. On day 2, they met with five people who have received hearing treatment and visited a women’s training centre for a focus group to discuss a new project there.

Day 3 was spent in Mansehra, where our volunteers checked on two wells which we built in 2023. They also investigated a site for a future project (in Kolhara), meeting families who talked about their difficulties fetching water. The afternoon was spent meeting orphans and widow families in need of sponsorship.

Days 4 and 5 saw the team visiting families in Sehnsa, distributing food packs to widows, and serving up a large community meal (complete with activities for children).

Week 3 – Lebanon

At the end of Ramadan, we took our biggest team of volunteers out to Lebanon – around 48 people in total. This meant that we could get lots done!

Splitting into two or three groups enabled us to meet with several families and distribute 200 food packs to refugees in Akkar, before taking t-shirts for all the kids in our Tent of Dreams school.

The next day, in Beirut, our day was spent at the Burj el Barajneh refugee camp, where we chatted with local families and supplied things like televisions, medical expenses, mattresses and blankets. We distributed another 200 food packs before returning to the camp centre to run a ‘Wishes’ room for orphans living in the camp. Our team was delighted to be able to grant their wishes – giving out smart tablets, bicycles, dolls and new clothes.

On day 3, our team visited the women’s training centre before visiting four refugee camps in Beqaa, meeting 100 families and distributing food packs and meat. The afternoon was spent in the Muhammed Sultan camp where the team distributed 50 food packs as well as mattresses. Salam Charity has an arrangement to cover rent for several families in the camp. At 6pm, the team set up tables and decorations for another vibrant community Iftar.

Day 4 saw our team meeting families at a different camp, El Buss, before taking 100 children to a local funfair! Then it was back to work – distributing 100 food packs and making preparations for a special Iftar for the elderly people in the camp.

In Beirut the next day, our volunteers were tasked with buying new clothes for the 50 orphans we’d visit in the afternoon. At Playzone, we organised an orphan Fun Day with arts, crafts and games – finishing up with a shared meal (including fries, of course) and a bit more play.

Our final day was spent in Beqaa, where the team visited some more families and took 50 children shopping.

Would you like to volunteer with us this year?

In autumn we’ll be taking volunteers to Jordan and Bangladesh. You’ll be fully supported and accompanied throughout the trip, where you’ll be able to distribute aid and meet many of our beneficiaries. It’s a great opportunity to see where your funds are being used and make memories for life.

Explore our upcoming volunteer trips here.