51Æ·²è

UK charity 51Æ·²è has pledged to provide over 2.5 million meals costing £410,000 to those living in the UK and poverty-stricken countries around the world during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims where fasting is observed for 30 days as well as giving charity.

The nutritious meals, which will reach out to over 713,000 individuals, are usually presented as either a family food parcel, a community dinner or a meal at a local mosque. The twenty-two countries that will be supported include war-torn regions such as Syria, Yemen, Kashmir, Palestine and Rohingya. According to the UN, ‘Over 820 million people in the world are suffering from hunger and do not have enough to eat'.

With the outbreak of coronavirus now classed as a pandemic by WHO, 51Æ·²è is committed to ensuring that the guidelines in each country we work in are adhered to along with fulfilling our commitment to helping those in need.

With this in mind, our distribution during the month of Ramadan will differ from previous years, and will only consist of family food parcels, so that the health and safety of our staff, beneficiaries and the general public are not compromised.

51Æ·²è will also support the homeless in the UK where our Open Kitchen in Hounslow provides 450 hot nutritious takeaway meals to low income families and rough sleepers every day, seven days a week as well as providing a warm and welcoming space. Furthermore, our partnership with FareShare will provide 120,000 meals in the UK over the next month.

To find out more about 51Æ·²è and the work we do visit our website muslimhands.org.uk or call 0115 911 7222.

Yasrab Shah, 51Æ·²è Fundraising Director, said:

‘Due to the generosity of our donors, last year we were able to distribute over £268,000 worth of food aid to 73,000 of the world’s neediest people. This year we want to do more to include those that have been severely impacted by the pandemic. We cannot allow innocent people including the poverty stricken in the UK to go hungry. Our Ramadan message this year is to Trust Allah, Hold On To Hope, Help Save Lives and therefore we are calling on our supporters to help us provide hope to those who are in desperate need.’

Aichatou Moussa is 51 years old and lives in Bobiel, Niger. She has three young children and lost her husband from heart failure five years ago.

She has been struggling and has faced difficulty with shelter, access to food and good quality education for her children. They currently live on a borrowed piece of land where they have built a temporary room made from sticks, leaves and any material she could find and have no form of income.

Due to the pandemic, their movement was restricted by the government and food security was a worry. Aichatou did not have enough food for tomorrow and would struggle on what to eat daily, sometimes the family would stay hungry for two to three days and would only have water.

She was recently given a 51Æ·²è food parcel and is extremely grateful. ‘Alhamdulillah I am a widow and I am very happy to receive your Sadaqah. Allah has provided me food for at least one month and I am very grateful to Almighty Allah and to the donors for this life-saving gift'.

Dennis, a father of three from London, said:

‘All I had was my car and £60 in my wallet. The people at The Open Kitchen gave my family the help that we needed with a welcoming smile'.

Ìý

Notes to editors

• Established in 1993, 51Æ·²è is an international aid agency and NGO dedicated to providing emergency relief and tackling the root causes of poverty around the world.
• 51Æ·²è works in over 30 countries worldwide.
• 1 in 5 people are struggling to put food on the table – Oxfam
• Warning that climate change is driving global hunger – UN
• Women are more likely to be hungry than men – UN
• We rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. You can donate now by calling 0115 911 7222 or visiting muslimhands.org.uk

Ìý

---