Nadine Osman

Muslim charities across the UK are gearing up for Ramadan with specially launched domestic and international campaigns. Muslim Charity Forum (MCF), an umbrella charity, has launched its “Be Smart” Campaign to “assist Muslim donors in making more informed and strategic charitable giving.”

“There is a perceived mistrust between donors and charities on the issues of transparency and impact, yet fundraising activities are still highly important features of Ramadan, in particular. “Our preliminary research in Ramadan 2021 showed a common sentiment amongst respondents that charities should do more to demonstrate income and expenditure with regards to 100 per cent policies, zakat, and admin costs,” said the Forum in a statement to The Muslim News.

For this reason, MCF has prepared videos, posts, and a bespoke self-assessment tool for donors, which provide information and advice for Muslims who are unsure about how to stay safe online, how to best invest in the lives of those in need, or how to contact charities for more information. The toolkit and videos cover all these topics.

MCF is running awareness and educational campaigns targeted towards British Muslim donors. They are also coordinating a multi-media campaign that includes videos, social media posts, live story panel talks, and a bespoke self-assessment tool for donors.

MCF is not fundraising for this campaign. MCF’s Ramadan campaign ‘Be Smart’ is a public awareness campaign to help donors make smart and safe choices.

Fadi Itani, CEO of MCF, told The Muslim News, “British Muslims have developed a third sector that serves important causes close to their hearts. Muslims now need to think carefully about their role as donors to strategically enhance the sector and the beneficiaries we all seek to help.”

Al-Khair Foundation, “the UK’s fastest-growing Muslim charity,” said its international ‘Bless and be Blessed Ramadan’ campaign is designed to aid those in desperate circumstances around the world. Their water, food, and health projects will span across Ramadan, distributing clothing and Eid gift packs so that those less fortunate can celebrate. The Ramadan food packs contain an entire month’s supply of basic and highly nutritious food, which will feed a family of up to five.

The Foundation will distribute food parcels in over 35 countries, delivering cooked meals and containers of dates across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey/Syria border, with a key focus on supplying aid in Afghanistan. In previous years, AKF’s food pack distribution helped over 1,000 street children in Bangladesh, and thousands of families in Gaza and Nairobi, among others. With over 850 million people worldwide needing food aid, they aim to provide help on a greater scale than ever before with their ‘Iftar with the World’ campaign.

Al-Khair Foundation will also be continuing with their ‘The Year of Sadaqah Jariyah’ campaign; Sadaqah Jariyah literally means ‘a continuous, charity‘. This includes WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), healthcare and nutrition, emergency response and construction projects, among others.

Founder and Chair, Imam Qasim, told The Muslim News, “We are continuously doing everything we can to try and help the vulnerable people here in the UK and overseas, but we now feel that we need to go the extra mile, especially during Ramadan. We aim to feed more people than ever before. The number of people going hungry has risen since the pandemic, so we want to make sure we are reaching them”.

This Ramadan, Neasden-based foodbank and Kitchen Sufra NW’s aim is to raise £80,000 to support its services. Beta Charitable Trust will also match funds for this campaign.

The money raised will be used beyond replenishing the food bank and kitchen. Sufra NW also helps those in need to access welfare advice and other professional services designed to help them become financially independent, as exemplified by the case of Yasmin.

Yasmin’s husband died in 2016 during the conflict in Syria. When we met her and her four children, she was still traumatised and desperate for help. Aside from assisting with emergency food and housing needs, Sufra’s Advice Team assisted the family in registering with schools and a GP. They also linked her to other Syrian families we assist.

During the pandemic, the family became very isolated. Yasmin’s children were not able to participate in online classes as the family did not own a laptop. Sufra provided them with two laptops, and we trained her to use Zoom. Yasmin was also able to attend a Sufra workshop on energy-saving and an Arabic language webinar on the COVID-19 vaccine. We are now supporting her in her search for a job whilst she volunteers at the food bank to gain experience.

“We are launching Open ARMS during a special Ramadan event and Iftar on Saturday, April 9th at Mount Stewart School, Kenton. We will be joined by guest speakers, including some refugees and asylum seekers we support. After that, we will share a delicious Iftar,” a spokesman for the charity told The Muslim News. Tickets will be released upon online registration.

Lady Fatemah Trust plans to proceed with its Ramadan Food drive to provide 3,000,000 meals for the most vulnerable communities around the world in Afghanistan, Gaza, Greece (refugees from countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine), Kenya, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Tanzania, Yemen and the UK.

A spokesman for the charity told The Muslim News, “Each country food drive runs parallel to our ongoing programmes to support communities to stand on their own two feet. So whether it’s nutritional programs for expectant and young mothers in Zanzibar, irrigating farmlands in Kenya and Pakistan, education in India, water for remote communities in Yemen or mother-nomics in Gaza, Iraq and elsewhere, let’s harness the spirit of Ramadan to address hunger today whilst we empower communities to build their tomorrow for a future full of hope and opportunity.”