Faiza Mohamed Ibrahim is a mother-of-six from a village called Gurei in Juba, South Sudan.
As a widow, 35-year-old Faiza is the only breadwinner of the household; she teaches in the local mosque in order to support her family. She is also the guardian of her late brother’s four children.
Last year, Faiza received an iftar foodpack from Islamic Relief, which provided her family with the security of a daily meal for around two weeks. She spoke to us last year when she received the parcel.
“Because of our economic situation, I’m not able to afford enough food, so observing Ramadan becomes difficult. During the day I work as a teacher in the mosque, which provides me with little income and I’m often paid very late. It is not enough to feed 16 people, so sometimes I would collect firewood from the forest for extra income.
“Right now, Juba is expensive and the little pay I get won’t cover water, food and medical care. There is only one borehole, which people line up at for water, and as the cost of living increases, everyday life is becoming very difficult here.
“My normal diet in Ramadan is a bread called asida, and abere – a local drink – as well as tea, green vegetables and beans.
“Sometimes my family goes without food, so even though the foodpack that Islamic Relief gave us is small, it helps to tide me over for a while.
“The iftar package helps my children and I during Ramadan because I’m not able to afford to buy some food in this package.”
Islamic Relief provided 484 iftar food packages in South Sudan last year, weighing 19kg each. One parcel contained flour, sugar, rice, lentils, oil, dates, pasta and powdered drinks.
This year, use the power of your zakat to make it easier for families like Faiza’s to observe Ramadan. Donate today.
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