Background
The Holy month of Ramadhan represents the best of opportunities for over a billion Muslims across the world to make a change for the good. Helping the less fortunate, supporting the needy and giving back to the community are all at the core of what Ramadhan is about as the Mercy of Allah swt encompasses all in the blessed month. But not only this, through our work, our donations and our efforts, we can become part of his Mercy, and the rewards for doing so know no bounds. In order to make a difference, it is important to recognise those who are in need, and those for whom impoverishment is a harsh reality. In areas such as Iraq, India and East Africa, members of families often have to navigate between the incredibly painful choice of who can eat and what can they afford to eat.
Project Delivery
In our bid to support these people, we at The Mainstay Foundation have launched a charitable initiative in line with our focus upon development, particularly poverty relief and the advancement of the Shia Ithna Ashari Faith which focuses upon supporting impoverished families within Iraq, India and East Africa through the distribution of food baskets and the daily provisions of iftar within Mosques and Islamic Centres which will be implemented by our partners in these regions. The iftars provided daily will include staple foods, such as Rice, Meat, Dates, Tea and Water to provide nourishment to those in need. The food baskets in a similar manner, also include staple food items, such as Rice, Tea, Oil, Sugar, Lentils, Table Salt, Flour and spices.
Past Impact
Last year we managed to raise funds to provide more than 10,000 food baskets to families within more than 4 cities in India and for more than 3500 within Iraq, helping these families navigate through the financial hardships they face during this holy month. Within East Africa, we also raised funds so that more than 100 centres across more than 4 countries provided daily iftar for over 3300 families. Yet the extent of impoverishment means that so much more can be done and needs to be done.
How you can help
£1 can help feed a family of 4-5 a night during each night for the holy month of Ramadhan. That means for the cost of only £30, an impoverished family of 4-5 can enjoy a hearty and nutritious meal for an entire month.
We are also pleased to announce that a generous donor has pledged to match every donation made towards this cause. So, for every £1 raised, £2 will be sent to impoverished families.
Why £1
In calculating the cost of £1 for a meal for a family, we have taken an average cost of producing a single meal (either through the food basket or through the provision of meals within centres) from ingredients purchased at bulk within India, East Africa and Iraq for a family of 4-5. These costs have been verified directly by us at The Mainstay Foundation in collaboration with our partners who purchase and distribute the food baskets and provide daily meals.
