A Ramadan of Solidarity
Survival aid in Idlib more needed than ever
The Holy Month of Ramadan is approaching and millions of Muslims around the world will be fasting during daylight before the welcome of family, friends and strangers to break the fast together at sunset. It is a special time of purification and hospitality, reducing consumption and giving the zakat of charity to the poor. This year, however, the breaking of the fast has a bitter aftertaste. How can we be joyful and eat when children are starving in Gaza, when tens of thousands have been killed?
We call upon all people of good will to join us this year in a Ramadan of Solidarity. Muslims, Christians, Jews and all people of good will shall be united in humanity and solidarity with all those who suffer. We are calling for a universal ceasefire during this holy month, in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine… and wherever the brutal force of war and oppression is killing other men, women and children. Our fast is a sign of our firm stance against all forms of violence and of our solidarity with the Muslim Ummah.
We are also calling for your generosity. The people we have served in the Idlib Governorate of Syria need our help more than ever. Living under the rule of Islamist militias, they have been depending very much on private Islamic charities from the Gulf area and from around the world. These private donations are today given to Gaza, for a good reason. But the people in Idlib, amongst them more than 3.5 million internally displaced by the bombs of the Assad regime, are left alone with the ruins of 13 years of war and oppression and the terrible earthquake that followed.
One year after the 7.8 earthquake of 6 February 2023, which killed more than 50,000 persons in the border region between Turkey and Syria, we planned on opening again the learning centre we had been running in the town of Salqin, in the Idlib Governorate of Syria, 5km from the Turkish border. But our local volunteers and staff members implored us to restart instead the distribution of food. There has been a sharp drop in donations to the Idlib Governorate and people are desperate to survive.
Like last year, we plan on distributing daily Ramadan meals to up to 3,000 persons in need. We need at least EUR 5,000 for providing warm meals to 100 different families every day during the 30 days of Ramadan. This means that one meal for a family of 6 persons in average will cost us about €1.67. It cannot be more cost-efficient! We will be taking turns to reach all vulnerable families of the area. Each family will receive at least one warm meal per week. This plan was designed by the local community without any involvement of armed groups or local authorities.
Please spread the word and please make a sign of solidarity and generosity! If you note the special mention “Ramadan of Solidarity” in the object line of your transfer, we guarantee that 100% of your donation will go for emergency food aid in Salqin. We will cover the low transaction costs from our general budget. We will post updates about the outcome of the campaign in the comments below.