Updated 4 August 2010

Like thousands of other women across Afghanistan, Amina is a widow who is the only caregiver for her 6 children and her mother in law. It’s up to her to earn enough money to feed and clothe her family, and educate her children through the local schools.

Everyday, Amina struggles to feed her family a decent meal; she cannot afford meat, fruit and vegetables on her meagre income. She works as a cleaner only for a few hours a week; sometimes she has no work.

With the little income she earns, Amina’s struggles become worse in Ramadhan as food prices increase. She simply cannot afford to provide a proper, nutritious meal at the end of their fast.

With your support, Amina and her family’s hardships can be alleviated. By making a donation to the Ramadhan Relief Fund, we can gift an Iftaar food parcel to her and her family along with other widows which will ensure that they can sit down to a decent, wholesome meal at the end of their long fast. Amina’s worries will be lessened because she will have the basic rations she will need to make sure that her family will not go hungry in Ramadhan.

POVERTY IN AFGHANISTAN
It is estimated that 40,000 Afghans die from hunger and poverty each year. This is 25 times higher than those who die from conflict. Drought and the global food crisis have pushed more Afghans into food insecurity.

It is estimated that the average family in Afghanistan spends approximately 77% of their income on food. In a country where a vast majority of the rural population survives on less than $1 a day, there is little or nothing left over to pay for other necessities such as healthcare and education.

Afghanistan continues to suffer from food shortages, especially in the small towns and villages. The cost of staple foods including wheat, rice and oil are much too high for the poor to afford. Widow Families face greater hardship as they do not have a male income earner and so their ability to earn is dramatically reduced.

The economy of the country remains frail, foreign aid received only trickles down to the very poor and the government has limited capacity to import foodstuff that might help offset the high cost of food.

RAMADHAN RELIEF IN AFGHANISTAN
Many of our Afghani Muslim brothers and sisters living in poverty eat a basic meal of dry bread (pirki) and water or milk, if they can afford it.  This Ramadhan, The World Federation is working in partnership with Afghan Poverty Relief to provide Iftaar food parcels to 4,000 very poor widow families across five provinces in Afghanistan (Gazni, Kabul, Herat, Balkh and Bamyan). The average family size ranges between 5 and 9 members.

TO DONATE
Donateon The World Federation website
Donate in Canada or USA, (via NASIMCO)   
Donate in Europe (via CoEJ)

For more information, please email relief@world-federation.org