Updated 10 November 2010

Momina is a 68 year old grandmother who lives in Afghanistan. She has faced a number of challenges in her life which included trauma, severe hardships and the most heartbreaking of times. This Ramadhan, The World Federation of KSIMC in partnership with Afghan Poverty Relief was able to bring joy to Momina’s heart.

This is a true story about Momina and how the RAMADHAN RELIEF FUND helped her.

In 1985, Momina became a widow in Yakawlang. One fateful day in October 1998 her life and the lives of her 5 daughter-in-laws were completely shattered when the Taliban shot dead 5 of her sons. In a matter of seconds, 5 more women became widows and 21 children no longer had fathers.  Miraculously, one of her sons escaped and was saved.

Fatima has 5 children, Kulsum has 4 children, Layla has 5 children, Hamida has 3 children and Rayhan has 4 children. All of these women became widows at a young age and all have been left wondering how they are going feed and clothe their children.

Some time ago, in their hope to find a better life, the family decided to migrate to Iran. Whilst on their way to cross the border, Momina’s only son, Gulamhussein was shot in both of his legs by border guards in Heart. The family walked another 28 hours with Gulamhussein injured until they found a hospital that could help them. He was in hospital for 13 days and spent 3 months recovering at home.  The family had no choice but to settle in Herat where the women were forced to beg and plead for work so that they could earn a little money to support their large household.

Today, Momina’s family consists of 6 widow families and her son, Gulamhussein, his wife and their 6 children.  This makes a total of 35 members of which 27 are children.  Inspired by her love for her family, Momina has taken the responsibility of doing whatever she can to care for her family; her experiences and struggles are etched on her face and her hands which are scabbed and cracked. Her clothes are frayed and recycled with patch after patch.

Momina and her family cannot afford to rent a house big enough for all of them. Thanks to the kindness of an individual in Herat, the family has an arrangement with the landlord who has allowed her to house-sit and in return she pays no rent.

All the women in the family try to work. They manage to find work occasionally as cleaners and farm labourers. This is all piecemeal and short term employment, and they are continuously fretting about where and when they are going to find work next so that they can buy basic essentials for their large family. 

The women cannot afford to send their children to school. By the Grace of Allah (swt), five children in the family now attend the Bibi Fatemah Orphanage, managed by Afghan Poverty Relief; the other children are not able to attend. Momina’s dream is to send all of the children to school.

Life for these women is very fragile. Their daily struggle to feed and clothe their children is overwhelming. 

Given there are 6 widow families in this household and the extreme hardships and sufferings being endured by each one of them, 6 Iftaar Parcels were gifted to Momina and her 5 Widow daughter-in-laws through the RAMADHAN RELIEF FUND. Momina was beyond joy and relieved to receive these basic rations. She told the Ramadhan Relief volunteers that the ration would last for at least two to three months. She also said that her family had not eaten meat for a very long time. As the Ramadhan Relief programme aims to bring respite to families, an extra 5,000 Afghani Rupees was given to Momina to buy some meat to feed her family.

Together, this Ramadan we have given Momina some respite, but the acute suffering that her family is facing is heartbreaking. 

Afghanistan has recently been ranked as the country at most risk in terms of food shortages, given the ongoing conflict and drought which has been further exacerbated by the floods in Pakistan (where a lot of food supplies are imported from and where the UN sources its food supplies for the harsh winter in Afghanistan) and the drought in Russia.   Many agencies are predicting the situation will worsen as we approach winter, with food prices likely to remain high if not increase further.

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.

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