Press Release: UK charity Muslim Hands to distribute one million meals in Gaza as part of its ‘Be the Change’ Ramadan appeal
UK charity Muslim Hands will distribute a million meals in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins on the night of Friday 28th February 2025. Despite a tentative ceasefire in Gaza, an estimated 2.2 million people are now facing high levels of hunger. Children are facing the brunt of food insecurity with more than 60,000 children in Gaza needing treatment for acute malnutrition in 2025 according to the UN.
Muslim Hands will continue to provide hot meals and food parcels through its partner organisation the World Food Programme, which will contribute towards feeding over a million vulnerable people, including women, children and elderly people. Each cooked meal contains at least 1,500 calories. Ingredients like rice, pasta, fortified vegetable oil, tomato sauce, legumes, and pulses ensure the meals are both nutritious and filling for those with limited cooking facilities.
Among the families that are being supported over Ramadan are the Azabs, who are sheltering in the ruins of their family home. After being displaced multiple times, they finally returned home as a last resort. The sole breadwinner, Suliman, used to work at an ice cream factory, but since it was bombed the family relies solely on humanitarian aid. Suliman’s four children, the youngest only six years old, now spend their days waiting in line for water and food. ‘There is no other choice. If they don’t, we will not eat,’ explains Suliman. ‘The war exposed my family to the hunger and degradation that I worked my life to protect them from.’
Dr. Mahmoud Shatat, Muslim Hands Water and Sanitation, (WASH) Advisor is from North Gaza and said: Ramadan used to be a time of community, giving and spending time with loved ones in Gaza. Having lived in the north of Gaza for over 30 years, I know people could go to the open and public markets and buy fruit, vegetables and spices, with ample availability. After the recent conflict, people are unable to afford the basic ingredients such as garlic, tomatoes and potatoes, which now cost ten times the normal price. With the ceasefire now in place, I pray that the markets once again flourish and the people of Gaza can get back to some form of normalcy this Ramadan.’
The twenty-one countries which will receive Ramadan meals as part of Muslim Hands’ ‘Be the Change’ Ramadan campaign, also include Yemen, who will be commemorating ten years of an ongoing civil war. Yemenis continue to face an ongoing humanitarian crisis, with more than half of the population food insecure.
Here in the UK, the rising cost of living has meant that 50 percent of Muslim households live below the poverty line. Many of these families are joining the growing number of people turning to food banks for support. Our Open Kitchens in Nottingham, Manchester and Hounslow have continued to see a yearly increase in service users needing support. Collectively, this Ramadan, our Open Kitchens will give over 22,000 cooked meals to people from all walks of life, including those experiencing homelessness, low-income families as well as elderly people.
Waseem Amin, an Open Kitchen service user, told our teams: ‘When I was homeless it was about finding a meal and sorting a place to stay. If I didn’t have a meal, there was nothing else I could do because I was tired throughout the day. Places like the Open Kitchen have helped build enough energy for me to find a place and move forward in my life.
If you don’t have a meal, you can’t do anything after that. Having a meal is connected to my mental health, because [it] keeps me warm and reduces my anxiety around thinking about whether I will find my next meal. Other services were not frequent so I was always unsure of what I would get that day, which was difficult.
My message to the donors is your donations really do help the service users on every level, providing a meal, supporting our mental health and providing a place to go and socialise.’
Yasrab Shah, Muslim Hands Fundraising Director, said: ‘People coming together to make a change is what the people of Gaza and those suffering around the globe are relying on. Our Ramadan message this year is ‘be the change’ and it is a reminder to our supporters that your generous donations are truly a lifeline and do make a huge difference. Muslim Hands has once again scaled up its Ramadan meals, where one million meals will be distributed through our charity partners in Gaza alone, highlighting the drastic humanitarian need that has been left from 15 months of conflict. Across the globe, we continue to see millions already in crisis, spiraling into another terrible situation. We simply cannot allow these people, including those in the UK, to go hungry. We urge our donors to keep their donations coming in as it can spark the change our communities desperately need.’
ENDS
Notes to editors:
• Muslim Hands Ramadan messaging ‘Be the Change’ was inspired by the Qur’an verse ‘Indeed Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change themselves.’ [Qur’an 13:11] It is to remind our donors that through their actions they can be the change they want to see within themselves and the world. This can be achieved through their charitable giving, such as Sadaqah and Zakat, where Muslim amp up their giving during the Islamic month of Ramadan as they believe there is extra reward and blessing.
• For media interviews please contact Senior Press Officer Sahirah Javaid via email sahirah.javaid@muslimhands.org.uk or call 07736344899.
