Emdad Rahman
As part of an Eid Al Adha food drive the Sisters Forum of Newham have been working in partnership with UK charity Islamic Relief to reach out to their neighbours in Newham.
CEO Sabia Kamali led the way as the female volunteers prepared, packed and shared Qurbani meat packs with vulnerable women and families affected by the current cost of living crisis.
Sisters Forum was set up in 2012 to protest and highlight domestic violence against women. Volunteers engage, educate and empower BAME women with the skills and confidence necessary to become independent, secure employment, create a healthy lifestyle and regain confidence for themselves and their children.
The women were at the forefront of the distribution drive and after sharing the parcels spent a few minutes talking and engaging with recipients.
Sisters Forum CEO Sabia Kamali spoke after the distribution shift, “hunger is not unacceptable, and Sisters Forum are working to highlight and eradicate through our local community campaigns.
“Today over 100 bags, each containing 1.6kg of Qurbani meat was shared with vulnerable women and their families here in Newham.”
Food poverty in the UK is rising and anyone can be affected; Children who miss free school meals during school holidays, people accessing food banks after losing jobs and struggling to make ends meet, low income mums and dads who skip meals so their children can eat, older people who struggle to prepare meals without assistance, and those excluded from welfare support and public funds.
Sharing meat during the Muslim celebration of Eid is a means of gaining empathy for those less fortunate across the world, and ensuring that they can celebrate Eid without worrying about how to feed their children. For many vulnerable communities, Eid-ul Adha is the only time in the year they get to eat meat.