Spread love even after Ramadhan to promote peace and security – lobby

Members of the Mombasa Somali Community Association at Serani ground on Sunday / BRIAN OTIENO

The love and generosity shown during the month of Ramadhan must be continued even past the holy month, the Somali community in Mombasa has said.

The Mombasa Somali Community Association (MSCA) said spreading love and giving the underprivileged food and other items during Ramadan is ideal, but it must not end there.

They said Islam is about love and peace throughout the year and not in one month alone.

MSCA treasurer Ibrahim Mohamed said showing love to the vulnerable and underprivileged goes a long way in addressing social inequities and vices, which are the bane of society in Mombasa.

He spoke on Sunday at the Serani ground in Mombasa, where the association distributed food to more than 1,500 underprivileged people in Mombasa.

Mohammed said that through love, vices like juvenile crime, drug abuse, early pregnancies and marriages can be avoided and the new generation brought up today can learn to be responsible.

“This is a message we are sending to people out there. This food will take the families to the end of Ramadhan and take care of Eid celebrations,” he said.

The essential supplies are aimed at easing the financial strain on fasting households amid the high cost of living.

MSCA treasurer Ibrahim Mohammed [right] at Serani ground on Sunday / BRIAN OTIENO

Mohamed said the community had support from partners in the initiative.

“We are thankful for our sponsors who supported this food donation. I would like to thank KCB for its contribution. We also received support from Absa Bank and Takaful Insurance,” Mohamed added.

He called on more corporates to support such humanitarian initiatives to promote peace, love and unity in the county.

Sada Fatma, a beneficiary, said this Ramadan has been the most stressful for her and her husband.

“We have had many Ramadans before, but this one has been the most difficult of all. We have struggled to cook iftar for our children. My husband was laid off last year, and it took time before he got over it. He almost got into depression,” Fatma said.

He said their children are still young but still fast and expect to feast during iftar like their friends who are well off.

“But our earnings cannot sustain that. I sell fried potatoes in the evening, and my husband does odd jobs before he finds a steady job,” she said.

Mohamed said the association hopes to attract more sponsors in future to expand the programme and assist additional needy families in the county.

MSCA chairman Abdo Bahajj and secretary general Abdii Diiriye thanked well-wishers for supporting the effort to assist less fortunate Muslim families.

The two said that, apart from giving hope to the less fortunate, the association wants to start other programmes to help other less fortunate people educate their children and live better.

“We get many cases where people are needy, and we have to dig deep into our pockets in most cases to help where we can,” Bahajj said.

“But we are now thinking of coming up with a structure where whenever such cases occur, we have some fund we can dig into and help.”

Each beneficiary on Sunday received a comprehensive food package containing five kilogrammes of rice, four kilogrammes of maize flour, six kilogrammes of wheat flour, two litres of edible cooking oil, two kilogrammes of dry beans, salt, tea leaves and three kilogrammes of sugar.

“The supplies are expected to sustain families for the remaining days of Ramadhan,” Diiriye said.

He said this marks the second edition of the association’s annual Ramadhan food distribution initiative, with plans underway to scale it up next year.

“This is the second edition of our food donation and distribution. Next year, we plan to increase the number of beneficiaries from 1,500 to at least 3,000 vulnerable families,” Diiriye said.

Association member and businessman Ibrahim Dube said the drive reflects the spirit of charity emphasised during Ramadhan.

“This is the month of Ramadhan, and Muslims who are well-off are expected to support the less privileged members of the community. As the Somali community in Mombasa, we came together to help those who are in need by donating food,” Dube said.

Instant Analysis

Ramadhan is seen as a holy month when the Quran was revealed to humanity. It emphasised acts of love, and usually the more privileged members of society help the less privileged in whatever ways, including food donations.