The Eid Experience for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

For many of us, Eid is a day filled with fun and excitement, as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Usually, this day is spent offering prayers in our mosques, having a feast-like meal for lunch or dinner, and giving gifts to our loved ones. This year, like the last, will not look like a typical Eid day full of celebration. 

The social precarity of the COVID-19 pandemic has inhibited our ability to commemorate this holy month of Ramadan, and Eid is no different. In many parts of the world, getting together with friends and family for a big meal is either not allowed or highly discouraged. This year, we face another Eid that is limited to small household gatherings, with limited exposure to the social activities that we know and love to participate in on Eid Al Fitr. 

For millions of children across West and South Asian regions, this is a reality known all too well. For children who are orphaned, living with single mothers, and in vulnerable situations, Eid can be a saddening day. These children are often limited to prayers in the home, frugal meals consisting of the most basic foods, and rarely ever receiving gifts.  

The strain of COVID-19 worsening the circumstances for families facing poverty. In Iraq and other surrounding countries, 1 in 5 children were struggling in poverty. Now, an estimated 2 in 5 children are facing poverty, struggling to survive. In Yemen, the situation has increasingly worsened, as Yemenis are facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in history. These and other statistics are certainly disheartening, but together we can make a difference. 

This Eid, the Zahra Foundation is working to put a smile on the faces of children celebrating Eid in poverty. We are working to deliver stationery and gifts to orphans and vulnerable children. By donating to our Eid campaign, you can a gift that will serve as a reminder of the generosity of the ummah and provide hope and positivity in the lives of those in the most negative circumstances. Help provide a gift to a child in need by donating here.

Imam As-Sadiq has said, “Indeed, as part of the completion of the fast in the month of Ramadan, is to give the fitrah zakat; just as sending blessings upon the Prophet of Allah and his family is a part of the completion of the prayer; for indeed, whosoever fasts but does not perform the zakat and abandons it intentionally, it is as if he has not fasted at all.” 

Don’t forget to give Zakat Al Fitr – give zakat, give hope. 

REFERENCES:  

UNHCR (2020) 

World Bank (201) 

Man La Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih, v. 2, pg. 183