At Muslim Hands, we focus on providing food and nutrition aid to families and communities around the world. Our core work takes on a number of different approaches when it comes to dealing with hunger and its consequences. This can range from providing short-term emergency relief following a famine to setting up long-term food projects to keep communities self-sufficient for generations.
Your continuous donations towards our food projects leave an impact long after a single meal has been enjoyed. When communities have a healthy supply of food, children are able to concentrate in class, adults are able to work and earn a living- and most importantly, everybody is safe from the danger of malnutrition and ill health.
Here are some of the ways you have helped thousands of victims of hunger around the world:
..would we be distressed that our neighbours were starving? The world produces enough food to feed everyone, but 25,000 people are dying each day from hunger.
The world population may have increased by 70% since the 1970s, but the amount of food produced in the world has increased even more! There is actually enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kcal per person per day (compare this to the UK, where the recommended calorie intake for men is 2550 kcal per day).
Of those who manage to live despite lack of food, 800 million are undernourished. This chronic malnutrition makes life into a seemingly endless misery of ill-health and weakness. Almost a third of all children in developing countries are underweight or have stunted growth. Hungry children find it difficult to learn and are less able to resist illnesses. When whole communities are starved, people feel ill all the time, they have low energy levels and sometimes are too ill to even work and support their families. Hunger ensures millions of people remain trapped in a cycle of poverty.
The solution out of this state of constant suffering is as simple as it is vital: providing nutritious food for the hungry. For all these reasons, food distribution has always been a focal part of Muslim Hands’ work. We want to help you help those who are desperate for the simple joy of a plateful of hot food and a happy family that is free from the desperation of hunger.
Cereal Aid and Seed Distribution
Imagine using grain as currency. Our Cereal Aid project was launched to bring new scales of opportunity to Mali. Despite there being many trained and skilled farmers, few have the tools and equipment to put their skills into practice, let alone generate an income from what they know.
Muslim Hands has begun its Cereal Aid project starting with 10 farmers and their families over Sikasso and Segou provinces. And by family in Mali, we’re talking up to 50 people as extended families and generations to come live under one roof under a tiny handful of breadwinners. These farmers have the skills and capability, but lack the land, tools and grain to put it into practice.
Muslim Hands plans to provide millet, rice and maize and fertile soil to farmers and once the cereal is harvested, Muslim Hands takes a portion of the profit from the yield grain to give it to other farmers to have the same opportunity.
This whole process grows in reach as time goes on and not only feeds the farmers, but they are able to trade and sell their produce on. Every step of the process is absolutely interest free and some of the farmers become so sufficient they even give their own zakah back to Muslim Hands for further projects.
“This Cereal Aid project is so vital for us here in Mali and insha’Allah we will have the chance to begin our independent farming businesses for our benefit and the benefit of our families” Damba Bah- farmer, Mali.
School feeding programme
Muslim Hands puts education first by ensuring healthy and active students at all MH schools in over 26 countries. We have always believed that part of learning depends on good health and healthy growth through a wholesome lunch. In the schools which Muslim Hands runs from Mali to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan, boys and girls are given free nutritional school meals on a daily basis.
One such example of a feeding programme is in Mali’s capital city, Bamako:
Bamako Healthy Pupils Initiative
Muslim Hands runs schools in Mali; one of the poorest nations in the world suffering from malaria, respiratory diseases, diarrhoeal diseases and protein deficiency highly prevalent amongst children. Poor food intake and frequent infections result in endemic malnutrition, which in turn increases vulnerability to - and the severity of - many diseases.
School absenteeism and dropouts increase due to illness, leading to low attainment in literacy, especially at the primary level. Endemic poor health is a major factor behind the fact that only 39% of the children attend primary schools in Mali. The Healthy Pupils Initiative provides nutritional meals every school day for children. In consultation with paediatricians, the meals consist of:
- Proteins like eggs, milk, cheese and meats (which are often unaffordable for families)
- Carbohydrates like rice, bread, potatoes
- Fats like butter and cooking oils
- Vitamins in the form of local vegetables, local fruits and fruit juices
This balanced diet will promote good health and reduces illness, significantly enhancing children’s’ ability to learn and play.
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Family food parcels
In times of crises, such as the recent assault on Gaza, families are stripped of the very essentials they need to live.
Food parcels are a key aspect of our emergency response and tackle the most pressing nutritional needs of victims. The parcels vary in size and mean you will feed from 6-10 people for a month and can be more vital than ever during emergency periods.
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Food distribution
Muslim Hands stays within communities long term to not only provide emergency relief, but to help divert the risk of illness and even death due to lack of access to food.
Running various food distribution projects in some of the most vulnerable areas of the world. (Such as Mali, Niger, Somalia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Sudan, China and many more.)
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Global Iftar Campaign
Muslim Hands offers you the chance to engage with the true spirit of Ramadhan and provide a wholesome and nutritious hot meal to poor, sick and elderly people all over the world.
As part of our Global Iftar Campaign, you can provide a fasting person an iftar that they otherwise could not afford. We reach almost 250,000 people every year in over forty (40)countries
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Worldwide Qurbani
It is easy to think of offering a Qurbani as just a religious obligation, but it has benefits which extend very deep for many poor communities.
Muslim Hands gives you the opportunity not only to provide an animal sacrifice, but also a live animal for families in rural areas to rear and use for milk and labour the whole year round.
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- Emergency Relief
The world we live in is full of inequality. When conflict or natural disasters occur, countries that are not economically developed are usually unable to cope with and recover from destruction.
- Our History
Highlights from 15 years of MH care in action…
- Waqf Fund
The word waqf is used to define a charitable donation in the form of money…
- Education
Over 10,000 students are currently enrolled in MH educational projects worldwide…
- Winter walk 2009
Muslim Hands 2nd Annual Winter Walk was a huge success, raising money and awareness for Palestinian children…
