SYRIA: Charities in Syria provide Iftar meals for the needy

Record ID: 279399

  • Title: SYRIA: Charities in Syria provide Iftar meals for the needy
  • Date: 6th September 2010
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF MOSQUE
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Economic News,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA45E78FJN4WB70RYQG22K693YA
  • Story Text: After a day of fasting, Syria's poor are able to enjoy Iftar meals provided by one of Syria's many charities.
    Traditionally a time of charitable giving, hundreds of Syrian organisations distribute aid to the needy throughout the month of Ramadan.
    One of the best known charities in the country is Hifz al-Nema, which began its life collecting excess food from large banquets in order to redistribute it to those in need.
    Now, with its own cooking facilities, the charity is able to provide thousands of Iftar meals in and around Damascus every day.
    "We have a kitchen that was given to us by one of the donors. This kitchen is equipped to cook 100,000 meals per day. We are using this kitchen during Ramadan and we are cooking from 20,000 to 25,000 meals per day and we distribute them to charities in the Damascus suburbs," said Tahssin Shahadah Agha al-Rifaei, president of charity's Board.
    This year, Hifz al-Nema is aiming to provide Iftar meals to more than 23,000 people every day, both by direct donations and by supplying the meals to other charities who then distribute the food themselves.
    Hifz al-Nema, which also provides clothes, money, medicine and furniture to the needy, used to organise Iftar in Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, where more than 2,000 families and thousands of orphans would sit down to eat. The charity's executive manager said Hifz al-Nema was open to helping people from all sorts of backgrounds and that beneficiaries were not necessarily Muslim.
    "We do not have any conditions regarding religion or faction or even area. Hence, any Arab Syrian citizen living in Damascus or its suburbs can benefit from Hifz al-Nema's services," said Saadi Sukaryeh.
    As well as providing Iftar meals, Hifz al-Nema is also distributing pre-Iftar snacks this year. When the call to prayer announces that the day of fasting is over, charity workers walk down the streets handing out snacks to those who have not yet managed to reach home.
    The charity hopes this will reduce the number of accidents that usually happen at this time every year.
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