Muslim Charity commemorates International Women’s Day 2014

Muslim Charity commemorates International Women’s Day 2014 by praying to end sufferings and reaffirming its commitment to continue work towards the em

Muslim Charity endeavours to create a social environment which ensures that the rights to education, health, livelihood and opinion are not marginalised for women around the world.

Rukkiya, from Qaboun neighbourhood near Damascus, Syria, now living in Shatila camp, Beirut, Lebanon, with her 3 children receives food a basket from Muslim Charity to help in fighting hunger and meet other basic needs for herself and her young children.

In disasters like earthquakes and floods in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines and wars and conflicts in Somalia, Libya, Syria, Myanmar and now in the Central African Republic (CAR), Muslim Charity works to protect and ensure the wellbeing of women and children.

Below, we present a pictorial story, “Hope and Life”, a story revealing the plight of women around the world and how Muslim Charity is playing its part. Our Director of Programmes, Irfan Rajput, explains the pictorial story, “These photos depict the plight of women and girls to draw attention towards the importance of the changing role of women in poverty situations, states of conflict and natural disasters. Despite living in a day-to-day state of despair, these women uphold the responsibility of caring for their families and communities in many parts of world.”

We ask everyone to pray and support our work towards the wellbeing of women and children in some of the poorest and dangerous regions of the world while celebrating International Women’s Day on Saturday 8th March 2014.

Bullets and explosives do not differentiate between genders, but it is the women who are expected to equally ensure the continuity of life. In war and conflict situations, their gender-based needs are often overlooked. Women whose husbands are involved or have been killed in the conflict experience the worst trauma coupled with displacement and hunger. Muslim Charity within its resources helps these women and children during conflicts and wars.

WOMEN UNDER SIEGE: Displaced by conflict and victims of inter-communal violence, a woman receiving her monthly ration from Muslim Charity’s established distribution centre in Say Thamar GYI camp in Sittwe, Myanmar (Burma).
Burnt homes, sinking lives, a denied right to exist, still a picture of resilience, strength of character and unshaken individuality of these women uphold the struggle to survive. Today, we need more than ever to remember the plight of these women and pledge our support for their struggle in survival.

WOMEN IN CONFLICT: Violences, rape and expulsion from their homes are the woes faced by thousands of women in conflicts. In the Central African Republic (CAR) the severity of the violence that women and girls are experiencing is shocking.
Yet as families and communities are being torn apart, women and girls are not only bearing the brunt of this conflict, they are also largely responsible for keeping their families together and providing stability in an environment that is increasingly chaotic. Muslim Charity is making efforts to help these women and girls for their struggle to survive in the volatile environment. Please support us to help the plight of women in the conflict.

EXTREME HUNGER AND POVERTY: Hunger and poverty are results of war and conflicts in many regions of the world and one can see women at the forefront in the fight for survival. In Somalia, after decades of civil war, there is relevant calm, but poverty remains widespread, the war did not destroy only the social and physical infrastructure in this improvised country but left hundreds and thousands of women struggling for food and survival. Muslim Charity’s food distributions remains one of the immediate interventions for these vulnerable women. Today, while celebrating International Women’s Day we shall not forget the plight of these millions of women facing acute hunger due to their poverty.

HUNGER PREVALENT AMONGST WOMEN: Out of 842 million people in the world – or one in eight people – 60% are women. In many regions of the world Muslim Charity provides immediate assistance through distribution of food amongst women. Today, there are more women suffering from hunger and poverty, Muslim Charity reaffirms its commitment to end hunger through your support. Please help us in our fight against hunger and help them in getting food with dignity at times when it is most needed.

OLD-AGED MORE PRONE TO HUNGER: Older people, especially women, often bear the brunt of poverty and food shortages. Living arrangements, reduced mobility, insecure land tenure, declining capacity to farm, the demands of caring, insufficient income and environmental degradation of already poor farmland are the causes of this. On the occasion of International Women’s Day; Muslim Charity reaffirms to work towards helping old-aged women across the board to save their dignity and assist them in their struggle to survive. Please continue your support to restore the dignity of older women in our fight against hunger.

SELF-SUFFICIENT APPROACH TO ENDING POVERTY: Women shall live with dignity under any circumstances. Too often, war and communal violence does not have an immediate solution, Muslim charity strives to minimise the dependency of women by creating livelihood opportunities and preparing them for improving their lives. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our approaches to mid and long-term humanitarian assistance and shift away from hand-outs and enforced dependency. Humanitarian assistance must be about restoring lives, supporting families and rebuilding communities. This year on International Women’s Day support Muslim Charity in restoring the dignity of women.

INCOME-GENERATION, A MEANS FOR SUSTAINABILITY: Women shall live with dignity under any circumstances. Too often, war and communal violence does not have an immediate solution, Muslim charity strives to minimise the dependency of women by creating livelihood opportunities and preparing them for improving their lives. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our approaches to mid and long-term humanitarian assistance and shift away from hand-outs and enforced dependency. Humanitarian assistance must be about restoring lives, supporting families and rebuilding communities. This year on International Women’s Day support Muslim Charity in restoring the dignity of women.

WATER SOLUTIONS FOR ENDING WORLD POVERTY: Ending poverty for women begins with clean water. Even today in the 21st century, millions of women and girls are forced to carry water often miles away from their villages, spending hours each day in many countries and the poorest regions of the world. When a water solution is put into place, sustainable livelihood is possible for women: girls get back to school instead of collecting dirty water all day or being sick from waterborne illnesses; parents find more time to care for their families, expand minimal farming to sustainable levels, and even run small businesses. Muslim Charity reaffirms its commitment to break the cycle of poverty affecting women throughout the world through supporting water and sanitation facilities for communities. Please join us today to reaffirm your support for ending the cycle of poverty for women.

EDUCATE A WOMAN AND YOU HAVE EDUCATED A NATION: The importance of education for women and girls is unquestionable. Educating girls and women can equip them with economic opportunities and skills for improvement in their lives. The power of girls’ education shines through in families, in communities and in lives. However, the opportunities must be present and ripe for utilising them. Muslim Charity works exclusively for women and girls education in some of the neglected and hardest regions of the world. Please join us and pledge your support towards the education of women and girls today on International Women’s Day.

MATERNAL HEALTH, COMBATING THE SILENT KILLER: International Women’s Day should be more than just a “shout out” to womanhood. Every year, complications from pregnancy and childbirth claims the lives of nearly 300,000 women and permanently disables many more, mostly in developing countries. Mothers suffer primarily from haemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labor and disorders caused by high blood pressure. In addition, more than 2.6 million babies are stillborn, another 2.9 million die before they are a month old, and many suffer neurodevelopment disabilities and impairments. Most neonatal deaths are caused by preterm birth, asphyxia during birth, and infections such as sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis. Today, we need to reaffirm our commitment of saving lives of every mother and child. Please help our efforts by supporting Muslim Charity’s Maternal Health programme.