During Eid-ul Adha last year, four of our team members went on a memorable trip to Aceh, Indonesia for Global Ehsan Relief’s Qurban and food aid distributions.
It was also an opportunity to visit one of our most vulnerable beneficiary groups – our treasured orphans. Indonesia is home to more than 700 of our sponsored orphans, and we looked forward to meeting some of them and personally learning their stories.
Though our team has been on many trips to Aceh – where our Indonesian office is located – this was the first time we had the opportunity to travel outside of Banda Aceh, the state’s capital. Over the course of five days, we visited several provinces throughout Banda Aceh and Aceh Utara, giving out much-needed Food Aid Packs and Qurban meat to the villagers there.
For these villagers, fresh meat is a luxury they can almost never afford. Many of them are stuck in the cycle of poverty, working menial jobs and living day-to-day. Rice and vegetables are their usual fare, and occasionally some chicken or fish. Even then, there are many days when they go hungry.
It was heart-wrenching and eye-opening to see for ourselves just how difficult their day-to-day lives were.
One of the villagers we spoke to was Ibu Fatimah, a widow who lives alone with her daughter Askia. Fatimah was left with nothing when her husband passed away, as he had no property and worked ad-hoc jobs. She was left to raise Askia by herself, struggling to find work that would put food on the table and send Askia to school.
Fatimah broke down in tears while sharing just how much relief she got from Askia’s sponsorship, which covers her education fees and helps enormously with their monthly food expenses. Though they still live in poverty, some of the weight on Fatimah’s shoulders has been eased. When we presented her with the Qurban meat and Food Aid Pack we brought, she was overwhelmed with gratitude.
A Food Aid Pack or a kilo of meat may not seem like much to us, but to people like Mdm Fatimah and Askia, it’s the difference between going to bed hungry and finally getting to have a fulfilling meal.
Millions more like them in Indonesia and around the world spend every day worrying about where to find food. With Eid ul-Adha approaching, this is your chance to make a difference in their lives and ease their struggles.
Donate your Qurban with GER today and provide life-saving and nutritious fresh meat to impoverished communities in 35 countries around the world. For as little as $50, you can help a family like Fatimah’s to not go hungry.
Your sacrifice will be their blessings.
