British Muslim Kids Secure $132,000 in Aid for Displaced Families in Gaza, Yemen
The humanitarian campaign, Ramadan Kids, was first launched four years ago by then 10-year-old Zaavier Khan from East London.
This year, the campaign involved 23 children touring restaurants across the UK capital and learning how to cook an array of dishes.
“It was just a grassroots initiative that started in my kitchen because my son was supposed to embark on his journey of Ramadan, and as a British Muslim, I thought I wanted to really mark this occasion for him,” his mother, Tahreem Noor, told Arab News.
Khan began the campaign on his own during Ramadan 2021 to collect £5,000 for UK food parcels. The following year he raised £10,000 with the help of a handful of children, and last year he began touring restaurants and homes, and cooked with a 15-member squad, raising more than £42,000.
“Every year since then, we’ve done the Ramadan Kids campaign (and) every year the team has grown by a few children,” she added.
This year, the children, aged between four and 13, visited four restaurants. They also filmed their personal cooking at home and uploaded the footage to social media, calling on donors to help fund them via an online donation link.
“They were cooking in their own kitchens and sending us videos for us to upload to promote the concept of Ramadan Kids, but at the same time, fundraising for their own sub links as well,” Noor said.
“This year, we decided to give all the kids that took part in the campaign a Ramadan Kids pack that had lots of Islamic resources,” she added.
The children also received a 30-day journal to learn about the Muslim religion throughout the month.
The pack included religious educational material, Eid decorations and balloons, and customized pens and hoodies, which the children wore at the Ramadan Kids-related events that were held across the month.
“It was a really fun hands-on experience for the children, because, obviously, naan is not something that they will usually make at home because it requires a specialist oven,” Noor said.
The campaign also held its third date decorating workshop, with about 100 children registering to stuff, cover and sprinkle dates with various ingredients and chocolates, according to their taste and liking.
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“As Ramadan Kids progresses, I feel like we should involve more kids from all over England, cooking food in their own houses and (holding) much bigger events to influence children to make a change during the holy month of Ramadan,” Khan added.
The charity teamed up with delivery partners on the ground via UK-based charities to support orphans in Yemen, she said.
Source: Arab News
