A Winter With Instead of A Winter Without

Every winter is a perennial emergency for those struggling against adversity and poverty as they face a seasonal battle for the essentials of life. For those communities, such as refugees who have already lost everything, meeting the need for food security, warmth and shelter can sometimes literally be the difference between life or death.

One of our core emergency programmes, the provision of winter aid is an annual priority for our teams across the world. Every year, their focus turns to distributing the family food packs, warm clothing and fuel that our donors so generously provide for those most in need.

This winter, the emphasis of the emergency campaign was to highlight the transformational impact our donors could make on the quality of life for those they were helping. The positivity of the campaign slogan, Make It A #WinterWith, signalled how empowering it could prove for beneficiaries to be assured of the material – and psychological - security they desperately need during the harshest of seasons.

Our teams distributed winter aid packages designed to address beneficiaries’ most immediate needs. It included family food packs, each weighing about 30kg and containing staple items, to last a family for about a month.

A typical food pack contained 10kg of sugar and 10kg of rice; 5 litres of oil; 1kg each of chick peas, lentils, tomato sauce, salt and fava beans, plus 250gm of tea.

There were warm clothing packs consisting of 4 pairs of gloves, socks and shoes, plus 4 jackets and 4 sweaters; 2 double-ply blankets; winter fuel packs consisting of either 30kg of firewood or 30 litres of kerosene oil, or a gas cylinder families could use for cooking or/heating.

More than 2,000 families received winter aid; based on approx. 5 or more members per family, a total of 11,241 individuals – nearly double the previous year’s figure. The countries and beneficiaries included Jordan (5,066 Palestinian refugees and 500 Syrian refugees); Lebanon (3,000); Bangladesh (1,250) and Pakistan (1,425).

Winter aid is especially important in countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, where snowfall and freezing temperatures are common and refugees often have no shelter other than makeshift, flimsy tents. Even in warmer climes such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, temperatures can dip towards freezing or communities can experience increased food insecurity due to seasonal factors.

Engaging with Empathy

As well as raising funds for the winter aid packages, our emergency campaign was an opportunity to engage volunteers, especially young people, in a humanitarian experience which encouraged them to take part in activities that interested or excited them, while using empathy as a motivational driving force.

As most, if not nearly all, will never have experienced the hardships and struggles of the beneficiaries they were supporting, we devised a series of fundraising Winter Challenges including some that gave them an idea of experiencing a winter without the luxury or comforts we take for granted.

The Heroes at Home #WinterWarriors challenges included a Sleep Outside Night; a 5km walk or run while wearing summer clothing; putting their feet in a bucket of ice for 3 minutes; a 20km bike ride; memorising a Surah from the Qur’an. There was also the option of traditional fundraising by asking family, friends and relatives to contribute.

You can read some of the volunteers’ reflections here.

To each and every one who supported our winter emergency campaign and brought a ray of hope and warmth to thousands of families in need across the world, we extend our humble thanks. May Allah reward you and give you the opportunity to continue supporting those who need our help.