Rehab lives with her husband and 7 children in a school in a camp for displaced people in Sudan. Since fleeing their home in the capital, Khartoum, the family’s life has been completely upended.
“My husband used to travel around Sudan with work and could buy meat from Kordofan, which is the best in Sudan,” Rehab remembers.
“Now that my husband is unemployed, we have lost the luxury of meat in our meals.
“We’ve lost any means of income, resources, savings and even compassion from our extended family. No one offers help anymore. We cannot afford to live on our own terms as long as we are living in this school. We don’t have the money to rent a house outside the camp or to educate our children.”
The family’s situation means Rehab and her husband have to make tough decisions about how to spend any money they receive from charities or the rare occasion her husband can find work.
“My younger child has a minor disability so when we receive money from charities, we prioritise medicine as the first thing on our list. We sacrifice buying other necessities like sheets and blankets or meat.”
With the price of meat so high, Rehab and her husband often buy grains and cereals for their family’s meals. But the absence of meat is taking a toll on their health, with Rehab saying her children are not as healthy as she was as a child.
“Meat is an essential component to help [children] grow… no child can grow with a diet of grains alone. The lack of meat has even affected my husband [and I]. We cannot fight off illness like we used to. My husband’s physical fitness is fading but the war has left us with no resources to feed our children.”
The smell of meat cooking brings back happy memories
Ongoing conflict in Sudan has forced millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Many have had to relocate multiple times as the fighting spreads.
For families like Rehab’s, this year will be the second Eid al-Adha celebrated amid scarcity and uncertainty.
“Eid to me is a break from the adversities of life,” Rehab says. “It is a time for family, laughs and joy. I have missed this feeling over the last 2 years.”
To ease their burden and provide families with a healthy meal, Islamic Relief is distributing qurbani meat packs. In 2024, 74,600 people in Sudan, including Rehab, received a meat pack.
“Receiving meat packs helps give my children the energy to play and spend some joyful time in this depressing place. The smell of meat being cooked brought back Eid memories from Khartoum and the good times we had.
“Cooking the meat also kept me occupied for a while and I could stop thinking about our situation, the war, the lost family members, our abandoned home in Khartoum and everything we’ve been through on our journey.
“I would like to thank you for remembering us, restoring all the good memories. You have brought us together as a family for a hot meal. It was a nice meal in a hard time.”
Please help us to help ease the burden of families in Sudan and around the world. Donate to our qurbani campaign now.