Al-Qalam 
By Azra Hoosen
As many South African families begin stocking their freezers in anticipation of Ramadan, a small female delegation travelled to Lebanon and Syria with a different kind of preparation in mind… to witness, firsthand, how displaced families are preparing for the sacred month.
Among them was Nabila Cassim, Africa Muslims Agency (AMA) Lenasia office manager and delegation member, who described the journey as far more than a humanitarian assessment.
She told Al-Qalam that the purpose of these trips was to allow people to experience the needs on the ground. There is a difference between watching suffering on a screen and sitting inside it. “When you see how people live, it motivates you to come back and advocate for them, to raise awareness about their situations and fundraise to help them,” she said.
The delegation was composed entirely of women. This was intentional. Many of the families AMA works with are widows, abused women, or mothers raising children alone. “They find it difficult to speak to men, to allow them into their spaces. When other women come, they are more comfortable. They feel they are not forgotten,” explained Cassim. She noted that women can sometimes empathise better with their situation.
In Syria, the group visited a refugee tent with plastic sheeting stretched over concrete and a straw mat, the only barrier against the winter cold. No sense of comfort or certainty. They walked through neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. A mother cradled her baby, who had no proper warm clothing or socks. She shared that she had been abandoned and did not know what steps to take next. “It was a stark reminder of how fragile life can become and how much strength it takes to simply endure,” Cassim said.
In Lebanon, they walked through camps where families who have fled war now live in a different kind of waiting. Some had recently returned to their homes in Syria, except that the homes were no longer there. “They are going back to absolutely nothing. They are restarting their lives completely,” said Cassim.
One encounter in a Palestinian camp has stayed with her.
The group asked a family what their wish for Ramadan was. The mother responded quietly: her young son’s greatest wish was simply to have a burger for iftar. “A burger is something that is not normal for them,” Cassim said. The mother explained how she tries to recreate one by placing two pieces of flatbread together with whatever filling she can find, telling her son, ‘This is your burger.’
For a delegation of women who, in their own homes, would go to great lengths to prepare special meals for their children in Ramadan, the moment was sobering.
“We are so focused on stocking up our freezers and preparing the best foods, then you meet these communities who have almost nothing to eat. We know from the time we are kids that part of the reason for fasting is to experience what those in need feel, but when you see it yourself, it changes how you feel during your fast,” said Cassim.
There was a moment during the trip when the team arranged a video call between a donor and a Syrian beneficiary family. Both women. Both mothers. On one side of the screen, gratitude. On the other, tears. “Seeing their faces light up with smiles and tears, the recipient making heartfelt duas and expressing deep gratitude, while the donor’s eyes overflowed with tears, witnessing that exchange of humanity and compassion was truly heartwarming,” she explained.
For Cassim, Ramadan in these regions carries a different weight. Many refugees wait for leftovers from neighbours or rely on food parcels to get through a few days. Yet amid the hardship, she encountered remarkable yaqeen. The message they carry is that ‘Allah is always with us.’ “They have yaqeen that Allah will help them no matter their condition. But their message is also: don’t forget us,” she said.
