80 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes by conflict or disaster. Each of them has their own story – mothers and fathers struggling to feed their children; sons and daughters missing out on an education; families torn apart.
Here at Incube, our office and events manager Alice Musharafie will be taking on Concern UK’s ‘Ration Challenge’; in her own words she tells us more about the challenge and why she will be taking it on.
From 11-17 September, I will eat the same rations as a Syrian refugee living in a camp in Jordan. That means a week with a small amount of rice, flour, lentils, chickpeas, beans, oil and fish. 30% of money raised will help provide emergency food, hygiene kits and life-saving support to refugees.
The remaining 70% will go towards supporting the wider work of ending hunger and extreme poverty in countries like Syria, Lebanon, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bangladesh.
Coming from a Lebanese background myself and living with my Albanian partner, I know how lucky we are to have been raised in London. We have grown up with safety and security and have never been short of food, shelter or opportunity.
Food is a huge part of my life, my culture and my home. When I’m not working, I’m cooking, eating, reading recipes and menus, you name it! I’m doing this challenge to show solidarity with people who don’t have these luxuries. It’s going to be tough, but for me it’s just one week; the average time spent in a refugee camp is 17 years.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us. But refugees – who’ve been forced from their homes, their livelihoods and their loved ones – are especially vulnerable. This vulnerability could mean the difference between life and death.
Living in overcrowded conditions, they’re often at greater risk of infection. And the disruption to aid, and job losses caused by the pandemic means we’re facing a global hunger crisis too. The World Food Programme is warning that, without urgent action, 300,000 people could die every single day.
To put things into perspective; £157 is enough to feed one refugee for a year. I know that there have been times where this is just the cost of a night out. I’m currently 9th on the fundraiser leaderboard out of over 5000 and would love to finish in the top 5! If you want to support this cause, you can follow the link below to donate or share my sponsor page. Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated.
https://www.rationchallenge.org.uk/alice-musharafie
We couldn’t be more proud of Alice, a great cause and inspiration to us all!
Make sure to follow @concernuk and the #rationchallenge to learn more.