Ramadan Mubarak

In Calais, many refugees are observing Ramadan now, and it’s not easy for them.

Abdul, a refugee from Sudan, told me that back at home, it was hard to fast all day too. But he loved food and eating, and when the sun went down, it was good to choose what he would break his fast with.

In France, that was different. For one thing, the sun goes down later, so the days are longer. But worse than that, it’s difficult to make sure there is anything at all to eat at night. He just tries to get through the day thinking of other things apart from food, he said.

It’s heartbreaking to hear how these things that are so important are made so hard by being a refugees, and we’re working hard to try to make things better.

Breaking your fast by eating dates is a Ramadan tradition, so we’ve started putting dates into the food packs we give out. We’re also giving out biscuits that are individually wrapped, so they can be taken away and eaten later, and we have prayer mats that we will be distributing to people who need them.

Looking ahead, we’re also buying gifts to give out on Eid on May 1, so that even though people are here in France, they can still feel like they’re taking part in celebrations that remind them of good times back at home.

To help refugees here like this, we urgently need donations to buy food. To help people break their fast with a nutritious meal, consider making a donation to buy food; just £10 already buys a food pack to feed a family for four days. To donate, go to care4calais.org/donate