The Harsh Reality of Hunger in Azad Kashmir
In the breathtaking valleys of Athmuqam, Neelum, where the mountains literally touch the sky and the rivers flow to a rhythm of their own, there lives a boy whose eyes tell a story too heavy for his little heart to bear. His name is Mustafa. He is only seven years old, but life has already tested him in ways we cannot begin to imagine.
A Moment That Changed Everything
As we drove through a Athmuqam, a small village in Neelum, we passed a field where children were laughing and playing. But in the corner, sitting alone on the dirt, was Mustafa. His small hands clutched an empty plastic bag, his gaze fixed on the ground. Something inside me knew—we needed to stop. We were on our way to a medical camp that we had organised, already running behind schedule. I asked my team to pull up immediately. They protested because we were already late … But they didn’t just see what my eyes saw.
We stopped. Came out of our vehicle and walked to a child, sitting down, in his own little world.
I knelt beside him, and for twenty minutes, I listened. Mustafa, despite his pain, spoke with dignity, with patience. He told me about his younger brothers, about his older sister who tries to look after them. He told me about his mother, a woman of immense strength, yet battling her own disability. And then, his voice trembled as he spoke about his father—the man who once held their world together—who lost his life when his scooter fell off the side of a mountain.
Surviving on Faith and Sadaqah in Ramadan
Since that day, Mustafa’s world has been a relentless cycle of hunger and despair. His mother, unable to work, relies on the goodwill of neighbors, but even they are struggling. Some nights, the family sleeps without food, and during Ramadan, the only iftar meals they can count on are those they might receive at the masjid. And if there is none? They drink water, whisper their duas, and go to sleep with empty stomachs.
I cannot put into words the weight of that conversation. I cannot describe the way my heart shattered hearing a child speak of hunger as if it were normal. As if it were expected.
The Power of Zakat in Ramadan
This Ramadan, Mustafa’s story is one of thousands. Families across Azad Kashmir are breaking their fasts with nothing, mothers are silencing their children’s hunger with prayers, fathers are doing everything they can but still falling short. The suffering is real, the pain is raw, and the need is urgent.
But together, we can change this. Your Zakat in Ramadan can ensure that Mustafa and countless others do not go hungry. We can provide hot meals, food packs that sustain families, iftar meals that bring relief, and support that reminds them they are not forgotten.
For just £2, you can provide an iftar meal for someone like Mustafa. For £40, you can ensure a family has food for the entire month. And for £200, you can sponsor an entire iftar event, feeding one hundred who would otherwise go without.
Laylatul Qadr – A Night of Infinite Rewards
During the last ten nights of Ramadan, there is a night greater than a thousand months—Laylatul Qadr. The rewards of giving on this blessed night are multiplied beyond comprehension. Imagine the weight of your Sadaqah in Ramadan, your Zakat, your kindness, reaching children like Mustafa.
This Ramadan, let’s not just fast—let’s feel. Let’s act. Let’s change lives.
Donate Today – Be the Answer to a Prayer
Your generosity can transform lives this Ramadan:
- £2 provides one iftar meal
- £40 will buy a food pack for a needy family
- £200 can sponsor a whole iftar event
This sacred month calls us to action. While we gather with our families to break our fast, we have the power to ensure others can do the same with dignity. Your donation, no matter the size, creates lasting impact in the lives of those who need it most.
Mustafa’s Mothers Disabillity
I want to come back to the story of Mustafa. His mother, the pillar of his fragile world, is now seriously ill in Muzaffarabad hospital. There was no suitable medical facility in Neelum Valley that could provide her with the treatment she so desperately needed.
For years, her disability went undiagnosed—ignored not because she didn’t seek help, but because there simply wasn’t the infrastructure in place to give her the care she deserved. Had she received proper medical attention earlier, had there been doctors, equipment, and hospitals equipped to serve people like her in Neelum Valley, perhaps she wouldn’t be fighting for her life today.
As I write this, my team has informed me that Mustafa and his younger brothers are being cared for by a kind neighbor in their village, while his older sister has been by their mother’s side in the hospital for the last six weeks. A 9-year-old girl, far too young to bear the weight of such responsibility, sitting by her mother’s hospital bed, clinging onto hope that she will return home.
And Mustafa, the little boy I met, now sleeps at night without his mother, without his sister, with only the uncertainty of tomorrow to keep him company. No child should ever have to endure this. Yet, this is the reality for so many in Neelum Valley.
The Reality Hits Hard
Together, we can ensure no child in Azad Kashmir goes to sleep hungry. We can ensure hundreds get the correct diagnosis and medical treatments. Kashmir depends on you! Make your Sadaqah in Ramadan count. Give your Zakat. Donate today through Kashmir Welfare Foundation and be the answer to a family’s prayers this Ramadan.
