AMA's Haafidh Hassan Choonara - Live from Afghanistan.

0:00While we're talking about Africa Muslim Agency and their bread of hope campaign, now we all understand that hunger is not a headline for millions, it's a daily reality instead. And while we often speak about humanitarian crises in numbers, on the ground it comes down to something far more basic. Bread. Now the Bread of Hope initiative by the Africa Muslim Agency is working to provide daily bread to vulnerable communities in countries facing conflict, displacement and extreme poverty. We're joined now by Hafiz Hassan Junara from the Africa Muslim Agency to unpack how this project is restoring dignity, one loaf at a time. Hafiz Hassan, Assalamualaikum, Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, welcome to the show. Walik Umselam, Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Sustani Sahib, for having us, we're coming to your life from Afghanistan. Absolutely, I was about to tell our listeners that bear with us if we have any cut off in the connection because brother Hassan is all the way in Afghanistan. But now for our listeners who

1:04may be hearing about the bread of hope and what I've just said and it's the first time that they hearing about this, what exactly is this initiative and where is it currently operating? Alhamdulillah, the bread of hope project of African Muslims, agency, it's just one but one project of many in Afghanistan and brain relief to the orphans and widows and as well as empowering the families here in Afghanistan. Just to put some perspective into it, we know that already Afghanistan is a country that has been ravaged by four decades of conflict and still reeling and trying to recover from that reality, said reality is that, you know, in any conflict zone, Sustani Sahib, you find that the orphans and the widows are left to fend for themselves. As I speak to you, we just left one home now deep in the villages of Afghanistan outside of Kabul, you know, where a mother widow, obviously, with four orphans children and you talk about bread of hope. She only had bread

2:10in the home and that's not fresh bread that perhaps they bought at the bakery, how they, you know, the mother has to do some domestic work, she gets paid in bread and this bread already has been the home for days, so it's left over bread and she'd dip it into water and that would have been the iftar. I asked her, what did you have for so whole? They didn't have so whole. What did you have for iftar yesterday? They just had the bread and the water. What did you have for so whole the previous day? They don't even wake up for so whole is there are no means in the home and her story is a reflection and a representation of so many more families in Afghanistan and we talk about the bread of hope specifically. Hamla, we have six bakeries providing bread to 108 families, 108 identified orphan families, so at least donors were sponsoring towards the bread of hope project, at least those families are identified who come to the bakery on a daily basis, at least they would have bread in the home and for the month of Ramadan there

3:13will be some nourishment in the home. Now we often hear about food aid in general terms but why bread specifically? What makes the staple so critical in the regions that you're serving in? So sister like we mentioned there are families they haven't had any means in the home. Bread being something that you'd eat every single day whether you eat it just alone or you eat it with a meal or some greens, some leaves you know we just broke iftar two days ago with a family, a mother and also orphan children and just some leaves that they boil in water and put in a plate you know and they have that with the bread that because there's no food in the home so you can imagine the importance of bread in a home when there's no other means of meat there's no means to go buy meat or rice or flour or sugar or beans or pasta or oil at least the bread would be in the home and children would be nourished with that but besides the bread of hope project

4:14African Muslims agency implementing Ramadan reconnect Ramadan program in Afghanistan as well as Trinity other countries but how do I stress the importance of where I am right now how do I stress the dire situation maybe in this one story sister he said you allow me a mirage please go ahead and let a 66 a 66 year old man is he was at the office to receive his food pack his food parcel his suhor pack his hot meal and I looked at him hamla mashallah you know a urban and beard and curta as we know a man who dress in Afghanistan quite wrinkle physically challenged on crutches and through our team I asked him obviously you know a chacha are you fasting he said yes I asked him what did you have for suhor you said I never had any suhor there isn't anything at home I asked him what did you have for iftar yesterday no there was no means at home for iftar what did you have for suhor the previous day I had no means for suhor the previous

5:14day and he was there in all his humility and smile and praising and making do our for us obviously we are just representation of donors were given towards Ramadan reconnect and so grateful for what he was receiving and I stood there thinking of myself first and foremost and then everybody else back home would I know at the time of iftar Allah's given us yes we should spread the table we should spread the table and spend our families but spend it to the degraded sufficient and let us think of people who are absolutely dire Afghanistan finds itself in a new war with new conflict this last night we witnessed some warfare around the vicinity between Pakistan and in Afghanistan where we are and it now results in more families that will be in need here in Afghanistan there'll be as the said reality there'll be more orphans more widows cry out for help Ramadan reconnects the program of AMA ongoing but we need to assist the families whether it's with the bread of

6:18whole project or donating towards the various other projects in Afghanistan well that was my next question you know with the global crises increasing and donor fatigue becoming a real concern what keeps the projects that you do sustainable and what support do you need right now from our listeners and speak about the situation in the world and as you know it as we know right now it's happening across the Middle East and also here in Asia you know the world is so disconnected right now the world is crying out for help the world is crying out for peace the world is crying out for love for care for for compassion and so we can show that through our general restorations to the baraka of our generosity we can show that love that care that compassion for life we just left a home a few minutes ago and when we walked in it was the home of orphans in a widow not having any means for iftar said doom gloom crying for life when we left they are happy they are smiling

7:21they are looking forward to iftar this evening they are looking forward to the days ahead you know the mother actually she's got four orphans churned like I said and she had to send one of her daughters to an orphanage because she could not look after one extra mouth that's the decisions mothers are taking in Afghanistan my mother's sister's if you are listening to protect one all and I never put us in such a situation I'll never test us like this but if you are mother imagine the trauma of having to decide which child to feed and which one you send away because you cannot feed them brother hasn't you know every time I speak to you or others who do this kind of work especially in areas where we know that the need is so dire the situation is so you know for us we have to imagine that situation but these people live in that reality and every single time it makes me it humbles me to the point where you know your heart contracts

8:23feeling the pain and I'm not there you see this every time you visit these people you see their situations how do you handle that I mean it's an ongoing because it's part of what you do how do you handle that and what is it all when you turn to Allah what is it that you ask for you know one of my always advises and we are in these scenarios and then we are going to the field on to the ground to meet these families number one remember it's a lesson for us we may always think that sometimes we are here to give them maybe we think we've given this family you know a food pack a gift clothes shoes fruit flower sugar ice but in essence they have taught us a lesson they were there for us give us a lesson to give us humanity to give us internal thoughtfulness so to speak Allah when we leave here we are more effective on ourselves than actually feeling that we have given somebody something it's a lesson for us and Olam I always say that we will see such a situation number one make to Allah alleviate the situation

9:27of those who are suffering number two first we are grateful for what we have number two we make do Allah alleviate the situation and then number three we open our hearts and we give and you talk them about dona fatigue sister you know we always learn all of my advice us and guide us in Allah's court there is no such thing as dona fatigue Allah brings the situation to the fore because Allah wants us to do something yes we've already given our zaka 10 days of the first week of Ramadan is already passed they've really given our zaka or saraka or lila or Allah brings it to the situations Allah knows my brother my sister I've given you something which I entrust in your care to give to someone like this orphan my children in this video who's waiting give it to them and I'll give you more whether we think we have it or not give it Allah will open the doors of baraka in our homes and make do Allah grant the baraka to all those who are supporting good works around the world with any organization there are many organizations all doing study work Allah take stand from each one i mean our brother has sent shanada from the african muslim

10:31agency talking to us all the way from afghanistan shukran for the impactful work you and your team continue to do in some of the world's most vulnerable regions and also for reminding us that sometimes hope really does begin with something as simple as bread and if our listeners out there if you'd like to support the bread of hope initiative or find out more about the other initiatives as well for AMA you are quite welcome to visit the african muslim agency website or to contact the offices directly but as such a sakla for your time may Allah protect you may Allah grant you the ability to continue the good work that you are doing and may he keep you and your team safe and sound i mean i mean by Allah we were all the donors of the teams the volunteers was during the work the kaballah i mean i mean from shukran for having us was salam alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa rehi wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullahi wa rehi wa rehi katoon