On July 20-22 2021, Muslims around the world will be celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the major Islamic holidays. The day falls on the tenth day of the twelfth and final month in the Islamic Lunar Calendar and is preceded by a moon sighting and the completion of the Holy Pilgrimage to the Hajj. Eid al-Adha is the festival of sacrifice and honors Ibrahim’s commitment to Allah’s commands in agreeing to sacrifice his son, whom Allah replaces with a ram at the last minute. Following the Eid Salaah (or Eid Prayers), the Qurbani sacrifice is performed where a lamb, sheep, cow, goat, camel, or bull which is shown to be halal friendly is slaughtered in remembrance of Ibrahim’s sacrifice. The meat is then divided into three equal pieces, one for the family, one for friends, and one to donate. People are also encouraged to give gifts and spend time with family during the holiday celebrations.
Due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, many families are without the means to acquire animals and clothing to use to participate in Eid al-Adha festivities. This is where our organization, Humanity for Relief and Development, steps in and is able to help. We have distributed clothing for Eid al-Adha in Sana’a and have provided animals for Eid sacrifices in Sana’a, Ibb, and Rada’a. Our Eid al-Adha Clothing Project distributes necessary clothes to needy households to help them enjoy Eid and to get them ready for the coming winter season. In 2020, the project distributed cards to 1373 households where each card was worth 10,000 YER so beneficiaries could buy whatever clothes they lacked or prefered. 2130 cards were distributed in 2020 to families in need and 200 more cards were distributed at Al-Reaya`a Orphanage where each child received two cards.
Our Eid al-Adha Sacrifice Project targets needy families and works to provide them with meat to cover their food needs and in particular to allow their full participation in the Eid sacrifice. From July 5th to September 12th 2020, the project operated mainly in 3 governorates: Sana’a, Ibb, and Albayda. In each of these governorates, anywhere from 5, to 10, to 360 sheep were sacrificed along with an additional 4 oxen in some places, yielding upwards of 5450 Kg of meat across all three governorates. Each
household got a 2 Kg portion of the meat in each location.
We need donors’ help to fund these projects because purchasing sheep and oxen is extremely expensive, especially in Yemen where food insecurity is abundant. The May 2021 World Food Programme report states that in Yemen there are currently 20.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 4 million people who are internally displaced, and 16.2 million people who are food insecure. We need your help to continue to provide food, clothing, and sacrificial animals to the people of Yemen, especially during the approaching holiday season.
