Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) Distributes Ramadan Food Baskets to Widows, Orphans and the Needy in Uganda
- ajoyce140
- Oct 1
- 4 min read
Poverty is a worldwide crisis that plagues millions across the globe. There is a well-known saying that captures how much poverty truly takes from those who suffer from it:
“Poverty is the deprivation of opportunity”.
If you take a moment to fully digest this statement, so much of the inequality we see in the world finally makes sense.
Existing in a state of deprivation, the largest commodity that is taken from the poor is opportunity. With a roof over our heads, full bellies and adequate hydration, the world is our oyster and the sky’s the limit. But when one must struggle for survival, oysters are a figment of our dreams, and our sight doesn’t leave the ground in the hunt for basic necessities.
As of 2025, globally, over 600 million people live in a state of extreme poverty. This figure encompasses many vulnerable people in different states of deprivation and need, but one of the most vulnerable groups who struggle in the face of poverty is widows. In developing countries, there are usually clear dividing lines between gender roles; losing the husband that would have protected, provided for and supported a woman and her children is a form of poverty that is sudden and profound.
This is the reality faced by 38 million widows worldwide – suddenly carrying the weight of an entire family and household on their shoulders, struggling to balance these heavy responsibilities while basic needs remain unmet. In Sub‑Saharan Africa, about 1 in 10 adult women are widows, and 72% of widows must take on the responsibility of their own households, often without any support. Widows in Uganda are no different, with their households suffering from severe multidimensional deprivation, impacting the basic needs and opportunities of their children and locking the family in a poverty trap that pervades generations.
In an attempt to support the poor and vulnerable during the month of Ramadan, Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) distributed 300 Ramadan food baskets to 300 beneficiaries between February 6th, 2025, and March 3rd, 2025. These baskets reached many needy families, consisting of disabled, elderly, widowed, and orphaned individuals. In total, 40 males, 60 children and 200 widows within Buwabuyi Village’s community in Uganda directly benefited from this project.
LIFE’s Ramadan Food Basket project was implemented at the start of Ramadan to provide food to those who struggle in securing meals for Iftar and Suhoor (meals at dawn and dusk) as the fasting commenced. The food helped these individuals immensely as this Ramadan - a month where Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn till dusk - occurred during the dry season, making food and drink an even greater scarcity in their village.
The recipients shared that, thanks to the donors’ generous support, this Ramadhan was one of the best they had experienced. They felt that LIFE’s Ramadan Food project imparted the values of love, compassion and care among the community members. However, it is the impact these food baskets have had on the widows and orphans in the community that is the most heartwarming.
A disabled widow received the food basket with tears of joy streaming down her face. She confessed to the loneliness and hardship she faced in taking care of her children, and the additional challenge her physical disability posed. In an effort to survive, she anticipated that she and her children would be reduced to roaming around people’s homes during Iftar time in the hopes of receiving some morsels of food. However, it is thanks to your donations that this worry has now melted away. Comforted by the security brought by LIFE’s food basket, she makes a warm prayer for all the donors and staff at LIFE: “May you continue with such giving and helping hearts, may you never lack any sustenance.”
Another impactful difference can be seen in the case of two young orphans whose world was flipped upside-down after losing their father. No longer able to afford their home, their mother remarried and left them in the care of their grandmother. In the absence of their protectors, nurturers, and providers, they now survive on one meal a day and must go to the garden to dig for sustenance. With Ramadhan occurring during the dry season, the orphans felt rescued by your donations and were excited to see the house filled with nourishing food for the month of fasting.
With a donation as simple as a food basket, each beneficiary has actually been gifted much more: peace of mind, security and comfort. With the knowledge that a meal awaits them at the end of each day, the community is no longer deprived of the opportunity of seeking a better life. In an attempt to secure this opportunity for them, LIFE’s team on the ground is educating Buwabuyi Village’s community members in farming and animal rearing. Hopefully, this opportunity can provide a level of food security that supports villagers as they move on to building a stronger community and a brighter future for all.
