And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive:
We only feed you for Allah's sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks:
Surely we fear from our Lord a stern, distressful day.
Therefore Allah win guard them from the evil of that day and cause them to meet with ease and happiness; (Qur'an Chapter 76 : verses 8 ~ 11)

Background

Families who live below the poverty line have to make cuts to the food budget in order to survive. Because of their high cost, meat, chicken and eggs - e.g. protein-rich items - are the first to be reduced. However, protein-deficiency can result in serious health problems, especially among children. Children who consume too little protein are liable to suffer from reduced grow and weight, liver problems, anemia and mental retardation.

The Iraqi Aid Committee, with funding from The Lady Fatemah Charitable Trust, slaughtered 24 sheep and distributed meat packages to 339 vulnerable families in Karbala, comprising 2,114 persons. 172 families (1,053 persons) were Sadat families and 167 families (1,061 persons) were Non-Sadat families. The distribution took place during the month Jamadi al-Awwal 1429 Hijri. Each family received a package of 1.25 Kg of fresh meat delivered directly to their doorstep.

IRAC selected the families who would benefit from this project according to a set of criteria focusing on extremely impoverished and vulnerable families.

Selection criteria included:

• Women-headed families
• Internally displaced families
• Families whose income is insufficient to cover basic daily needs
• Very big families

Implementation

A few days before the dates appointed for distribution, IRAC announced to its representatives in different regions of Karbala that meat distributions would be conducted and asked them to submit lists containing the names and addresses of the neediest families in their region. Many of these families, especially the internally displaced (IDP) families among them, were already known to IRAC and had been visited by its staff members during previous relief projects.

IRAC arranged for its representatives in the different regions to deliver the meat parcels to the beneficiaries on the appointed days. Care was taken that all meat parcels were distributed on the same day to ensure that the meat was fresh and in prime condition.

The slaughtering of the 24 sheep purchased with project funds took place on seven different days, three of which coincided with orphan sponsorship distributions. The meat distributed on these days went to the beneficiaries of the orphan sponsorship program.  Only three to four sheep were slaughtered in one day. IRAC prefers to slaughter only a small number of sheep to make sure that all the meat can be distributed on the same day and does not spoil. The meat of half the number of slaughtered sheep was earmarked for Sadat families and the other half for Non-Sadat families during each distribution.

In order to be fair with the beneficiaries we exchanged the heart, lungs, and liver of each sheep for an additional meat package. The sheep's heads have been given to needy families as well.

   Expenditure

Approximately 435 Kg meat was distributed.

The meat of two sheep earmarked for Sadat and six sheep earmarked for Non-Sadat was distributed among the families benefiting from IRAC and LFT's joint orphan sponsorship program on the days of sponsorship distribution. Therefore, there was no distribution cost for these 8 sheep.

IRAC received US$ 3,000. The exchange rate was 1,200 Iraqi Dinar for US$1, thus the total amount of funding received for this project was IrqD 3,600,000.

Sadat Balance

There was a balance amounting to IrqD 116,250 from Rabia al-Thanbi and funding amounting to IrqD 1,800,000 was received on May 22, 2008. The total amount of funding was IrqD 1,916,250. IrqD 1,896,000 was spent on meat for Sadat in Jamadi al-Awwal. The remaining balance is IrqD 20,250.

Non-Saddat Balance

There was a balance amounting to IrqD 137,750 from Rabia al-Thani and funding amounting to IrqD 1,800,000 received on May 22, 2008. The total amount of funding was IrqD 1,937,750. IrqD 1,975,000 spent on meat for Non-Sadat in Jamadi al-Awwal. The remaining balance is IrqD 62,750.

The total remaining balance for this project at the end of Jamadi al-Awwal is IrqD 80,050 IrqD

Conclusion

In this project, 24 sheep were slaughtered, twelve for Sadat families and twelve for Non-Sadat families. Each sheep yielded about 15 packages of meat. 172 Sadat families comprising 1,053 persons and 167 Non-Sadah families comprising 1,061 persons benefited from this project; the total number of beneficiaries was 339 needy families comprising 2,114 persons. The feeling of taking part in such a project that pleases Allah and of sharing the happiness and the Thawab is indescribable.

Signed: General Manager, IRAC

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