A group of Muslim women took part in a food exchange to make sure that each family has food to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadaan.
Muslims around the world have embarked on the annual spiritual month of fasting which forms one of the five pillars of Islam. The period of fasting lasts for 29 or 30 days depending on when the new moon is sighted.
Zayda Jardine, from Manenberg, together with 19 other women, formed the group three years ago when they realised that not everyone had food to break their fast with.
The exchange involved making 200 savoury or sweet treats and dividing them into 20 packets with eight to 10 items a packet.
These were handed out to each member of the group on Saturday May 20, making sure that they were stocked for Ramadaan. Food exchanged included samoosas, daltjies, pies and corndogs.
Ms Jardine said everyone was excited to take part this year as the group which was initially 17 people expanded to 20 people from Bridgetown, Mitchell’s Plain, Manenberg, Grassy Park and Lansdowne.
As a challenge this year, each person was encouraged to package their savouries or sweet treats in recyclable material.
“We packaged it in recycled material such as milk cartons, paper plates, paper, cereal boxes, denim, brown paper bags, and two and five-litre plastic bottles. We thought of this to make it more exciting,” said Ms Jardine.
She added that although it started out as only a family exchange, she would like more people to join in next year.
“Our aim is to make other families aware to either join our exchange or create their own Ramadaan exchange,” she said.
