Friday, May 26 marked the first day of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset in order to mark the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. The month is a time of spiritual reflection for Muslims, as well as a time of celebration, as families, friends, and communities gather together each day to break their fast. This can be difficult for the Muslim members of CRP’s refugee community, who have lost or been separated from their loved ones due to war and conflict and many of whom struggle to provide food for their families.
During Ramadan, CRP operates with reduced hours, but we remain committed to providing activities and support to the community. As schools close for the summer, it’s important for the children, those enrolled in school as well as those who are not, to continue to have a place they can come to in order to learn, play, and build friendships. As such, our After School Club still runs on a daily basis.
Because of the heat and because many of our staff and community members are fasting, our physical activities, such as Keystone, our men’s exercise program, and Yoga, are currently on hold and will resume in July. Our most recent English class sessions also wrapped up in the past few weeks but will resume as we begin to welcome our new summer volunteers. Other programs, such as our Women’s Empowerment program and the Hope Workshop, will continue to meet.
We will continue to provide food aid distributions and other forms
of support during this month, to families fasting and not. It is essential that families who are fasting are able to meet their nutritional needs with healthy meals during their suhurs and iftars, the dawn meal before the fast and the meal to break the fast. And we’re looking forward to organizing special events for all the members of our community, Muslim and not, during this month and the summer to come!
