Family Events – Forgotten Women

“It is the unbearable suffering and exploitation of vulnerable women around the world, that I chose to make a difference through Forgotten Women.” Forgotten Women

 

Forgotten Women is a charity run by women for women, a charity dedicated to helping women in crisis and emergencies. The charity was set up after witnessing first-hand the ‘sex for aid’ and manipulation of women in vulnerable situations. Forgotten Women only allows women on the front line to deliver aid, this is to tackle the manipulation of women in unsettled circumstances. Imagine your family is in dire need of basic survival but a condition is put on your mother or your sister that in order to receive lifesaving aid she will have to compromise her dignity, this is the stark reality in many emergency zones.

 

……Men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect; and raise for us from You one who will help!” (Surah An-Nisa’, 75)

We have witnessed raped and abused of women on a number of occasions, sitting face to face with those who were trafficked with the promise of marriage or a job only to be deceived and robbed of their honour and dignity by being sold into an industry which forced these women to sell their bodies against their will.

 

We believe in preserving the dignity of our mothers, sisters and daughters around the globe and therefore we provide safe aid delivered by women to women. Our current emergency areas cover Syria border, Yemen and Bangladesh.

 

The Prophet (SAW) said: “I urge you to treat women well.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 331; Muslim, 1468.

We believe that the biggest on-going threat that degrades humans especially women, a threat that has persisted for decades and has become generational in societies and countries is poverty. Poverty destroys self-worth in women. We have seen that even the strongest of women will hold out without food for days but when it comes to her children, she can only bear the pressure for so long before she will do anything to feed her child – even if it means selling her body.

 

Poverty is a paralysis and it is utterly humiliating for those who are in it. People in poverty will do
almost anything to survive to the extent that   Anas (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that the Rasulullah
(SAW) said: ‘Poverty almost leads to disbelief.’1

 

Our poverty relief model follows that of the ‘Prophet (SAW) 2, believing in hand-ups and not handouts. We believe that honour and dignity of the poor lies in making them self-sufficient by enabling them to earn for themselves. We also believe that the best way and most dignified way for the poor to generate income is through their own efforts via a business.

Just as the Prophet (SAW) made the man buy an axe for chopping wood so that he could harvest timber and earn money – we also enable the poorest of women to earn money through a business of her choice which will also filter down for generations to come.

 

When you rebuild the life of a woman, you build an entire generation. It is a known fact that women spend 90% of their income on their families. Investing in them is the quickest and surest way to break the cycle of poverty.

 

The Prophet (SAW) said: “The one who strives to help widows and the poor is like the one who strives in jihad for the sake of Allah and the one who prays at night and the one who fasts during the day.” (al-Bukhaari)

We help women who have no men to look after them and provide for them including women who are widows, divorcees and the elderly single or those with disabled husbands and fathers unable to work. We work in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia and Malawi and our programmes enables women to start generating an income immediately with the various types of business.

 

A one-off donation of just £500 can change a woman’s life permanently for generations to come. We believe that Zakah and Sadaqah should be utilised in a proper way by using a reasonable amount of money to make a difference in the lives of the recipients. And following the Prophet saw’s example people should be encouraged to earn with their own hands.

1.Anas (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam) said:
‘Poverty almost leads to disbelief.’
(Musnad Ahmad ibn Mani’, Al-Mu’jamul Awsat, Hadith: 4056,  Shu’abul Iman of Bayhaqi, Hadith: 6188 and others. See Ithaful khiyarah, Hadith: 7247 and Al-
Maqasidul Hasanah, Hadith: 789)
This has been reported in the above references with two weak chains. However in addition to the support these chains lend each other, this Hadith is also
supported by the following authentic (sahih) Hadith:
Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Al-Khudry (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam) once made the following du’a:
‘O Allah I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty.’
Someone enquired: ‘Are these two equal?’
Nabi (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam) replied: ‘Yes.’
(Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith: 1026 – Al-Ihsan)
Refer for all of the above: Al-Maqasidul Hasanah, Hadith: 789 and footnotes of Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah on Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hadith: 27127.

2.Anas RA said that when a man of the Ansar came to Prophet Muhammad (S) and begged from him, he asked him whether he had nothing in his house.When he said that he had a piece of cloth, which he used for wearing as well as for spreading on the ground, and a wooden bowl from which he drank water, he told him to bring them to him, and when he did so he took them in his hand and asked, “Who will buy these?” When a man offered a dirham he asked twice or thrice. “Who will offer more than a dirham?” and he gave them to a man who offered two dirhams. He then took the two dirhams and giving them to the Ansari he said, “Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me.”

 

When he bought it, the Prophet (S) fixed a handle on it with his own hand and said, “Go gather firewood and sell it, and don’t let me see you for a fortnight.” The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with others.

Poverty to Profit Pakistan
Forgotten Women