Faces of hunger in a land of conflict and drought
Hunger and fear are etched on the faces of Habibo Adan and Abdi Sabtow – just two of the staggering six million Somalis who the UN says are relying on humanitarian aid to survive this Ramadan.
Both were driven from their homes in rural areas by conflict. Both sought sanctuary in the overcrowded camps on the edge of cities where hundreds of thousands of displaced Somalis live in harrowing conditions. Both have little or no income and are unsure of where their next meal is coming from.
You can bring help and hope to people like Habibo Adan and Abdi Sabtow by supporting Zamzam Foundation UK’s 2025 Ramadan appeal.
Habibo Adan is a resilient but extremely vulnerable mother of eight children. Abandoned by her husband, she struggles to feed her hungry young family in the chaotic camp in Baidoa that has become their temporary home. Her only income is the pittance she earns by selling firewood she collects from the forest.
“Ramadan is approaching, and we are in need of support,” she told us. “We need food, and support for suhoor and iftar.”
Abti Sabtow is a father of five and a grandfather, exhausted by the precarious life his family lead in the sprawling Limaan camp on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. He is unemployed, and relies on support from the modest earnings one of his daughters gets from washing clothes.
“We are suffering greatly,” he says. “We are struggling with hunger. We urgently need food, clean water, a safe place to sleep, and essential medicines.”
A donation of just £3 provides a hot meal for a displaced person breaking their fast.
Giving £70 enables us to provide enough food for a whole family to feed themselves for a month.
A £7 donation means we can give a displaced family a week’s supply of clean water in a country where eight million people do not have access to safe water and sanitation.
The positive difference you can make
No organisation is better placed than Zamzam UK to support families like these.
We exist to raise funds in the UK to provide lifesaving aid to Somalis driven from their homes by climate change and conflict, and to help families lift themselves out of poverty.
“If you have a heart for the Somali people, please give generously to Zamzam Foundation UK,” says Sheikh Osman Usuuli, the leading British-Somali Islamic scholar, who is supporting our Ramadan appeal. “It’s a charity you can really trust to empower Somalis to find their own solutions to the challenges they face, and to lift families out of poverty.”
A donation to Zamzam UK enables us to channel support to Somalia’s biggest charity, the Zamzam Foundation – an organisation set up in 1992 to support Somalis through an unprecedented humanitarian crisis following the collapse of the central government and the severe famine that ensued.
In Ramadan last year Zamzam Foundation’s hard-working teams provided vital support for 144,498 people.
This included Ramadan food packs for 14,271 families (over 85,000 people) and 54,450 hot meals. We also provided new clothes for 1,350 children to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr.
This year we need your support to reach and support even more families in need.
Zamzam Foundation was established and is run by Somalis for Somalis. It provides lifesaving and life-changing support to over 2.2 million people each year. It operates in all regions, from Somaliland and Puntland in the north to lower Juba in the south, and all areas in between.
Over the past three decades Zamzam Foundation has built eight hospitals and more than 150 schools, set up 300 health clinics, and delivered clean water for millions by providing over 5,000 wells and 160 boreholes.
Through Zamzam UK you can support the vital work of building a brighter future for all Somalis.
Ten good reasons to support Zamzam UK this Ramadan
- We empower UK donors to support Zamzam Foundation – Somalia’s leading aid and development charity
- We support over 2.2 million Somalis every year
- Together we are building a brighter future for all Somalis through schools, livelihood grants and peacebuilding projects
- Non-political, not clan-aligned, non-partisan – people in need are the people who count
- Offices and projects in all regions - from Somaliland and Puntland in the north to Lower Juba in the south and all areas in between
- Providing vital emergency aid and practical support to help people lift themselves out of poverty
- We have a track record of delivering aid in hard-to-reach areas
- Zamzam Foundation is trusted by local communities to work alongside them
- Zamzam Foundation was established in 1992 and is run by Somalis for Somalis
- Our extensive Ramadan and qurbani programmes reach a million people every year.
Are you paying zakat in Ramadan?
If you are due to pay zakat during Ramadan, please consider giving your zakat to Zamzam UK. Together we can make a lasting difference in the lives of some of the poorest people on the planet as they work hard to overcome poverty, climate change and conflict.
Check out our new Ramadan 2025 zakat page for more information and to use our zakat calculator to work out what you owe.