None of us can escape the effects of COVID-19, but for those already living on the brink of poverty and isolation, its impact can drive them to despair. Some of the nation’s most ostracised and forgotten families whom HHUGS support risk being overlooked and left even more vulnerable at this testing time.

With shops inflating their prices, families are now buckling under the weight of the crisis, struggling to get food and basic sanitary items amidst the panic and hoarding. Some find themselves spiralling deeper into debt.

“I’m running very low and have no shopping. Went out today to an empty shelf. My online shopping was cancelled. Local shops are very expensive now subhanAllah. I’ve been borrowing money the past week and a half. We have been survivng on noodles the past two days. Wallahi I don’t know what we’re going to do over the weekend. I’m just really dreading when the agent finds out the rent is overdue”

Women and children who have been left scarred by the cumulative trauma of raids and detention are now grappling with debilitating anxiety and the uncertainty that the virus has brought.

“It's stressing me out with everything going on. They’ve put the prices up for meat, the shops are empty. Everyone's going a little mad. I’ve taken my son out of school as of today. I have a really weak immune system and I caught swine flu when it was going around, so just going to stay in as much as I can.”

And with HHUGS having to suspend our social gatherings, our sisters and mothers are feeling more alone than ever, with many having to self isolate. Where we tend to our parents and relatives, ensuring they have all the essentials they need, these elderly mothers and fathers, have no beloved son to look in on them in the twilight of their lives. Where we may take comfort at home enjoying the company of our family, for our sisters it is an acute reminder of the absence of their loved ones.

“Times like this I really miss the husband. Alhamdulillah for HHUGS.”

Our families need your generous support at this time. The full impact of the virus on small charities like HHUGS, reliant upon face to face community fundraising, especially in Ramadhan, is likely to be devastating. We need your help to raise £60k in the next 4 weeks to ensure we can deliver the urgent practical, financial and emotional support they require.

We know this is a difficult and uncertain time for everyone in the community. Our hearts may be broken as the doors of mosques are closing, but the opportunities to serve and for sadaqah are always open. By remembering our neighbours in need, we can repel the harm from ourselves and our loved ones.

“Treat your sick ones with sadaqah.” (Abu Dawud, at-Tabarani)
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“Sadaqah repels all illness and calamities” (al-Bayhaqi)

As we’re reminded of the fragility of our lives, fearing we will lose our loved ones before their time, seize the opportunities to give before it’s too late:

“Give out of what We have provided for you, before death comes to one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if You would only reprieve me for a little while, I would give in charity and become one of the righteous.’” (63:10)