“For years, I had been receiving a box of foodstuffs in Ramadan as a gesture of generosity that helped me meet my needs throughout the month,” Fatma said.“However, with each passing year, its contents gradually decreased. This year, the box contained only rice, pasta, sauce and sugar. Dates and qamareddin[dried apricot] were no longer in the box, and frozen chicken had been checked off the list two years ago.”
Fatma added that she was grateful charitable people are unwilling to abandon their tradition of giving in Ramadan despite the economic hardships they may be facing.
“Thankfully, the mosque near my house distributed boxes filled with food items. The boxes were labelled ‘Long Live Egypt Fund’,” she said. The fund is a presidential initiative to support Egypt’s economy.
A few weeks before Ramadan begins, many hypermarkets and stores offer charitable boxes for sale. For the third Ramadan in a row, one box is being sold for LE150. Though the price remains stable, the amount of food in it shrinks by the year.
Maha Mohamed, an accountant who has been distributing Ramadan boxes since 2020, said there is a significant difference in costs. “I try to maintain the number of boxes I distribute— 10 each year—but the financial burden is growing. Five years ago, a single box cost me LE55. In 2023, it rose to LE105, and now it stands at LE150.”
With Ramadan being a favourite season for charity works, offering food, and organising Iftar(fast-breaking meal after sunset)banquets, institutions concerned mobilise their resources in Ramadan to serve the most vulnerable groups, while simultaneously upholding their humanitarian and relief efforts in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
In February, the Long Live Egypt Fund launched its largest convoy of humanitarian aid from Al-Shaab Square in the New Administrative Capital, dispatching over 460 trucks carrying more than 7,200 tons of food supplies, essential provisions, and medical aid to the Gaza Strip.
Simultaneously, the fund launched the Doors to Charity convoys, targeting underprivileged families across Egypt’s 27 governorates, and distributing 2.5 million food boxes, or 23,000 tons of food items, in addition to 320 tons of meat and 115 tons of poultry. Furthermore, the fund has prepared three million Iftar meals, cooked in 60 kitchens across Egypt, and delivered hot food to the needy, paid for by charity donors.
The National Alliance for Civil Development Work (NACDW) also launched its Ramadan activities, distributing food boxes, as well as Iftar and Sohour(pre-dawn) meals across Egypt. Moreover, as soon as the Rafah Crossing reopened, the alliance dispatched humanitarian aid convoys to support the people of Gaza.
Al-Azhar institution, for the fourth consecutive year, is organising Iftar banquets, with its Charity House programme providing 5,000 meals daily. Additionally, the Charity House launched a major humanitarian and relief convoy in solidarity with Gazans.
A lingering question is whether charitable work has been impacted by Egypt’s economic situation and the state’s efforts to provide relief to Gaza’s residents. According to Essam Abdel-Rahman, director of the Media Centre at the Sonaa Al-Kheir Foundation and a member of NACDW, “Egypt’s civil development efforts have indeed been affected by the economic situation, much like all entities in the world affected by global crises and rising prices.”
However, “in times of hardship, Egyptians reaffirm their generosity and uphold the values of solidarity. We are witnessing an increase in donations despite the economic strain,” he added.
The surge in global food prices has affected the cost of Ramadan boxes and prepared meals, Abdel-Rahman continued, noting that “the NACDW leveraged the corporate social responsibility initiatives of major economic and banking institutions and bought essential foods in advance to maintain a strategic stockpile and curb the impact of price hikes.”
Baher Mahmoud, spokesperson for the Mersal Foundation and a member of the NACDW, said that while price increases posed a challenge “we managed to overcome them by securing the best possible deals from suppliers. This allowed us to sustain our efforts in providing food boxes and organising Iftar banquets in front of a few government hospitals.”
“While donations suffered a slight decline, the NACDW enhanced its outreach through social media and media platforms which encouraged greater public participation in charitable giving,” he added.
As for the aid extended to Gaza, Mahmoud said “it has not come at the expense of the assistance provided to Egypt’s most vulnerable groups. On the contrary, the scale of humanitarian support offered by the NACDW continues to grow.”
“We are doubling our efforts to support both the most disadvantaged families in Egypt and the people of Gaza. The challenges are immense, yet they pale in comparison to the Israeli authorities’ obstruction of aid deliveries and their exploitation of humanitarian relief as a tool of war against Gazans,” Mahmoud pointed out.
“We encountered no difficulties in mobilising donations and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The Egyptian people responded with remarkable generosity,” Mahmoud stated. “This was in addition to the state’s efforts and the volunteers who accompanied aid convoys from warehouses to the Rafah Crossing, enduring days of freezing weather. At present, we await the reopening of the crossing to allow the entry of further assistance.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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