We’re well into the Holy Month, a time to experience the peace and joy of sharing and sacrifice. We’re also eagerly awaiting Eid al-Fitr when we will celebrate and give thanks. In this feature, we bring local charities you can support, gifting ideas for Eid and travel escapes for the long festive weekend.

A SLICE OF KINDNESS

The Holy Month is a good time to remind ourselves of how blessed we are. Further, it’s a time to share our blessings with those around us. In fact, zakat or almsgiving is one of the pillars of Islam and a common Ramadan tradition. These Bahrain-based charities have initiatives where you can pay it forward.

A BOX FORWARD

A Box Forward operates as a Facebook group where people can donate old items and those in need or struggling can request them. They launched in February this year and since then have amassed 1,500 donors giving away items such as clothing, furniture, baby things and food. For Ramadan, A Box Forward encourages to donate more than ever especially food and baby items such as diapers that are most requested by needy families. Additionally, they will focus heavily on supporting their sister charity, A Box of Goodness, that is doing its annual food drive. Visit @aboxforward on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

KAAF HUMANITARIAN

Kaaf Humanitarian is a charity initiative that works toward offering help across various avenues, from providing food, water and shelter to education and training and everything in between. They even offer assistance in financing commercial projects for people with limited incomes. For Ramadan this year, they have three major categories that you can support – Iftar, Ramadan Basket and Printing Quran. The Iftar initiative allows you to provide Iftar meals to thousands in Bahrain and outside the country. Just BD10 can go a long way, feeding 10 fasting individuals. You could also fund a Ramadan Basket for needy families in Bahrain, which contains a variety of food products. There are two types of baskets – a comprehensive one for BD50 and a basic one for BD20. Prayer is an important part of not just the Holy Month but much beyond that. You can donate toward the printing of Qurans, which will be distributed in mosques among other areas. It costs just BD1 to print one Quran. You can get more information and donate through their website www.kaaf.bh

A BOX OF GOODNESS

As every year, A Box Of Goodness is collecting and distributing dry, non-perishable food items to needy families and individuals in the Kingdom: rice, dates, flour, dal, green gram, chickpeas, oil, sago, spices, pasta, noodles, sugar, milk powder, tea, coffee, ghee, coconut milk powder, tomato paste, jelly, custard or canned foods. Drop-off locations for donations will be at Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Saar, Nadeen School in Adliya, all Costa Coffee outlets across the Kingdom and at some other locations which will be revealed through contact. Donations for this campaign are welcome until April 20. Visit @aboxofgoodness on Instagram for more information.

DOOBI

doobi is a digital laundry service in Bahrain. They are known for their doobi Cares initiative, in collaboration with Alsanabel Orphan Care Society, which empowers customers to give back by donating pre-loved clothes and plastics to be recycled. For the Holy Month, they’re launching their Ramadan doobi Cares challenge. To participate, users will have to consistently donate at least four times during Ramadan to win free access to the doobi Pro monthly subscription. Through this campaign, they hope to motivate a larger audience to pay it forward and raise awareness about how we can each make a difference together. Learn more @getdoobi on Instagram

PAKISTANI WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION

Established in 1998, Pakistani Women’s Association (PWA) is an active charitable association, working for social and welfare causes. They have launched their Ramadan and Eid initiative Spread A Smile, where the community can come together to bring a smile to the faces of those in need. You can donate new or pre-loved clothes in good condition. You will need to pack and label then with the gender and size. You can get more information on where to drop off your packages by messaging @p_w_a_bahrain on Instagram. Last year, PWA did a food drive for the Holy Month. They also organise other successful charity campaigns throughout the year.

TREE OF LIFE CHARITY SOCIETY

Founded in 2012, the Tree of Life Social Charity Society’s services focus on orphans, deprived families, health care and social welfare. Every year, they have an extensive Ramadan schedule where they distribute gift packages and invite needy families and orphans for weekly Iftars. They also host a variety of activities in parks from Quran readings to poetry and painting competitions and henna. This year, they’ve distributed aid to hundreds of families registered with the association, which consists of Ramadan baskets, food coupons and more, in addition to other programmes. Visit @treeoflifecharitysociety on Instagram for more details or to donate via the link in their bio.