| Khava’s father became seriously ill as the fighting in the conflict began. As the family could not afford to buy the medicines he needed, his condition worsened and he has yet to recover. Khava says that this was caused because of a lack of money.
Many others in Chechnya face a similar situation. The majority of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance for survival and over 70% live well below the poverty line. It is not only medicines that families are unable to provide but also food.
Since 1995 Islamic Relief has been providing food relief to Chechens affected by the conflict. One part of this has been the establishment of a School Feeding Programme, which provides daily hot meals to vulnerable school children. In providing hot food, the programme aims to improve the academic performance of the children, increase attendance rates and support those families unable to provide meals for their children. Khava is one of those to have been provided with food:
”Islamic Relief always helps us and gives us a lot of food”.
Khava does not want the war to come back to Chechnya. "I am much feared to think that war will start again. If this happens I will ask my parents to take me to some faraway peaceful place” she says. This hope she extends to everyone, “I hope that there will never be war in the world again, that all children grow up healthy and happy…I want to thank the donors for their constant help and ask all people in the world to save peace, take care of nature and never fight and quarrel”.
Find out more about Islamic Relief's Health and Nutrition projects
Find out more about Islamic Relief in Chechnya
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