Khamrun’s struggle for food

70-year-old Khamrun Apa lives alone in Madhugiri town in Karnataka, India. She lives in a small mud hut that used to be home to her family, but they have all died. The house has no running water, electricity or gas, and she has to carry water up the steep hill to her home every day.
Khamrun makes a small living rolling leaf cigarettes or ‘beedis.’  If she rolls 500 a day then she can buy herself a meal, if not then she goes hungry.

Khamrun always struggles to get enough food. She has a couple of chickens which she rears for their eggs. Although there are no food shortages in this region, the price of food at market has gone up while her wages have not.

Ramadan is no different than any other month for Khamrun as every day is a struggle to get enough food. She has no one to break her fast or celebrate Eid with.

Last year Khamrun received a Ramadan food parcel from Islamic Relief, which provided her with enough food for one month. We distributed 5,000 Ramadan food parcels in India last year.

The food parcels we give include culturally appropriate foods. In India, this includes flour, lentils, rice, sugar and oil. Khamrun thanked those who support this project and said, “May you always do this good work for others.”