Celebrity chef Asma Khan cooks with Syrian refugees as they prepare for Ramadan

• Star of Netflix show ‘Chef’s Table’ cooks with Syrian refugees on visit to Jordan with Islamic Relief UK
• More than 135,000 food packs distributed to help vulnerable families break their fast during Ramadan
• UK Government supports Islamic Relief’s Ramadan Appeal
• Photos, footage and audio available

Celebrity chef, Asma Khan, visited Jordan with Islamic Relief UK to highlight the charity’s annual Ramadan campaign and to cook with Syrian refugee women who are due to receive Ramadan food packages from the charity during the holy month, which starts on Sunday 5 May.

Asma, who runs a highly successful Indian restaurant in central London and is the first British chef to appear on the Emmy-nominated Netflix show, Chef’s Table, visited the warehouse where thousands of food boxes were being prepared so that vulnerable families, including refugees, can break their fast during Ramadan.

She also met and cooked with a group of Syrian women who are being supported by the charity to deal with trauma and understand their rights.  All the women Asma met had fled their homes, had lost or been separated from loved ones and are now struggling to survive without any real means to earn an income or support their families.

Asma Khan said:

“It was a truly humbling experience, and very special to cook and share food with women who’ve been through so much. When I moved to Britain from India, I missed home so much. Cooking meals from home helped to ease the pain. So, I know what food means when home is a place you cannot go back to. There is this deep longing and food becomes this balm that you need to heal your soul and I wanted to see how it affects people who’ve left home because they had no choice.

“The whole experience deeply moved me – we laughed together, we cried together, and we sang songs together too. Despite all they had been through, these women had so much strength. Their will to live, to survive, was impressive.”

This year, Islamic Relief is distributing over 135,800 large food parcels, across 35 countries benefiting more than 800,000 people. The food helps Muslims to break their fast at the end of each day during the holy month of Ramadan. The food parcels, which feed a family of five for up to one month, are tailored to local tastes and cuisine. For example, the food parcels in Jordan include Tahini sesame paste and halva, traditional favourites in the Middle East.

Asma said:

“Ramadan is a very special month. It’s vital that families have enough food because it is so important that everybody eats together. When you no longer have the means to cook traditional dishes because of changed circumstances, you still have that desire. This is how these women grew up breaking their fast. It’s very hard not to do it in Ramadan and every family will try their very best. So, having a pack like this allows them to do that.”

Tufail Hussain, interim Director of Islamic Relief UK said:

“Ramadan is the most important part of the year for us at Islamic Relief, so we are delighted that Asma saw for herself how crucial our work is for some of the most vulnerable people in the world, particularly vulnerable and marginalised refugee women. Millions of people are living in desperate circumstances, exacerbated by conflict and climate change and we need to do everything we can to provide solace to them. Our mission is to change and save lives.”

Islamic Relief’s Ramadan campaign receives a huge boost from the UK Government, which will match £2m of the total raised for this year’s appeal. The £2m of matched funding will be spent on a programme in Ethiopia which aims to ensure that farmers can access water for their livestock and their families. This support is vital, as the area is suffering from frequent and severe droughts as a result of climate change.

Asma Khan concludes:

“I saw for myself just how much Islamic Relief is making a difference to people’s lives in Jordan , so I hope this year’s Ramadan Appeal makes as much money as possible to help change and save lives in Ethiopia, Jordan and other countries in need around the world.”

 Notes for Editors

• Still photos and video footage of the Asma Khan trip are available here. Asma is also available for interviews
• Donations could feed a malnourished baby in Yemen, care for an orphan in Pakistan, protect a family in war-torn Syria or send relief to any of the 30 countries we support.
• To support our Ramadan appeal please click here
• Islamic Relief is an international aid and development charity that aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people in more than 30 countries, mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. As well as responding to disasters and emergencies, Islamic Relief promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities – regardless of race, religion or gender.
• From 15 April to 30 June 2019 the UK government will match £2m of the total raised for Islamic Relief’s Ramadan Appeal, to fund its live-saving work in Ethiopia, supporting farmers affected by drought. This is thanks to UK Aid Match, which provides opportunities for the UK public to engage with international development issues and have a say in how UK aid is spent, whilst boosting the impact of the very best charity projects to reach the poorest people in developing countries.  In five years, UK Aid Match has supported 42 charities, running projects in 27 countries. Projects are expected to benefit more than 25 million of the world’s poorest people. For more information on Islamic Relief and UK Aid Match visit islamic-relief.org.ukFor more information on UK Aid Match visit https://www.gov.uk/international-development-funding/uk-aid-match