Egyptians cling to Ramadan charity as inflation soars

In a time of dire economic trouble, Egyptians are holding fast to the Ramadan tradition of charity, with both donors and those in need pinning hopes on holiday generosity.

Families have buckled under the weight of inflation, which hit 32.9 per cent in February as Egyptians tried to fill their shelves ahead of the Islamic holy month of daytime fasting and special evening meals, known as iftar.

“Last year, we were giving out 360 iftar meals every day -- this year, I’m not sure we’ll make it to 200,” said the founder of a small charity in the working-class Cairo district of al-Marg.

Yet those meals have never been more vital, the charity worker said, asking not to be named for privacy concerns.

For many families, Ramadan boxes of food staples or daily charity iftar meals, organised in droves across the country, “are their only chance to eat meat or chicken,” she added.

Even before the current economic crisis -- worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which destabilised crucial food imports -- 30 per cent of Egyptians were living under the poverty line, with the same number vulnerable to falling into poverty, according to the World Bank. In addition, surging costs of animal feed have pushed the once-affordable meal of chicken out of reach for most of Egypt’s nearly 105 million-strong population.

Before Ramadan began, the charities upon which tens of millions of Egyptians depend raised the alarm that they were struggling to meet more people’s needs, at higher costs, with dwindling donations.

Tis the season

But a focus on generosity, even and especially in times of trouble, is baked into Ramadan, “when most Egyptians give out their yearly charity, a very cherished custom,” said Manal Saleh, who heads the Egyptian Clothing Bank.

Egyptians gave nearly five billion Egyptian pounds to charity (at the time, around $315 million) during 10 months of donations recorded in 2021, according to state media.

But of that, around “90 per cent” was given during Ramadan, Saleh estimated, who also helped found one of the country’s biggest charities, the Egyptian Food Bank.

Each day of the holy month, a staple of Egyptian city streets at sunset is the sight of mawaed al-rahman, charity tables where strangers come to break their fast for free, sometimes hundreds at a time.

Many are organised by anonymous donors such as Fouad, a 64-year-old retired engineer, who asked to use a pseudonym because his initiative is not a legally recognised charity.