“We don’t know where our next meal is coming from”
Zhang Dongguo is a 70-year-old farmer from Dawantou village in Beiling, in China’s Gansu Province. He lives with his wife and his youngest daughter. They live a hand-to-mouth existence, eating whatever they can grow on their land. But when there is a drought nothing grows and the family are left with no way to feed themselves.
Too old to work
“Whether it’s Ramadan or not, our food is the same. We eat noodles, potatoes and corn, which we grow on our farm. But when there’s a drought, there is nothing to harvest. We don’t know where our next meal is coming from.
“I am the breadwinner but I’m getting old so I cannot do much physical work to earn money. I depend entirely on the farm. My wife suffers from mental illness and is unable to do anything but lie in bed. My 16-year-old daughter has given up school to take care of her mother. I hope one day my little daughter will marry into a good family. Borrowing money for food
“I worry about my family living hand-to-mouth and borrowing money for food. Our favourite food is meat, like mutton and beef, but it’s very expensive. We can rarely afford to eat it. Sometimes I’m lucky and I manage to catch hare or pheasant in the mountain. The mountain used to be barren but thanks to Islamic Relief’s irrigation project it’s now green and full of life.
Islamic Relief’s help
“Before Islamic Relief came here we used to spend two hours on a mountain road fetching water. Fortunately that problem is now solved. Islamic Relief has given us safe, clean water that we can access conveniently. Our main problem now is getting food during periods of drought.”
Zhang received a Ramadan food parcel from Islamic Relief that contained wheat flour and cooking oil. He said, “This is a really good gift for us and it means we have food in time for Eid. It makes me very happy to think there are people in the world to help me.”
A donation to Islamic Relief can help us to continue helping people like Zhang. Please donate today.
