More than 1,250 meals handed out to staff and visitors for iftars during Ramadan
More than 1,250 meals were handed out to staff and visitors at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust to help those observing Ramadan to break their fast.
The Hospital Iftars scheme aimed to support visitors who may have arrived at the hospital with nothing to break their fast while accompanying loved ones, alongside providing meals to staff.
Around 80 meals were provided each day to ensure both staff and visitors could break their fast with dignity and comfort.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims in hospital face the challenge of fasting from dawn until sunset, while also balancing the demanding environment of healthcare work.
Hospital Iftars aims not only to support the physical well-being of those fasting but also to foster a sense of community, breaking down isolation and bringing people together.
READ MORE:
James Mawrey, chief people officer and deputy chief executive at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'We were really pleased to support Hospital Iftars for another year, as we recognise how critical it is for both staff and visitors to have access to well-balanced meals at iftar, helping to maintain energy and focus.
'This allows our staff to continue providing excellent care for our patients and for visitors to focus on their family members.
'It was also wonderful to see the sense of community created each evening, bringing people together in a safe space to connect with other staff, visitors, and the wider community.'
Each meal is thoughtfully prepared to be easily digestible after a long day of fasting, offering both nourishment and a sense of comfort.
Through this initiative, Hospital Iftars helps sustain not only the body but also the spirit, creating a sense of unity, care, and connection within the hospital community.
Aisha Ahmed, a domestic cleaner for iFM Bolton, said: 'I work in the evenings and cannot open iftar with my husband so it's nice that you have created a way to feed people that are working.
Bolton NHS FT Hospital Iftars Team (Image: Bolton NHS FT) 'You feel quite alone when you're opening your fast by yourself without family but it's very reassuring that others that are Muslim are also working in the hospital and experiencing the same as me.
"What you are doing here is very helpful and brings a community of people together.
Visitors were also able to join the iftars each evening.
Rabia said: 'My father is very sick in hospital, what I found in my darkest moments was a supportive community in our time of need.
'What an unbelievable blessing this was – facilitated by a selfless team of volunteers.
"I hope to return this immense gratitude I feel next Ramadan by volunteering – God willing.
"Thank you Hospital Iftars team.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
20 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Israel recovers body of Thai farmworker in Gaza
Palestinian militants took dozens of Thai farmworkers hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. During a short ceasefire in November of that year, 23 Thai captives were released, and five more were freed during another ceasefire this year. Advertisement That ceasefire broke down and Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza against Hamas in mid-March with regular air bombardments and ground operations. On Saturday afternoon, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the bodies of 95 people killed by Israeli attacks Thursday and Friday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast, had arrived at hospitals in addition to more than 300 wounded. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its casualty counts. Israeli officials have said the military was targeting militants and their weapons infrastructure. Over the past week, however, scores of hungry and desperate Palestinians have been killed and wounded on their way to collect boxes of food at an aid distribution site in Rafah operated by U.S. security contractors. Advertisement The site was set up as a part of a new Israeli-backed effort to deliver aid to Palestinians without Hamas benefiting. The effort has been boycotted by the United Nations and other prominent aid groups, which accuse Israel of using aid as a weapon. Israeli officials have argued that the new system was needed because Hamas was looting aid from trucks entering parts of Gaza where it still wields power. U.N. officials say there is little evidence that Hamas has systematically diverted aid. The Red Cross said its 60-bed field hospital in southern Gaza, a short distance from the distribution site in Rafah, had received a total of 40 bodies Sunday and Tuesday and 323 wounded people, most of whom had gunshot and shrapnel injuries and some of whom later died. On Saturday, Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli military, wrote on social media that gathering near distribution sites outside their hours of operation 'puts you in danger.' Some Palestinians have tried to advance in the line by taking shortcuts to the aid sites beyond the officially marked path, but people both on and off that path appeared to have come under fire, according to three witnesses. Broadcasts by Israeli drones told people arriving early to come back later, but many have ignored those calls, worried that they will lose their spot in line, the witnesses said. On Saturday evening, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it was 'impossible to proceed' with the distribution of aid on Saturday, accusing Hamas of threatening its operations without offering specifics. A spokesperson for the foundation later accused Hamas of threatening the lives of its Palestinian workers, but he did not provide evidence. Advertisement Separately, four Israeli soldiers were killed Friday and five were wounded when an explosive device was detonated in southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the Israeli military's chief spokesperson. The soldiers had been operating in a Hamas compound when the explosion occurred, causing part of the structure to collapse, he added. The latest hostage retrieval brings the number of remaining living and dead captives believed to still be held in Gaza to 55. The Israeli government has said that up to 23 are believed to be alive. The recovery of Nattapong's body came after the Israeli military announced Thursday that security forces had retrieved the remains of two Israeli Americans who it said were also killed by the Mujahideen Brigades. The two victims, Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, were in their 70s when they were killed. Israel believes the bodies of two other Thai citizens, Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak, remain in Gaza, according to Yahel Kurlander, a sociologist who has been fighting for the release of Thai hostages. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar updated his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, about the details of the operation to bring the Thai farmworker's body back to Israel, according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He was married and has a son, the ministry said. He had been in Israel for more than a year when he was taken hostage, and he was a strong personality who acted as a bridge between other Thai farmworkers at Nir Oz and employers, according to Josh Lawson, an official in the Israeli prime minister's office who deals with foreign hostages. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Afghanistan's foremost OB-GYN says the country is in a maternal health crisis
Kabul — Dr. Najmussama Shefajo is probably Afghanistan's best known and most experienced OB-GYN. She became a household name from her regular appearances on Afghan television, where she talked openly about women's reproductive health, a subject still considered taboo in Afghanistan. Over the past decade, CBS News has made several visits to her private clinic in central Kabul, but it has never looked as busy as it does now. Her clinic was flooded with new patients after the Taliban banned women from nursing and midwife training courses back in December. It's a move that has started to take its toll on Shefajo, who told CBS News she has been suffering from migraines for quite some time "because of the tension." "I see my patients are very poor, they cannot pay, I cannot help them, and all the pressure comes on me and I get a headache," Shefajo said. Still, Shefajo has remained a committed teacher. She found a way to get around the Taliban's education ban for her student nurses and midwives by giving them all jobs at her clinic. This means they are technically no longer students, but employees, even as she continues to train them. She says that if the current policies remain in place though, the situation in Afghanistan will worsen. "The previous doctors, midwives, nurses are getting older and older and they will die," Shefajo said. "Who will provide services?" Following the U.S. withdrawal and immediately after taking power in 2021, the Taliban also banned girls over the age of 12 from attending school. But the results of such a health care shortage could be catastrophic, Shefajo believes. Under Taliban rule, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors. Male doctors can only treat women when a male guardian is present. "For sure the number of deaths will be increasing, and one day there will not be female in Afghanistan," Shefajo said. An Afghanistan without women — the Taliban insists that is not what its policies are aimed at. In the courtyard outside her clinic, CBS News tried to ask some of the husbands, fathers and guardians what they thought about the Taliban's ban on maternal health education for women, but no one wanted to talk. Shefajo said her message to the Taliban is to rescind the policy on women's health education. "As a doctor, as a mother, as a woman, as a Muslim, I request them…to give a chance for the female to help you to build the country." Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates What to know about President Trump's travel ban on nationals from 12 countries Trump says he's disappointed by Musk criticism of budget bill, Musk says he got Trump elected
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Washington Post
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha , a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises . At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid.
