A WREXHAM nursing student is going without food, spending at least two weeks of her summer fasting during daylight hours, to raise funds and awareness for people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Twenty-two year old Casey Evans, who is going into her third year of study at Bangor University in September, was struck by a news report shared by a friend online about the current situation in Yemen, where 24 million people – 80% of the population – are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance to survive.
After researching the crisis further, she decided to raise money for the faith-inspired aid agency Islamic Relief UK. She is fasting for two weeks but plans to extend that to four weeks if it goes well.
The former Coleg Cambria student from Wrexham said: ‘I couldn’t believe the harrowing statistics and images that I saw, and immediately tasked myself with doing my own research and learning more about the crisis. I felt heartbroken and very quickly I was thinking about ways I could help, because it looked like the most severe situation I've ever seen in my life.’
The situation in Yemen, which has spiralled due to years of conflict, disease, hunger and now the coronavirus outbreak which is killing five times as many as the global average, has been labelled the worst humanitarian crisis in the world by the UN.
Living in war-torn Yemen, Ahmad was struggling to provide health care for his children
Casey, who is not religious herself, was impressed by Islamic Relief’s work in Yemen, which spans 17 of the country’s 22 governorates, delivering essential food aid to people facing extreme food insecurity. She also noted the link between her fundraising efforts and fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan, which most Muslims undertake every year.
She said: ‘I hadn’t heard of Islamic Relief before, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the charity has worked in Yemen for more than 20 years, which highlighted to me the particular focus and passion it has for helping Yemen, even before it became home to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. I also thought that being a Muslim charity and understanding the culture and beliefs of a Muslim country must help respond to people’s needs appropriately.’
‘I’ve always been very interested in learning about different religions and their beliefs. I am agnostic myself, and want to demonstrate by working alongside a Muslim charity that people should work together to help those in need, irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity.’
She has now been fasting for nearly a week.
She said: ‘I wanted to learn what it felt like to be hungry, because I’m so aware of my own privilege. I’m very grateful during this hot weather that before starting the fast I decided to allow myself to drink water during the day – unlike Muslims during Ramadan, who go without both food and water from dawn until dusk. I’m feeling much more tired during the day, but luckily I’m not working at the moment and don’t go back to university until September.’
‘I have been feeling really sick in the mornings, and finding I have stomach ache due to having such a small window to eat in. But when I can eat, I’m able to have what I want and need, and know that I’ll be able to nourish myself at a certain time – and I’m very aware that this is not the case for many people in Yemen. Fasting has really allowed the reality of their suffering to hit home.’
She said that if it goes well, she might extend the fast from two to four weeks.
High numbers of children are facing severe malnutrition across Yemen due to the impact of the five-year-long conflict
Zia Salik, Head of Fundraising at Islamic Relief UK, said: ‘More than five years of conflict have deepened Yemen’s poverty, devastated its infrastructure, and caused widespread suffering. The coronavirus pandemic is a second front that Yemen is unprepared for. There are not enough hospital beds or supplies to treat those who are seriously ill – but as we have seen in the UK, simple measures can make a huge difference.’
‘It is wonderful and inspiring to see Casey be so passionate about Islamic Relief’s work and about the people of Yemen. We are so grateful that she is using this opportunity not only to raise much-needed funds but also to raise awareness in her own community about the crisis and about Islamic Relief’s work.’
You can donate to Evans’ Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/casey-evans
You can find out more about Islamic Relief UK’s Yemen appeal here: https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/yemen-emergency-appeal/
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