A Leicester teenager was so moved by the plight of people who were victims of earthquakes in Syria and Turkey she opted to spend Ramadan raising money to help them. Hafizah Satia, 17, wanted to sprinkle some hope back into the world again so she took it upon herself to host a ‘Charity Iftar Youth Social’ which raked in over £2,000.
The event took place on April 13, and consisted of quizzes, auctions and attendees even had the chance share an Iftar meal after a long day of fasting. Hafizah also delivered a heartfelt speech, outlining the devastations and explained how the evening would contribute towards supporting victims.
The teenager dedicated the social to her father who passed away in December 2021. He was a community advocate who worked closely alongside young people before his passing. She said: “My dad focused on the youth from both an Islamic perspective and generally. He was passionate about bettering their knowledge and coming together as a community.”
“A lot of people say that this generation is done for, and as someone who is part of that generation it is quite hurtful to hear things like that, but I wanted to make steps towards changing that narrative and making my dads dream come true.” Hafizah had previously volunteered with Islamic Relief, a charity dedicated to responding to global disasters and helping victims rebuild their lives. During her time working with the charity she has previously completed a sponsored trek up Mount Snowdon, but this time she wanted to create something more personal to her.
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She said: “About a month before I hosted the event, I was thinking about the devastations that had taken place but as a student I felt like there wasn’t much I or others could do, because we don’t full time jobs, so I had to get creative with other ways I could out. Ramadan is such an important time to make the most of all the opportunities you have, and my connections with Islamic Relief meant that I had the foundations built the contacts needed to create something of my own.”
Hafizah admitted that she was nervous that no one would turn up to the event, but over 100 people showed up including her former secondary school mates and some of her fellow collage students. She said: “The best part of the whole event for me was actually at the end of the night.”
“Everyone in the building helped to clear up. People told me that I’d need a few trusty friends to help me clean at the end, but surprisingly, everyone chipped in and did their bit. Even some of the boys that I went to secondary school helped out and looking back I would never expected to help, but it just shows that Ramadan inspires people to become better. It warms my heart because that’s what I really wanted and what my dad would have wanted – the younger generation coming together and helping each other.”
She continued: “I feel so grateful to have been given the opportunity to do something like this, and this is the greatest thing I’ve done in regards to charity.” Hafizah told Leicestershire Live she has hopes of continuing on a journey of philanthropy, and has future plans to host a bizarre for young local business owners to showcase their businesses.
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