Dear friends,
“What does Ramadan mean to you?” I asked a young person, and her quick reply was simply “Connection!” She then elaborated that she would mindfully make time to break her fast with her family and to appreciate the relationships in her life. Importantly, Ramadan was about caring for the less fortunate among us.
This past month, we had the privilege of joining several “buka puasa” or “breaking-of-fast” meals organised by different groups of members. One such session had a group of youth bringing a dish each to our centre to meet volunteers formerly from Youth Corps Singapore who mentored them 5 years ago. All this time, these 10 youths and the volunteers have been connecting occasionally on a WhatsApp group and Ramadan has become an annual occasion to reconnect. It was a heart-warming experience for my colleague who is also on the WhatsApp group because long-term friendships are the bonding and social capital our work attempts to cultivate. She was moved that her efforts years ago has had a sustained impact.
The dinners are usually held at common areas near where our members live but like the youth, 5 mothers also chose to have a potluck dinner at our centre. I guess the advantage of having dinner at our premises is that it is more conducive for an after-dinner conversation that is not light-hearted. One mother got the conversation going by revealing that she kept a notebook of how social workers had been helping her all these years. She explained that she had a strong desire to help others and the notebook reminded her of what was helpful and what was not. Others then shared that they too received help and we realised it was their way of reassuring Amy, who was new to the group that it was okay to seek help.
Recently, Amy’s husband spoke to a neighbour about his family’s lack of food. Upon hearing this, these mothers pooled some food and milk for Amy’s family. So, they had invited her for dinner to explain that she lived in a neighbourhood where people looked out for each other, and she must never feel embarrassed to reach out to them. There would be no shame in doing so as it is only an act of love in caring for her children.
Connection and care were in abundance this past month and we would like to thank our friends for their generous breaking-of-fast meals and hospitality. The Inspire Church for the use of their grounds as well as the Civil Service College, Markel International Singapore Pte Ltd and the Yio Chu Kang Zone 9 Residents’ Committee for sponsoring the meals.
Finally, I would like to share a reflection from Sara A. Farooqi, founder of Conscious Collectivist that speaks of community.
Ramadan is also a time of redistribution and reciprocity. This is the season where Muslims calculate their resources and give a portion of their assets to community members in need. This practice, called Zakat, is founded on the central notion that nothing truly belongs to or comes to us via our individual efforts alone, and, as such, must be shared. Zakat parallels the process of fasting. With the fast, the body is consuming less and redistributing its energy and focus. Materially, we bring that process to life by giving from whatever wealth we have accumulated. In this way, we practice Zakat with the entirety of our being. It is a way of embodying our commitment to community; sweeping away excesses in order to draw closer to our community.
Selamat Hari Raya Adil Fitri to all Muslims.
Gerard and all of us at Beyond
