Women and children from the region of Haskovo with a noble initiative helping refugees in Harmanli

Few days ago women and children from the Muslim community in Haskovo and the neighboring settlements implemented a noble initiative helping refugees from the Registration and Reception Center (RRC) – Harmanli.  

The idea to help was born among the women in the community during the month of Ramadan. During the Ramadan iftar-dinners they began raising small amounts of money – by 5 or 10 BGN, and the aim was to support the children and the needy refugee families, accommodated at RRC – Harmanli.   

“With the raised amount of money we managed to buy food products and to prepare 15 food packages in total for the needy families, as well as 40 packages of treats for the children from the camp on the occasion of the upcoming feast of Eid al-Fitr.” – shared for Grandmufti.bg one of the initiators of the initiative, Gyulgyun Gaygadzhova. She is a preacher at Regional Mufti’s Office – Haskovo and head of the year-round Qur’an course at the “Hisarya” quarter in Haskovo.

The women from the Muslim community in Haskovo provided the opportunity to the youngest ones to be entirely involved in the good deed. On May 29 (Wednesday) this year the group organized a 30-seat bus so that the children from the local Qur’an courses could personally make happy their peers in the refugee camp in Harmanli with the prepared surprises on the occasion of the Muslim holyday of Eid al-Fitr. Children from two Qur’an courses in Haskovo, as well as from the Qur’an course in the village of Golemantsi, led by Myuzeyyen Mustafa, took part.

“We continue to raise funds during the remaining iftar-dinners even after this initiative – from zakat al-Fitr (a charity taken for the poor a few days before the end of Ramadan), zakah (the mandatory charitable contribution) or just as sadaqah (voluntary charitable contribution). Our goal is to manage to raise funds in order to support three families accommodated at RRC – Harmanli, that are most in need, each with the amount of 150 BGN” – further said Gyulgyun Gaygadzhova

She did not hide her only disappointment during the prepared an implemented two days ago initiative. She shared that they wished and officially sent to Petya Parvanova – Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees, a request for access to RRC – Harmanly, in order to enter the refugee camp and visit the people there. But this was officially denied.   

“The argument was that such practice does not exist. And we all know that access is provided to representatives of other various religious groups, and some of them even have warehouses in RRC – Harmanli.” -  Gaygadzhova said with disappointment, who is also a social officer at the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) in RRC – Harmanli.

She expressed her readiness to write a protest letter to the State Agency for Refugees in connection with that case.

Author: L. Chausheva