If you’ve ever been stung by a hungry bee, you’ll know that ‘sting’ feeling. This is the reality and experience that many Muslim Australian families are feeling right now, a sting in their pocket.
We’re almost halfway through the Gregorian calendar year and the cost of simply trying to live hasn’t got any easier. How many times have you heard your parents say;
“Money doesn’t grow on trees”!!!
Whether its hungry children raiding the cupboards after school, screaming “MUM I’M HUNGRY”! Whether it’s that dreaded extra-large electricity bill that is now weeks overdue, or an array of payment plans and debts piling up on the dining table that hasn’t been looked at for the past few weeks.
It’s fair to say, ‘We’re feeling the pinch’.
This is simply the reality for many Muslim Australians, they’re simply doing it tough. On 9 May 2023, the Australian federal budget was released. The anticipated hope for some long-awaited relief to alleviate the pressure on the debit card had arrived.
So, you might be wondering what the National Zakat Foundation has been doing to support our brothers and sisters. Over the last 10 years, the National Zakat Foundation has been serving the local Muslim community at the micro and mezzo level.
More often than not, unfortunately, the people in our community who are doing it tough are typically not recognised. We’ve witnessed verbally and visually first-hand the increasing need of people seeking assistance with meeting their daily living expenses throughout the year.
This is because of the insisting rising costs of electricity and gas, petrol, rental increases, meat, fruit, and vegetables (alhamdulillah the price of lettuce has gone down). For some people, they simply ‘can’t catch a break’.
This exemplifies and reaffirms the notion that the need for local Zakat is paramount. The National Zakat Foundation is a driving force behind empowering the local Muslim community to become self-sufficient.
One way in which this has been achieved is by carrying out assessments diligently to determine the eligibility of potential recipients receiving Zakat. This is implemented to ensure that the zakat is being carefully distributed to those who are eligible.
Subsequently, this not only enables but also empowers individuals to get ‘back on their feet’. This in itself reflects the value, blessing and fundamental essence of Zakat, to reduce poverty, promote equal economic opportunity, uplift social justice and empower individuals to be self-sufficient.
With the permission of Allah, the National Zakat Foundation will continue to endeavour to alleviate the financial sting upon those who are doing it tough and to enable those to ‘catch a break’.
In next month’s edition, we’ll explore briefly what the impact looks like when someone is enduring finical hardships. This will provide greater clarity and address the circumstances that aren’t always visible.
Comments