A Syrian refugee child who fled the violence from the Syrian town of Flita, near Yabroud, poses for a photograph at the border town of Arsal, in the eastern Bekaa Valley March 20, 2014. Tensions have been especially high in and around Arsal after Syrian forces and the Lebanese Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah recaptured the Syrian border town of Yabroud from rebels on Sunday, sending a stream of refugees and fighters across the border. Lebanon's border area has been steadily sucked into Syria's three-year-old conflict as President Bashar al-Assad's forces attack nearby rebel bases and suspected Syrian rebels fire rockets at Shi'ite towns to punish Hezbollah for sending fighters to support Assad. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3HY4X
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ShareTheMeal App Feeds Syrian Refugees in Ramadan

AboutIslam & Newspapers
27 May, 2016

BEIRUT – The United Nations’ World Food Program has launched the Arabic Version of an app to feed Syrian refugees during the Holy fasting month of Ramadan, allowing users in the Arab world to provide food to refugees in Lebanon.

“Every cultural and religious tradition in the world teaches us to care for the less privileged and to share what we have,” said WFP Lebanon Country Director and Representative, Dominik Heinrich, Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Friday, May 27.

“The launch of the app in Arabic provides people in the Arabic speaking world with an easy way to do good deeds and share meals during the holy month of Ramadan, the month of generosity and giving.”

Smartphone users in the Arab world can help provide food to Syrian refugees in Lebanon by just a click on the ShareTheMeal app.

WFP said in a statement that the launch of the app on May 26 coincides with the arrival of the Holy month of Ramadan observed by Muslims around the world to help feed Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.

With ShareTheMeal, users can do good whenever they want and wherever they are. With a donation as small as 50 cents, WFP can provide a child with nutritious food for a whole day.

Since the launch of the English version of the app last year, more than 500,000 users worldwide have provided the equivalent of more than 5.6 million daily food rations to the poorest and hungriest around the world.

The app has received several awards for its design and innovative character, including by Google who named it as one of the Best Apps of 2015.

With the launch in Arabic speaking countries, an estimation of 117 million smartphone users will be able to download ShareTheMeal from app stores and donate to feed hungry children.

“More people in the Arab world are using smartphones, with estimates that there will be more than 300 million users by 2020,” said Sebastian Stricker, Head of ShareTheMeal.

“We made sure that the ShareTheMeal app is ready before the Holy month of Ramadan, a time when people are looking for ways to help those in need such as Syrian refugee children,” he added.

Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, kicks-off on June 6.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.

It is customary for Muslims to spend part of the days during Ramadan studying the Noble Qur’an.

Many men perform i`tikaf (spiritual retreat), spending the last 10 days of the month exclusively in the mosque.