"This year we prepared 2000 food packages to distribute," Gashi told IOL.

PRISHTINA — While many people break their iftar with a miscellany of yummy dishes, there are others who are not that fortunately, motivating Islamic institutions and humanitarian organizations in Kosova to offer food packages to poor and orphans families.

"Every year Islamic Relief in Kosova distributes food packages for poor families. This year we prepared 2000 food packages to distribute," Blerim Gashi, Logistic Officer at IR, told IslamOnline.net.

"Today we are in Vushtrri Municipality where, in coordination with the social department of the municipality, we have identified the most needing families to receive these packages."

Gashi said that in the next days they are going to the municipalities of Drenas, Skenderaj and Malisheva in central Kosova which are considered the poorest rural regions in our country.

The food packages feature flour, oil, rice, goulash, pasta, spices, cookies, soup bags, sugar, tea, dates and vegetables.

The "Feed the fasting" project costs IR, a humanitarian organization working in Kosova since the 1999 war, about 40 thousand euros.

Islamic Relief has offices in UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, USA and other countries, raising donations from individuals and institutions.

Founded in 1984, IR is an international relief and development charity, which aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people.

As well as responding to disasters and emergencies, IR promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities - regardless of race, religion or gender.

Waiting

The aid packages help many poor families in Ramadan.

The food packages brought a smile to the faces of many of Kosova's poor and orphan families.

"This is very kind of Islamic Relief," Hamide Terrnava, a widow from Novosella village, Vushtrri municipality, told IOL, receiving one of the packages.

"Myself and my three children were waiting for this donation," said the woman who lost her husband during the war.

Like many other Terrnava had been receiving donations from the IR for years.

Kosova has been a UN protectorate since a 1999 NATO-led bombing campaign halted civilian killings and ethnic cleansing in the province by troops loyal to late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

Ethnic Albanians make up about 90 percent of Kosovo's population of around two million people.

Blerim recognizes that the food package is enough only for a small family and just for a few weeks or less.

But he asserts that there are other humanitarian organizations that donate to poor families too.

Barakah association, a department for humanitarian activities established by the Islamic Community of Kosova in recent years, is also distributing food packages among the poor during the holy month.

"We will distribute about 5000 thousand food packages for Ramadan and will do the same in `Eid," Fitim Flugaj, Barakah manager, told IOL in a recent interview.

Some international NGOs are also lending a helping hand to the people of Kosova including Saudi Joint Relief Committee, Qatar Charitable Organization and Kuwait's Islamic World Committee.