For three years now, Dr Ijaaba (Ijay) Ahmed 25, a medical doctor graduate, has fed needy families during the month of Ramadhan. This is something she started when she was still a student.
Growing up, she always wanted to be a doctor. And as a teenager, she travelled across continents, faced racism and Islamophobia, fought gender discrimination and learned a new language (Mandarin) to become who she is today.
“My parents felt that studying medicine in China was cheaper than in Kenya and they also wanted me to widen my global perspective. So at 17, I packed my bags and left,” she recalls.
The idea to feed the needy came to her in 2019 after she returned home from medical school in China. In her final year of study, she was allowed to go anywhere in the world for her elective and she chose to return home.
She worked at Kenyatta National Hospital for a year. Her first rotation was in obstetrics and gynaecology. Here, she was shocked and heartbroken seeing some women sleeping on floors while others ate leftovers from other patients.
At that point, she realized that in her small way she had to give back to society. The period coinciding with Ramadhan gave her the extra push to start Joined as One Relief, a charity-based organisation.
Paediatric unit
She mobilised two of her female friends who were also medical students working at Kenyatta National Hospital, and they started raising funds for the paediatric unit where parents accompanying their children were not fed by hospital because they were not patients. They bought powdered milk, dates and water to ensure the parents had food to break the fast.
In January 2020, she officially registered the organisation and since then, the group has grown to incorporate both women and men although it still majority women-led. It is now comprised of 30 volunteers and 10 members.
They then launched Feed a Family Project, which aimed at feeding 100 less fortunate families in Kibra, Kitengela, Eastleigh and Lunga Lunga in the month of Ramadhan.
In their first year, they fed 201 families. Last year, they reached 283 families and this year, they targeted 500 but managed to feed 241.
Fasting
“When I look back, I am amazed at how far we have come. In 2019, we only fed 11 families and we were overwhelmed. We did not know where to get the food packages from, and now three years on, we are able to feed over 200 families with a budget of not less than Sh1 million, each Ramadhan,” she says beaming.
“This food programme is not a permanent solution, but at least it is a reprieve for the one month when my fellow Muslims are fasting.”
They give a list to their retailer during the week, on Saturday they meet to package and ensure everything is ready before distribution on Sunday. After Ramadhan, on Eid every year for the last two years, they have been visiting orphanages and spending the day with them.
“We give them lunch and toys and books and stationery and other gift bags, “she says.
Dr Ijaaba distributing Eid ul Fitr food packages to needy children at Madrasa Nur, in Kibra, Nairobi on May 3, 2022.
As more young people, with different specialisations joined the group, they expanded their operations from just being healthcare based.
“We felt the need to expand our niche because we were now more diverse. We had lawyers, teachers, psychologists and accountants join the team. Now we cover healthcare, sustainability and empowerment,” she says.
Since 2020, the group has been running sanitary pad drives in Kibra slums in Nairobi, giving back to women who cannot afford them.
“We decided to intervene after media reports showed how women in slum areas were selling their bodies or using pieces of mattresses for sanitary towels. We also hold seminars about menstrual hygiene, contraceptives and sexual health because these are taboo topics but are realities they face every day,” she says.
While on the ground she also realised that the women have no access to maternal health information. These women, she says, are in the dark about initiatives that can help them.
Linda Mama
“Last year, we were fortunate enough to talk to them about Linda Mama Initiative, which offers free maternal health to women. We visited National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), got information on the initiative, and guided the women on what they require to register, which hospitals and what services are offered under Linda Mama,” she notes.
Yasin Idris, who works with Dr Ijaaba at lower Kabete Mosque in Nairobi, where they distributed Ramadhan packages to needy families in the area on April 10, 2022.
Following Covid-19 pandemic, the team realised that many young people were experiencing anxiety and depression and had no support systems or the finances to get treatment. They collaborated with an organisation called Akili Unchained, which offered free services.
The initiative was spearheaded by one of the team members who is due to complete her Masters in psychology.
“Therapy in this country is still very expensive in private healthcare facilities at an average of Sh2,500 per visit. We signed up 90 people, which shows you that it is indeed a problem,” she says.
So far, they have conducted two mental health webinars and one in-person event.
People with disability
For the past two years, they have also partnered with other organisations to provide walking canes for visually impaired persons.
Despite the successes, Dr Ijaaba and her team face a number of challenges every day. Their organisation depends on crowdfunding and word of mouth to raise the money. She recalls how she was thrown out of her comfort zone when she first went door to door asking money from her neighbours.
“We also utilize social media platforms, Instagram and Twitter being our major social media platforms,” says Dr Ijaaba. “I wish we had a proper stream of funding, we have the ideas, the manpower but not enough money.”
She says the projects are becoming too expensive to run owing to the rising cost of living. A package for a family now cost a little over Sh800, which falls back on the donor.
“Previously, it would cost us Sh5,000 now it’s about Sh5,800 for each family. We’ve been especially struggling with the price of oil. Every other weekend at the supermarket, the price increases and they only allow three pieces a customer,” she adds.
Dr Ijaaba says her age has been one of the biggest hurdles that she has had to overcome.
“Believe it or not, a lot of people stigmatise me for being young. They believe that if you’re young you’re slightly careless and they are reluctant to give us funding even though we have already done so much,” she says.
Whenever people contribute, they tend to forget the about transportation costs which hinders the team’s penetration outside the capital city.
“We would really like to venture to other areas but I also would not want to spend Sh50,000 on transport outside Nairobi, money that can feed 10 families. This year, however, someone offered transport to North Eastern and we were able to send food packages to Garissa and to refugee camps in Daadab.
Cultural barriers
She says that even in 2022, people still don’t trust women as much as men which forces her to work twice as hard to prove herself. Moreover, being a Somali woman, she adds culture at times limits certain male to female interactions.
“It’s hard for me sometimes to go and sit in front of a board of seven men alone because of the gender aspect, and I have to tag along some male when pitching to major companies.”
Lack of a regular stream of funding has forced the team members to do other jobs on the side, which limits their efficiency. Since it’s non-profit, all members currently juggle their day jobs and the organisation thereby only giving their weekends or free-time.
Dr Ijaaba is also a fulltime content creator who runs a food blog on Instagram Dropsofcaramel with about 14,000 followers and which was nominated for Pulse Awards last year. On a typical day, she wakes up, shoots content for the blog or for the organisation, and reaches out to various brands for partnerships.
“I started food blogging when I was in China. I was fascinated by the food culture and began to document. But then it really took off when Covid-19 hit and it became a huge thing. I started making recipes and I was partnering with restaurants and brands. It is really good,” she says.
As she waits for her medical internship placement by the medical governing council, which she says has now taken more than five months, Dr Ijaaba’s full focus is on Joined as One Relief. After three years of operation, she hopes to register it as an NGO, which can pay salaries.
Through the organisation, she wants to focus on creating affordable healthcare solutions and reducing preventable deaths.
“I would like to tackle healthcare projects like being able to restore sight to people with cataracts. I also want to offer free maternal camps for women in refugee camps and these small towns in the Eastern and Rift Valley, where healthcare is only heard of, not seen,” she says.
“Overall, being a black woman, I feel like every day is a battle to redeem myself, to prove that I belong and to fight micro-aggressions. So, I truly feel that every achievement is just that much sweeter, you know, when you achieve your goals, despite all the barriers,” Dr Ijaaba concludes. BY DAILY NATION