Safura’s Eid: A Celebration After Two Decades
Project: Bangladesh Qurbani Programme 2025
Implemented by: Eco Social Development Organization (ESDO)
Location: Ward 2, West Para, Ashashuni Sadar Union, Assasuni, Satkhira,
Financially Assisted by: Muslim Aid UK – Bangladesh Country Office and Muslim Aid Sweden.
For nearly twenty years, Eid-ul-Adha was just another day of survival for Safura Khatun—a day when the scent of meat from other homes would only intensify the quiet struggles of her own. But in 2025, something changed.
Safura Khatun, a 48-year-old woman, lives in a dilapidated one-room hut in Ashashuni Sadar Union with her 83-year-old bedridden husband, their 19-year-old divorced daughter Jesmin, and four-year-old granddaughter Sanjana. Her husband, Abul Kashem Gazi, has been confined to bed for the past 15 years due to age-related illness and has lost his vision entirely over the last year. With no income and limited support, Safura has had no choice but to become the pillar of the household—working hard just to provide two meals a day for her family.
Jesmin, once working alongside her mother in others’ homes, had to stop when her father’s condition worsened. Now, she stays home to take care of her father and child while Safura continues her daily struggle alone. Occasionally, the family receives some assistance from local authorities or organizations, but nothing consistent or enough.
A few days before Eid-ul-Adha 2025, hope knocked on their door. A field worker from ESDO, a local partner of Muslim Aid UK, came to Safura’s home to collect data for the Qurbani Project. Safura learned that if her family was selected, they would receive meat on Eid day—perhaps for the first time in a significant quantity.
Her heart filled with hope, though doubt lingered. In the past, she had only received 700 to 800 grams of meat from neighbors during Eid. But this time, she was promised four kilograms.
On the day before Eid, Safura received a token from the project. “Will it really happen?” she kept asking herself. The next day, around midday, a package she received. Four kilograms of Qurbani meat.
Tears welled up in her eyes—not from sorrow, but from joy. For the first time in decades, she prepared a festive meal. The whole family sat together, eating meat to their hearts’ content. Not just her immediate family—Safura even invited her eldest daughter and son-in-law to share in the celebration. Laughter echoed through the tiny home, replacing years of silence and struggle with a rare sense of festivity and togetherness.
“This was the most joyful Eid I can remember since marrying into this household,” said Safura. “It feels like a blessing we never thought we’d receive. We are truly grateful.”
“We are deeply thankful to Muslim Aid UK – Bangladesh and ESDO for giving our family such a precious Eid gift.”
— Safura Khatun, Beneficiary
Reflections
Safura’s story is a moving reminder that even small interventions can have a profound impact. The Qurbani Project 2025 by Muslim Aid UK and ESDO did not just distribute meat—it restored dignity, ignited joy, and brought a family back into the spirit of Eid. For families like Safura’s, this wasn’t just a meal. It was a moment of humanity, care, and belonging.
