Online shopping VS Donate Online

I'm sure many of us are well aware of the fact that UN has officially declared two parts of Somalia to be in famine amid the worst drought in east Africa for 60 years.

** FAMINE is a drastic, wide-reaching food shortage.**


If you haven't heard of it, check out these collection of Brendan Bannon's (a photojournalist on assignment for Polaris Images) recent images from Dadaab refugee camp. There are 34 photos in this collection and each photo tell their own story.- image credit: Boston.com -

I just shared few photos from the collection, for other photos check it out at Boston.com.

A young Somali refugee boy and his terminally ill mother, Haretha Abdi at Dadaab refugee camp, near the border of Kenya and Somalia in the horn of Africa. (Brendan Bannon/Polaris Images)

2:Fresh graves in Dagahaley, part of the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp. Tens of thousands of Somali refugees have fled to Kenya. Many arrive in the refugee camp exhausted and malnourished after a perilous journey from drought and war torn Somalia. Hundreds have died in the camp as a consequence of malnutrition.

3: Somali refugees in Dagahaley refugee camp carry their sick and malnourished children to a new feeding center run by Doctors Without Borders on the outskirts of the sprawling refugee camp in Kenya.

4: Somali refugees wait in line at the reception center at Ifo camp. Refugees must first go to reception centers for health screening, immunization and finger printing. They will be given an appointment to be registered as refugees.

5: Somali refugees line up at the reception center in Dagahaley camp. After a long journey, often by foot through perilous territory with little food and water, refugees go through a registration process that includes medical screening and a 21-day ration of food. Thirteen hundred refugees arrive daily at the three camp complexes.

6: A refugee uses twigs and scraps of material to build a shelter for her family. There is no room for most new arrivals in the Dadaab camps, so the thousands of people who arrive every week must carve out a place for themselves in the surrounding desert. Doctors Without Borders estimates that by the end of 2011 there will be 500,000 people living in and around the camps, which were originally built to accommodate 90,000.

7: Fatuma Badel fled Buale, Somalia with 8 children after leaving her sick husband. "He became sick and I couldn't carry him. I don't know if he is alive or dead. This one, my youngest child was like a dead person when I arrived. Now I thank God I can hear him cry again." Badel has spent 3 days in the Doctors Without Borders hospital with her baby, Mohamud, who arrived severely malnourished.

8: A severely malnourished child in the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Dagahaley refugee camp. Malnutrition rates have skyrocketed in the camp since the crisis began earlier this year.

9: Daud Ali, a severely malnourished child at a Doctors Without Borders' therapeutic feeding center in Dagahaley camp.

10:UNHCR protection officer, Mehreen Afzal, expedites registration for Qatmo Lidow Hussien, a handicapped refugee frrom Hagar, Somalia who arrived at the reception center in a wheelbarrow with her family.

11:Asli Adow Ali is the two-year-old daughter of Adow Ali from Salagale, Somali. The family arrived in Ifo in early July and Asli was admitted 27 days later. She is severely malnourished and receiving therapeutic feeding at the GIZ run hospital in Ifo camp.

12:Mariam Mohamud, 30, gave birth to a baby girl during the night. Mariam wrapped her child in a red cloth and holds her at a health-screening center run by Doctors Without Borders in Dagahaley refugee camp.

13: A Somali refugee woman cradles her baby after dousing her elder daughter with water to keep cool under the sweltering sun.

14: A father cradles his severely malnourished child on a bus provided by UNHCR and IOM to move a group of stranded and vulnerable refugees from Hamey, Kenya. Most refugees make the journey from the border to the camps by foot at great peril. The roads are lined with bandits and many women report being raped during the trek.

15: Refugees wait at a reception center immediately after arriving from Somalia. The registration process, which is key for refugees to get a regular, predictable and adequate supply of food, has become backlogged forcing many to wait two months to be formally recognized.

16: Malaboy, 26, cradles her severely malnourished baby, Mahad, 2. The family arrived in June after fleeing drought and war in Baidabo, Bay region, Somalia. The journey took them 20 days. During their journey, they were set upon by bandits who beat the adults. Mahad was later admitted to a therapeutic feeding center.

17: UNHCR prepares tents for refugee families that will be transferred from self-settled areas around Ifo camp to a more formally organized settlement in Ifo extension where there is better access to water, sanitation and security.

18: A Somali girl collects water for her family in the desert at the edge of Ifo camp. These settlements are unlit and lack security. The duty of fetching water culturally falls to girls. They are at risk of being attacked and raped.

19: Somali refugees dig the grave of Ibrahim Issack, a six-year-old child who died of complications of severe malnutrition a month after arriving in the camp, according to his uncle Hassan Issack. "We fled Buaale and traveled for 21 days by foot. It was very tiresome. we walked through drought with no food and little water. Along the way we were robbed and women were raped."

If you are a human being, I'm sure you'll shed tears while viewing those photos.


While we were thinking of what type of food to buy at Pasar Ramadhan this evening, there are thousands of people who suffers for food shortage.


While we were busy planning on what color should we wear for this Eid, there are thousands of people who doesnt even have a clothes to wear on them.


While we were complaining about the taste of cendol that we bought is not so good, there are thousands of people who doesn't even have easy access on clean water source to drink for.


While we were eating even with full stomach at overpriced Buffet Ramadhan at 5 star hotels, there are thousands of people who haven't been eating for 3 days.


If we can afford to buy anything from online shopping; thus we can also afford to donate to them online. Your donation today can save these children’s lives.


MHI (Malaysia Hari Ini, TV3) and all 9 radios under AMP channel have announced one of the option for us to donate to these unfortunate people in Somalia. For those in Malaysia, you can donate through Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM).

You can find other details at IRM's FB page and IRM's official website.

“Due to the increasing severity of the situation, Islamic Relief, as part of the DEC and around the world through its Partner Offices, joined in an emergency appeal for East Africa. Further donor support is urgently needed to meet the increasing humanitarian needs emerging from the effects of prolonged drought and escalating fighting.” Said Yasmin Hussein, IRW Communications Director.

Donors are now able to donate online --> CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE
We also require you to key in your Address in the “REMARK” space.

You can also bank-in your donations to our Maybank (5621 4270 8704) or CIMB account (1259 0000 804 058), and fax to us the bank-in receipts to our fax number (03-8948 7339) or e-mail the receipt to info@irmblog.org

Please specify on the receipt which appeal you would like to donate to (e.g: Somalia Crisis Relief). For a more detailed explanation, call us on +60 (0)3 8948 6334.

While for my friend in Japan especially in Fukuoka, you can donate to them through Fukuoka Masjid donation box. Fukuoka masjid is very pleased to announce about collecting and distributing (fasting Charity i.e Zakat el Fitr) this year at the rate of 1500 Yen/person. Also, Fukuoka Masjid are very happy to accept (Money Charity i.e. Zakat El Mal).

All donations will be directed to Muslims in Somalia after covering needy cases of Muslims in Japan. *refer: Egypt's Mufti calls to direct zakat money to Somalia *

for postal account transfer of Charity (fasting and/or Money)

please, consult & Confirm with Br Nakamora +81-(0)80-3428-1661

If we think our problems are big, think carefully about these people in Somalia. Then, you'll realize that our problems are so tiny compared to their problem. May Allah help them to face this horrible condition and may Allah guide us to be a better Muslim that can give benefit to other Muslims; Insya Allah.


Psssssttt : Ucapan syukur bila dapat bonus raya sepatutnya bukan sekadar di bibir "Syukur, Alhamdulillah"; tetapi juga harus di zahirkan dalam bentuk perbuatan. Menysukuri nikmat itu dengan cara berkongsi 'kelebihan' yang kita ada dengan 'kekurangan' yang sedang orang lain lalui.

Pssssttt lagi : bila tengok gambar-gambar ini , terus rasa bersalah membuak-buak nak membazir makanan yang kita ada.

~ Thanks for reading this (^-*) ~