Muslim Sisters of Ireland

Translator: Hanne Türkmen
Livıng conditions for the homeless have been getting worse and worse as the weather gets colder each day. The homelessness rate has been rising over the years, the number of homeless people in Ireland, in particular, reached 8.000 last year. A volunteering group of women named Muslim Sisters of Eire gathered to provide the homeless with their essential needs, especially those who are trying to survive under difficult conditions around the Christmas season.
Muslim Sisters of Eire
Muslim Sisters of Eire is a charity organization that was founded in 2010 by Irish Muslim volunteers. The founder of the organization, Lorraine O’Connor, states that they aim to provide support for the families and women in need and to stand against racism and Islamophobia.

Volunteers delivered the homeless so-called “Bags for Life” on Christmas Eve in Dublin. Those bags included a sleeping bag, hats, gloves, socks, and essential hygiene products. One of the members talked about her happiness about providing the bags as she states, “We’re supplying some relief and happiness at Christmas.”
Michael Collins, who collects and distributes the donations for the group with her personal car, says she looks forward to going to the city for charity: “When I first went there, I saw how people would get happy with such little things. I realized how important these charity works actually were.”
Muslim Sisters of Eire have been providing hot meals for people in need every Friday evening for the past 5 years. Their decision to follow this initiative was based on the great emphasis in Islam about taking care of one’s neighbors. Since the number of homeless people increased with the outbreak of COVID-19, volunteers are serving different meals from different cuisines to serve them and warm their hearts, as well as leave them with a smile on their faces.
This article was originally written in Turkish. Click to read it! İrlandalı Müslüman Kız Kardeşler