Over the past week Islander Tracy Mikich has been taking part in the Ration Challenge. For one week, she ate food rations, in almost exactly the same quantities, as Syrian refugees in Jordan.
The challenge aims to raise money and awareness for those who have been displaced and are living on a minuscule amount of food each week.
Tracy said,
“It sometimes feels that you daily bear witness to hardships, atrocities, and despair without being able to do anything about it. When you want the world to be a better place that can be hard to reconcile. The Ration Challenge is a small way I can express my solidarity with Syrian refugees – a shared experience – and ensures that supplies and essential support continue.”
The weekly rations
The suggested rations for the week were:
- 1.92kg of rice
- 400g flour
- 170g lentils
- 85g dried chickpeas
- 120g tinned sardines (or alternative for vegan/vegetarians)
- 400g tinned kidney beans
- 300ml of vegetable oil
“I can switch on and off, the situation for refugees remains desperate”
Tracy keep a daily diary of what she was eating (see each day on her profile) and how she felt each day. As she reached the end of the challenge she said,
“Whilst this is in no way truly comparable with real refugees it has raised a multitude of feelings within me, in many ways transformed my thinking.
“On day 1-2 it was novel and about adapting, by day 3-4 the boredom and low mood crept in, during day 5-6 I experienced genuine concern about whether my rations would last, and today, well it feels good to know that my diet will be back to normal tomorrow, but I can’t quite put my finger on it, there’s also a little sadness – maybe because while I can switch on and off, the situation for refugees remains desperate often involving loss of a loved one as well as home.“
Show your support
Tracy was successful in the challenge and so far has managed to raise a whopping £1,027.62. If you are able to, you can help increase this amount by making a donation.
- £25 donation will fund a visit to a medical centre for two refugees enabling life-saving treatment
- £39 will fund food for three months for a refugee
- £81 can provide a two week training course for a Syrian woman, giving her the skills and knowledge to start her own business
- £157 will provide food rations for one refugee for a year
