Mother-of-five Bilkiz Daudova, 46, lives in a temporary accommodation centre in Grozny, which is home to families who lost their homes in the war that began in 1999.
“I live with my husband and five children in two rooms. We have been living here for about five years. The toilet is outside of the building and there is no water tap inside.
“It’s very difficult to find a job in Grozny, so all families living here have a food shortage,” Bilkiz explained, when we spoke with her last year. “I don’t have a job. My husband, Bibulat, works as a builder, but his employers did not pay his wage. My son Adam is a taxi driver. All the money he earns we spend on food. My mother helps us with food, even though she is a pensioner.
“We try to save money and live a simple life. I bake bread to save money. It is very difficult to bring up children. Three of my children are students, so I need a lot of money for school things. Now, with the approach of winter, my main problem is their winter clothes. I don’t know where I can find money for it.”
In 2012, Islamic Relief distributed over 7,800 Qurbani parcels in the Chechen Republic. Bilkiz received two parcels, each containing three kilos of frozen beef.
“Qurbani is a time of worship and we try to do more good deeds than usual, try to be kinder with people. This year we didn’t celebrate Eid, because this building is being repaired. We just cooked some Qurbani meat for our family and because we eat meat very seldom, it was like a festival for my children.”