The month of Ramadan had passed a few moments ago, the month when everyone is competing to do good, even for the smallest things. Ramadan is the month when everyone helps and shares with each other. What a beautiful month, isn't it? We might incredibly miss this month later. EDSA UNAIR, which stands for English Department Student Association, Universitas Airlangga, is also included in this excitement of sharing love and kindness during Ramadan.
Yes, there is one annual program that EDSA always pays attention to, namely RICE or, more precisely, Ramadan in Charity with EDSA. This program is routinely held every month of Ramadan to share goodness. Usually, the committee of EDSA will make open donations so that internal EDSA and people out there who want to share can participate in this program.
This year's RICE feels a little different from previous years. In recent years, RICE has been held in one specific place, such as an orphanage or a residential area for people experiencing poverty. But this year, the EDSA committee chose to go straight into the streets of Surabaya and directly look for people in need. With the theme "A meal for a smile," this year's RICE aims to share kindness through sharing food with those in need. BPH EDSA, as the event committee, not only designed this program but also became an extension of everyone who wanted to participate by making an open donation in the form of money, which would later be converted to food to be distributed to those in need. Through this program, we can see smiles from 'them' even when we only give a little of what we have. It is also their smiles that make us, the committee, and the donors smile too.
RICE this year has two series of events: suhoor on the road and an agenda for sharing snacks, or sometimes we call it takjil for breaking the fast. The first one is Sahoor on the Road (SOTR), held for two days on April 8 and 9, 2023, by sharing food with those in need. Suhoor on the Road was held at four different points; Ngagel, Gubeng, Jojoran, and Srikana, targeting people experiencing homelessness, pedicab drivers, and others in need on the streets. On the other hand, takjil was shared in the afternoon before the time of breaking fast on April 15 and 16, 2023, by targeting motorists and others in need around Kertajaya and Mulyorejo.
As one of the committees who participated in this year's RICE, the author herself, even though she did not perform Ramadan, felt delighted because she could help, share, and spread goodness with other friends. It was very encouraging to see the people who received our service smiling even when the help they received was not much, just a box of meals. That may be why this year, RICE's theme was “A Meal for A Smile”; it suits.
Doing good should be done at any time and anywhere, but when we have opportunities to do it more in Ramadan, why don't we? And, of course, RICE by EDSA will not stop this year because this event will continue to share love and kindness with everyone every year. Therefore, remember to look forward to the RICE agenda next year. See you at the next RICE!
P.S.: Here’s a little documentation of RICE 2023
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| Sharing Suhoor food on the road of Ngagel, Gubeng, Jojoran, and Srikana, Surabaya. |
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| Sharing Takjil around Kertajaya and Mulyorejo |
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