Egyptians are trying to adhere to the traditions of the month of Ramadan in terms of solidarity with the needy and providing donations and breakfast meals to those who are fasting, despite the difficult economic conditions.

"Last year (during Ramadan), we fed 360 people a day... This year, I'm not sure it will even reach 200," an official in the popular neighborhood of Marj, northeast of Cairo, told AFP.

The official, who asked not to be named due to the privacy of the matter, added, "The way people order food was different this year... For them, it is the only opportunity to eat chicken or meat," referring to the significant rise in the prices of such items.

Since late last year, Egypt has been witnessing a crisis in poultry production due to the high cost of feed, which has caused an increase in the price of chicken until it is less served on the Egyptians’ tables, especially those below the poverty line, who make up about 30% of the 105 million population.

And the purchases of Egyptian households declined under the pressure of high inflation, which recorded about 33% in February, at a time when the Egyptians sought to get supplies before the month of fasting.

The Egyptian economy suffers from the repercussions of years of political crises, security tremors and violence, followed by the Covid pandemic, and today from the effects of the Ukrainian war, as Russia and Ukraine are the main countries from which Egypt used to import wheat, and they were also a major source for tourists visiting the country of the Nile.

The Ramadan habit of distributing food in packages or bags containing dry food products or fresh breakfast meals has become a haven for many families to escape hunger and high prices.

"Egyptians are very committed to paying zakat, whether they are Muslims or Copts," says Manal Saleh, CEO of the Egyptian Clothing Bank, one of the founders of the Egyptian Food Bank.

According to government media, Egyptians donated about five billion pounds (about $315 million at the time) to charities in the ten months of 2021. "90% of it is zakat, which is paid during the month of Ramadan," Saleh says.

The current economic crisis is not unique to philanthropists. "We went through crises before... There was also solidarity and steadfastness, and people sympathized with each other," Saleh explains.

And she continues, "Even if the donations from individuals are few, we find, for example, those who volunteer to cook and feed those around them."

Even before Ramadan, charities - on which tens of millions of Egyptians depend - sounded the alarm that the number of people in need of aid will increase at a time when the volume of donations is decreasing.

During the month of Ramadan, the charitable "tables of the Most Gracious", which aims to feed the poor and passers-by, have always been at the forefront of the streets of Egyptian cities at sunset.

Many of these banquets are organized by philanthropists, such as Fouad, a 64-year-old retired engineer who uses a pseudonym because his initiative is not within the framework of registered charities in the country.

Fouad and a group of his friends were forced this year to double their budget to provide breakfast for more fasting people.

He told AFP that, in addition to those without income, "there is a second class of people whose conditions have declined, but they are ashamed to say it."

Throughout Ramadan, Fouad's kitchen and his friends provide fresh meals to families in difficulty, as well as to workers in the surrounding shops who can no longer afford a hot meal, "which may cost them 60 or 70 pounds [two dollars], which is what their homes need."

According to the latest official data for the year 2021, the average monthly salary in Egypt was 4,000 Egyptian pounds (approximately $129).

With the high rate of inflation and the local currency losing more than half of its value against the US dollar, the price per kilogram of the lowest-priced types of fresh meat offered by the Egyptian army in the market doubled, reaching 220 pounds, which is equivalent to more than 18% of the value of the average monthly wage for Egyptians.

And with many families squeezing their expenses, charitable budgets were at the forefront of the cuts.

"Two weeks ago, I was frustrated when I realized we might not be able to collect the usual amount," Fouad says.

And he continues, "But whoever was able increased the value of his donations.. There is good in people, and they know the extent of the need of some people now and do not want to cut off this (Ramadan) habit."