Team spotlight: Rumana’s Ramadan Reflections Part 2

Rumana Ranguni, Skills City Talent Manager, recently shared her experience of Ramadan and what it’s like to be a woman working in the tech sector.

Celebrating Ramadan

Rumana is hugely proud to be part of a team that will be supporting the children’s cancer research charity Kidscan, with a sponsored fast and a charity Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan on 26 April.

She said: “The Iftar event is something I never would have imagined happening in my workplace. There is a lot of stigma around fasting where many people think we solely starve ourselves. In fact, around 95% of Muslims look forward to this month so much as we find a peace within us that we never imagined we would have throughout the other 11 months.

“Me and my friends always get excited when Ramadan comes around. We host Iftar events at each other’s houses and we make a conscious intention to become better people. I am grateful at the opportunity to share my knowledge of Ramadan to people from different faiths.”

Islam has five main pillars that Muslims act upon, including prayer, fasting during Ramadan and giving back to charity. Traditionally, Muslims often give 2.5% of their earnings back to the community.

Rumana explained that even if you don't fast and you contribute towards providing the food or supporting someone who is fasting, then you still get the reward of fasting according to Islam. If you are unable to fast because of health or medical reasons, then you can also give to charity instead.

Nurturing skills and talent

Skills City’s Skills Bootcamps are set to transform talent diversity in the North West by increasing access for people from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly women, to career starts in the tech industry.

Rumana said: “You can tell how diverse we are as a company because of what we do with the programmes that we run, the people that we hire, and everything else we do. On our bootcamps, 43% are women and 51% are from a BAME background because of the range of opportunities we offer.

“I feel like the work that I'm doing here is extremely valuable and I can see the impact it has made on others. I spoke to someone who recently took part in our bootcamps and had been unemployed for some time. He's 35 years old and has now successfully secured a £95k job in tech. He’s done brilliantly well, and I hope his story can inspire others to follow their dreams and ambitions.”

The meaning of Iftar

At the time of breaking fast, families and communities come together for ‘Iftar,’ the evening meal when the fast is broken with delicious and plentiful dishes.

People normally break their fast with a date or water because it's more nutritionally beneficial and then they follow this with dinner. However, the occasion is not all about food.

Rumana explained: “It's literally about sitting together and working together. I love that the most and a lot of people don’t know that. The main thing is not being alone and sharing that special time together with family and friends.”

Join Rumana and the team for HOST Social Giving’s Iftar Charity Dinner supporting Kidscan children’s cancer research. The event is open to everyone to attend on Tuesday 26 April, 7.30pm, at HOST Social. Tickets are free and you can register here.