The Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque is midway along the Lea Bridge Road and is very much the centre of the local community. The Brothers Project operates out the mosque and has been providing hot meals to the most vulnerable during Ramadan since 2020. Everyone involved is a volunteer, there is no hierarchy and it’s completely funded by public donations. The project has grown from producing about 100 packs of food to 2,000 packs every day during Ramadan 2025. Food and water is purchased before dawn, it’s then taken to a store room in the mosque. Chef Waseem arrives and starts to cook the hot food. Other volunteer team members arrive and the hot food is put into cartons, fruit is cut up and drinks and a sweet dish are all bagged up to make up a food parcel. Volunteer drivers take some food parcels to locals who are too infirm to make it to the mosque. Hundreds of parcels are handed out for free outside the mosque on Lea Bridge Road at 17.15. While this is happening, other volunteers are preparing the mosque for Iftar, the breaking of the fast, where more hot food is served up. Once all this has been cleared up the volunteers pray and then feed themselves. They then do it all again the following day.  If you click on the first picture you will meet Ishtiaq Hussain and Yasar Ali. They are the face of my second in depth story for my ongoing documentary about the Lea Bridge Road and will explain in more detail their work with The Brothers Project.

Volunteer chef for The Brothers Project Waseem Ahmad mixes up the ingredients as he prepares food to be used as donations in the kitchen of the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque.

The store room in Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque that is used by The Brothers Project.

Chef Waseem Ahmad adds oil as he cooks savoury rice dishes.

 
Raza Rasib washes the pots and pans in the kitchen after helping prepare food and package donations.
Volunteers Raza Rasib and Imran Malik carry a steaming pot of hot savoury rice from the kitchen burners to be served out into cartons.

Rice is quickly served into cartons by Faraz Mirza and others to keep it hot as they prepare food packages.
 
Zubair and Haji Ashraf bag up food parcels that will be hand delivered to those unable to get to the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque as they are too infirm.

Hadi stacks a final box of food to the stock that will be handed out as free food parcels for those in need outside the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque on Lea Bridge Road as part of their Ramadan community work.

Volunteer driver Naveed from Brothers Project carries boxed up food parcels to his car from the side entrance of the Jamia Masjid Mosque as he prepares to deliver food to people who are unable to come to the mosque to collect food donations.

People queue outside the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque for free food that is handed out by The Brothers Project during Ramadan on Lea Bridge Road.
Faraz Mirza restocks supplies of food parcels outside the Jamia Masjid Mosque on Lea Bridge Road.
 
 
Waltham Forest Councillor Shabana Dhedhi visits The Brothers Project as they hand out food.

Volunteers laugh and joke as they cut fruit while preparing food for Iftar during Ramadan in the kitchen of the Jamia Masjid Mosque.
 

Yashin shares out fruit on platters at the Jamia Masjid Mosque as they prepare food for Iftar.

Paper that is used for meal places is unrolled onto plastic sheeting to protect the carpet inside the mosque.

A volunteer chats on his phone as he waits for people to start to arrive inside the Jamia Masjid Mosque to share Iftar during Ramadan.

Volunteers for the Brothers Project pray at the Jamia Masjid Mosque after they had prepared food for Iftar.

A worshipper washes before prayer and Iftar.

Worshippers perform the Maghrib prayer before breaking fast for Iftar with food provided by The Brothers Project in Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque.

Nabeel carries dishes of savoury rice as he serves food to people in Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque for Iftar.

Maj Ahmed points to give direction to ensure that food is quickly distributed for Iftar.

Farhan offers a rice dish as food is served for Iftar in the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque.

Worshippers enjoy Iftar after breaking their fast with food provided by The Brothers Project.
 
Faraz Mirza clears up the food and dirty dishes after Iftar.

Volunteers from The Brothers Project sweep and clean the plastic floor covering and pack up tables after Iftar in the Jamia Masjid Ghousia Mosque.

Volunteers from The Brothers Project pray before finally breaking their fast after they had prepared and served up free food for Iftar. Behind them another volunteer continues to clear up.

Imam Bilal Hassan, who had lead the prayers, chats with volunteers from The Brothers Project in the kitchen area as he and other mosque elders join the team for Iftar after prayers.

Volunteers from The Brothers Project finally get to eat after providing food for as many as 2000 people that evening. They invited me to join them, the food was fantastic and very filling.

Volunteers from The Brothers Project pose for a picture Jamia Masjid Mosque on Lea Bridge Road after providing free food for hundreds of people.

The funding for The Brothers Project is made up almost entirely of donations. If you’d like to help to make a donation you can scan this QR code or go to their Go Fund Me page.
 
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