We are fundraising to urgently directly support people’s survival in Gaza by distributing essential items like clean water, nappies/diapers, formula milk and blankets to people in need in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, where many thousands of people have been expelled from their homes and are living in tents. The tents cannot withstand high winds and the rain often soaks the people and their possessions. Babies, sick people, the elderly, are all living in these conditions. Essential items are expensive and many families cannot find or afford nappies/diapers for their babies, infant formula and food. Al Mawasi has been bombed several times by the Israeli military, despite it being designated a ‘safe zone’. Time is sensitive as these needs are urgent.
The funds we raise will buy essential supplies and will be distributed by Mrs Najah, Executive Director of The Women’s Program Centre – Rafah (WPC-R), who has provided aid for hundreds of families during the war to ease their hardship in partnership with multiple NGOs locally and internationally.
WPC-R preparing 500 food parcels to be distributed to families during the war
Who we are:
Eleanor Schling: In 2002 I spent a month in Rafah while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement. On this visit I witnessed the daily terror inflicted on people in Gaza by the Israeli military, who were then demolishing a swathe of Rafah along the border with Egypt. I stayed with the Nasrallah family who generously hosted me in their home, which was threatened with demolition. A few months after I left another ISM activist, Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer that had come to demolish the Nasrallah family's home.
Kareem Nasrallah: When I stayed with Kareem's family he was twelve years old. As an adult he has dedicated himself to community work in Gaza. From 2015 he managed the Rachel Corrie Football Tournament, an annual event held in Rachel Corrie's memory. He has also worked on a number of projects distributing food and necessities to people in need in Rafah. From the beginning of the war he helped to distribute food parcels to people in need. One of the things he did during the war was to buy children sweets, which were too expensive for families to afford, to give them some joy in the midst of the bombing and fear. Thankfully he and his immediate family have been able to get to Egypt but have many friends and family members left behind in Gaza, including Mrs Najah, his mother-in-law.
Kareem delivering blankets to families in need.
What we will buy
The money we raise will be spent on:
- Clean water
- Warm clothes for children
- Tents and plastic covers for rain protection
- Baby and adult diapers / nappies
- Food items (canned food or vegetables)
- Blankets
- Shampoo
- Baby formula
This fundraiser is collecting funds in British pounds as that is where Ellie Schling is based. You should still be able to donate internationally. If you want to donate dollars the exchange rate is around 1 British Pound to 1.3 US dollars.
£10 = $13.
£25 = $32,
£40 = $51.