Hello my name Ileana Rita Cosentino. I am opening this campaign on behalf of my beloved friend Kholoud Alkahlout, a brilliant student in English Literature at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Their family is in dire needs. Together we can help them facing the inhuman conditions they are forced to live.
On Instagram: @khloud._kahlout
@ileanaritacosentino
Here below her words:
Hello, I’m Kholoud from Gaza - Palestine, and I’m reaching out to you in a moment of urgent need.My family and I are facing a life-threatening situation, and we desperately need your help. Please, take a moment to read our story. Your support through this campaign could be our lifeline — providing us not only with hope but also the chance for survival.
Every contribution, no matter how small, could make a world of difference. Thank you for considering us in this critical time.
Hello, world. My name is Kholoud, a 21-year-old from Gaza, and I can hardly find the words to express how my life has been turned upside down. I once lived a quiet, predictable life in a warm home with my mother and two sisters, studying English Literature at Al-Azhar University. But now, my university has been completely destroyed, and my education has come to an abrupt halt due to recent events. I was forced to leave my home and move to the south of the strip, where we now live in a plastic tent that isn't even big enough to hold our bags and belongings. Nothing can survive in it — not even the plants that need shelter to grow.
We’ve been trying to adapt to extremely difficult conditions, but the water crisis has become our worst nightmare. Every day, we carry just enough water by hand for a single day's use, only to repeat the ordeal the next day. Sometimes, the water is contaminated, which led to a fungal infection for my little nephew, as you can see in the picture. Even getting bread requires a long journey to a nearby bakery, baking it, and returning to our tent, which is in a desert-like area, far from all necessities of life — no internet, no markets, nothing to make life easier.
After losing our primary source of income — a small online clothing store — and facing a desperate need for money after hitting rock bottom, we decided last July to start a business making traditional Palestinian sweets. We hoped it would help us during these harsh times and difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, we had to stop due to the skyrocketing prices of raw materials and the lack of support for our humble project.
My greatest sorrow, and what hurt me the most during this war, was losing my beautiful cat, Jabal. I can’t imagine that he’s no longer here, as he was the closest thing to my heart. Not a day goes by without me looking at his pictures and videos, watching him play.
What drives me to consider starting a fundraising campaign is watching the light in my mother’s eyes dim and her joy turn into exhaustion and deep sorrow. My mother suffers from diabetes and has a respiratory condition, and I truly wish for her to regain some hope and for us to move to a safer place, away from the devastation and the severe lack of essential supplies that she desperately needs. Despite her suffering and the harshness that has filled our days, she has always been the helping hand that supported me during my battle with hepatitis, a disease that made me experience every form of pain. I am deeply grateful to God that I have come through that time.
This is my younger sister, who was in the final years of middle school but was unable to continue her education due to recent events. What worries me most about her is the thought of her being left without an education, especially since she has started to forget most of what happened before the war.
In an attempt to escape the boredom and sadness during our days of displacement, I would gather my brother’s children and try to teach them a little, allowing them to express themselves through innocent drawings — far away from the news and images that could traumatize them if they saw them.
I am truly grateful that you’ve taken the time to read my story, and I hope you will consider donating, even just a little. It could make a difference and perhaps bring some happiness to my mother’s heart and my small family. Please, share or donate.
Thank you,
Khloud