Hi I'm Shadiya I'm British Palestinian and was recently introduced to Aboud by our mutual friend and comrade Brenda. Aboud is also Palestinian & studying his masters here in the North East and he has a sister Dr Duaa, still in Gaza. Dr Duaa is an obstetrician-gynaecologist who worked at Al-Shifa Hospital before its destruction & her home was also destroyed. She has lost everything except her family due to the ongoing genocide & has been displaced with her husband & 3 young children, Mera 6, Yosef 4 and Tala only 6 months old! Life is becoming increasingly difficult for them as it is for all Palestinians trapped in Gaza at the moment and they are doing their best to try & survive the most cruel and harsh of conditions.
We have constantly been feeling helpless & heartbroken about the horrific situation in Gaza, & so we decided to try and raise funds for Duaa and her family as they try to survive this horrific genocide. Originally we signed up to do a zipwire across the Tyne to raise money (hence the name of this page) however this was unfortunately cancelled due to technical difficulties from the zipwire company (Jellylegs.)
Unable to find anything similar we have instead decided to get together a few dear friends, comrades and fellow Palestinians and challenge ourselves to do Stand Up Paddleboarding in the North Sea! This will take place on Sunday 1st September at 10am at Longsands Beach, Tynemouth.
Most of us are completely inexperienced, and in the case of myself zero balance and minimal water skills, so it should be a challenge indeed and I'm certain we'll spend more time under the water than on the board! We will also be having a short vigil to honour the lives of the thousands lost and to read some words and testimonies from Dr Duaa and others in Gaza.
We would be extremely grateful for any donation to our fundraiser, no matter how small. Monies raised will be sent to Duaa and her family to help assist with costs of evacuating once the Rafah crossing reopens and to help with basic living costs in the mean time which is becoming harder by the day. We would be so grateful for any support on the day too if you'd like to come along and cheer us on it would be hugely appreciated 😊
