Hi everyone,
It's been a while since I fundraised for Travel With Purpose. As many of you know, this passion project started 10 years ago when I did a campaign to help young girls survivors of sex trafficking in the Philippines and Cambodia. Today, I'm coming to you to ask for your help on an issue that's deeply personal to me. My maternal grandparents fled Palestine in 1948 due to the war and took refuge in Colombia. They survived the first Nakba (the Catastrophe) but were forever displaced...they were never able to go back to Bethlehem where for generations upon generations they lived, loved and thrived.
We have been utterly devastated the last several months as we continuously watch a genocide being carried out right in front of us, with our tax dollars. I have been protesting, boycotting and working diligently to find ways to do more for our people in Gaza...so here I am.
Through my NGO, Travel With Purpose, we will be doing a campaign for displaced Palestinian children in Egypt through the Healing Arts Camp which focuses on aiding children to express themselves through various artistic and recreational activities. We will be traveling to Egypt in October to distribute the funds and/or aid.
The second initiative is being spearheaded by my partner Yasmeen Al-Shawwa. Her family is from Gaza and currently on the ground. Their NGO is called the Shawwa Education Fund (read more
here ). The Gaza Clean Water Emergency Initiative focuses on providing immediate and desperately needed clean drinking water to thousands of families in Gaza. They're currently on the ground in Rafah and in partnership with a trusted Gazan-owned water desalination company.
Gazans, including children are at imminent risk of disease and death due to limited access to clean water amid the relentless bombardment, according to UNICEF & Human Rights Watch. Masses of displaced Gazans forced into southern Gaza are accessing only 10% of the minimum amount of water needed for survival per day, according to UNICEF & WFP. Without clean water, large numbers of vulnerable children are at risk of disease and death.
There is no such thing as a small amount. Your contribution can save a life. Together we can impact the lives of hundreds of children and families who do not deserve a collective punishment. Thank you.
With love,
Loren Medina-Jassir