Hope: Help Little Elen Fetch a brighter Future

Hi. This is Mahmoud Al Amassi. I am raising this campaign on behalf of my friend, Nadia Ghaben. The below story is Nadia’s one written and shared by her from her place of refuge in South of Gaza. Hi. I am Nadia Ghaben, a Palestinian mother, wife, daughter, and sister from Gaza. I am knocking on the last door that could open an opportunity for my little family and I to escape the ongoing genocide. I am a mother of a year and half beautiful little girl who have not seen life as we’ve planned for. To know about us, we are a family of three, my husband, Osama, baby Elen and me. We got married in September 2021. My husband and I used to work for private companies where we are now left jobless due to the ongoing war. Ahead of October 7th, my family had already it’s share of the suffering. In our tenth month of marriage and a couple of months before baby Elen arrives to this world, my husband got injured while working where it resulted with a fracture of two vertebrae in the back and his left foot. He got through two difficult surgeries and a third one was planned to take place last December. Unfortunately, he could not pursue his medical journey towards recovery as war abrupted. October 7th was a turning point in our life. We first had to take refuge at a relatives’ apartment. Bombardments were very close, thus, we had to move to my family’s apartment. The war became fiercer, and my family’s building was notified to evacuate as it will be demolished to the ground. At that point, we could not think of a safer place to take shelter but Al Quds hospital. Three of us moved again having few belongings with us. After settling at the hospital, we got the news that my family’s apartment was grounded to earth. Our warm childhood home that once witnessed beautiful memories was lost in a blink of an eye. We stayed for thirty-five days at the hospital which felt like thirty-five years to us living under continuous fire belts and none-stop cruel bombardments. November 11th was another ugly day. That day tanks approached Al Quds Hospital, and we were forced to flee to the south using the so-called humanitarian corridor. We had to walk for about an hour and a half till be reached the checkpoint. I hold baby Elen and some bags, and my husband hold the other stuff. We waited for our turn to pass. We were asked to raise our right hand and hold our IDs with the left one. I was praying that Elen would stay calm as the soldiers will not tolerate a baby crying and they could shoot unmercifully. Time passed like years, and we finally managed to get through to the other side of that ugly inhumane checkpoint. We sat by the side of the road not knowing where to go. Chaotically thinking, we had to take a cart and move to Rafah. Four hours later, we arrived at Osama’s friend home which was turned into a shelter for tens of people. In Rafah, we were displaced four times moving between different neighborhoods seeking safety and refuge. What made matters worse, we got bad news that we lost our home. It was hit several times by the Israeli tanks and is now a ramshackle place. All our cherished memories and the warmth of our small home was gone. All gone and will take years to return if there would be a chance to. Displacement is hard on adults, yet it is even harder to little kids who do not understand why they are not in their rooms playing with their toys and sleeping in their warm silky soft beds. Lack of clean water and hygiene is also a big challenge to little kids as this puts them at risks of getting diseases. The lack of healthy varied food is also an ugly face of the war where little children face malnutrition. We are really concerned about our little daughter’s health as well as future which is now blurrily unclear. Elen got sick several times and did not gain weight due to the above-mentioned circumstances we went through. Throughout this fundraiser, we seek support to secure a brighter now and future for our small family specifically Elen. We are considering how will she grow up and where. We are also considering her health and education especially that Gaza is no more a viable place to live in and we have no home to return to and no jobs as well. Securing the money will assist us in evacuating Gaza and seeking other chances outside knowing that coordinating to travel to Egypt costs around 7000 USD per person and this is a big amount of money that we cannot afford. Life expenses including apartment’s rent, medication, clothing, and food also costs money. We aim for a 50,000 EU that would help us stand again on our feet and open a new page after the devastation that we went through. We would greatly appreciate your contribution to donate and share this donation request so it can reach the highest number of kindhearted people who are willing to save lives and ensure hope for an affected family from Gaza. I will personally handle the transfer of the campaign funds to Nadia, and I am committed to providing proof of the transfer if needed. You can reach me directly for any inquiries or clarifications.

 With gratitude, Nadia, Osama and Elen