Help Bilal and Aisha Survive and Rebuild in Gaza

My name is Nina Christine Gorman (D.O.B. 11-18-57) a psychotherapist and social science teacher in Philadelphia, PA, USA. I am doing this campaign to assist Bilal Barham Mahmoud Rajila (D.O.B) 4-10-86) and this mother Aisha Ahmed Ahmed Rijila (D.O.B. 11-16-57) from Gaza City, Gaza to survive during the brutal current war and hopefully save a little to rebuild their bombed home. I came to know Bilal during the middle of the war about April of 2024 from conversations on social media facebook when he shared with me about the loss of his father from the war. I tried to comfort him as best as I could. I was most impressed by his deep love and dedication to his mother for whom he has made many sacrifices especially with mom’s struggle with her partial blindness in both eyes, diabetes and high blood pressure, vision issues which get worse partly from lack of available medications and having to choose between purchasing food or medicine.

Bilal worked very hard at university to achieve the great accomplishment of a Bachelors degree and was on a career path as a civil engineer. However, all universities in Gaza have been bombed and few jobs that were available before the war (with 90% of graduates unable to find work in their field and about 50% not able to find any work at all) . Now there are virtually no jobs at all during this war.

Like all of the people of Gaza, Bilal and his mother have to endure hearing explosions especially at night that make sleep almost impossible especially with hearing the children cry from terror in his camp in which he and mother share a tent, tents which are stifling hot in the summer and brutal cold from the winter and which are invaded by bugs and snakes. They need some preparations for tent and warmth now that weather is changing. Estranged from extended family during the war, mother and son comfort each other as best as possible and Bilal fears that the stressful conditions of bombings and lack of health care (all hospitals are either closed or minimally functioning due to repeated bombings and blockade of medicine, fuel and electricity) that his mother may not survive with her health conditions or that he will be injured or killed and not be able to care for or comfort her.

I urge you to donate what you can to help this little family alone in the war to survive, prepare for winter and save a little go get an apartment or down payment on home after ceasefire and to help Bilal get back on track with his career dreams which now are to help rebuild Gaza. A small donation of 5 dollars determines whether they can eat for a day and get clean water or whether mom can get medications she needs. Thanks in advance for your caring heart.

Here is Bilal in his own words:

My name is Bilal Barham Mahmoud Rajila. I am 38 years old and from Gaza City, Gaza. My mother and I and other Palestinians are enduring a brutal war. We really miss my Dad who was killed by bombing during the war and our house that was destroyed by bombing and the dreams within it. My mother and I miss the times together when we used to laugh with dad.. My dad worked hard to support us and pay tuition at my university. I really would like to be a civil engineer. I worked so hard for that five year degree and think I can be a good engineer and assist Gaza in rebuilding but now I feel so hopeless that that will never happen. Right now I just want to survive with my mother and maybe save a little for place to live outside of this tent. Other relatives are away from us due to the war and personal reasons so we are alone depending only on each other.

Since our house was destroyed by bombing like most people in Gaza, we live in a tent in a crowded camp that has little access to clean drinking water, or food and we have to cook on wood despite my mother’s health problems of being mostly blind and the fires and pollution burning her eyes and having diabetes and high blood pressure. It is hard to even breathe with the pollution and the stench since many of our dead are trapped in the rubble and waste floods the streets. Bugs and other creatures invade the tent. It has been stifling hot in tent this past summer and we could not afford a fan since the occupation destroyed the electrical grid and batteries are at least 200 dollars. Whenever there are explosions which is almost every day my mother’s blood pressure increases especially when she hears children around us screaming and crying. It is hard to afford her medications and treatments for her sugar, eyes and blood pressure and she is getting more blind every month. I do not mind not eating some days so my mother can eat but I would prefer to eat together and not worry that she will die or I will die in this war or be injured. Medicines are so expensive and hard to find and even shampoo which is 50 dollars or cleaner which is 25.

The weather is now changing and I worry we will freeze. We could use some warmer clothes, a heater and a battery to charge the heater and my phone and all are expensive. I do not want my mother an older woman freezing in the cold and we hope to save to rebuild our house at least a down payment to start or to rent an apartment to get out of this tent and now the tent is worn and I worry it will not last in this rain. We need nylon for repair.

I urge you to donate what you can even if only a little so we can survive this war. We hope for ceasefire since we don’t want to leave our land and if we survive we for me to have a job, help my people rebuild Gaza and have a normal life again. Blessings upon you and please pray for peace for us and thanks for helping us and for the support of our people during this hellscape which has taken everything from us though our love for each other, my love of my mother, memories of my father and dreams to help my people can never be stolen.

Here is the Budget for the Campaign:

Survival in Gaza for Food for Bilal and his mother Aisha for three months $1,000 (333 a month) including lentils, noodles, drinking water, flour, vegetables including potatoes, tomatoes, greens, oil and if expenses permit sugar and occasional chicken

Cleaners including soap, shampoo and disinfectants for three months $ 240 (80 per month)

Medications for mother’s diabetes, blood pressure and eye treatments for three months $360 (120 a month)

Battery and heater for winter: $450 (250 for battery and 200 for heater )

Charging of phone and battery for three months $ 100

Tent repair $120 for nylon cover and wood reinforcements and fabric

2 Blankets $60 (30 a piece)

Clothing for three months $300 including three changes and nightwear and underwear and winter coats

Savings for deposit on apartment or down payment to rebuild house for three months 9,000 (3000 per month)

Total $11,630

All donations will go into USA bank account of myself Nina Gorman and be transferred to secure Paypal of Bilal