Help Lamea's Family Escape Gaza
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Help Lamea's Family Escape Gaza
Originally from Palestine, Lamea Abuelrous is the owner of the beloved Temo's cafe in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. Not long ago, one of her brothers-in-law was shot in Gaza and bled to death because no medical care was allowed near him. A group of us neighbors and friends are helping her raise money to get her surviving family members out of Gaza.
There are ten family members we're trying to help evacuate:
- Another of Lamea's brothers-in-law, his wife, and their three kids: a 10-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, and a 7-year-old boy (pictured).
- Lamea's sister-in-law, her husband, and their three kids: an 8-year-old girl, a 6-year-old girl, and a 2-year-old boy.
They've lost their relatives, homes, and livelihood. After being displaced from Rafah, they've been living in two tents in northern Gaza. The extremely limited supply of food and water is often contaminated, resulting in the kids' being severely sick with stomach infections and no medical care.
Breakdown of costs:
As reported by outlets such as NPR, NBC, OCCRP, Egyptian entities are charging exorbitant amounts for Palestianians to leave Gaza and enter Egypt. While the costs fluctuate, recent figures are as high as US$10,000 per adult and US$5,000 per child.
Travel permits: 4 adults x $10,000/adult + 6 children x $5,000/child = $70,000
Estimated costs for food, housing, and medical care once they arrive in Egypt: $10,000
(At this moment, the Rafah crossing has been closed by the Israeli military, but Gazans are still submitting applications for travel permits so that when it reopens, their paperwork will be already in the queue.)
Logistics:
Once the funds are raised, someone on behalf of the family has to submit paperwork for the travel permits in-person, in Egypt. Lamea's mother is already in Egypt and ready to coordinate all the logistics.
More about Lamea and Temo's Cafe, a beloved local institution:
Mission Local: Mission cafe owner’s family is stuck in Gaza. She’s trying to help them escape (2024)
El Tecolote: Mission Community Embraces Local Coffee Shop with Palestinian Roots (2022)
San Francisco Examiner: Sharing Culture One Cup at a Time (2022)
El Tecolote: Building Community (2017)
We appeal to you to bring Lamea's family to safety. Thank you.
In gratitude,
Lamea Abuelrous and
Friends and neighbors of Lamea
San Francisco, California
Organizer
Lamea Abuelrous
Organizer
San Francisco, CA