Help My Family Escape Gaza: A Journey to Safety
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Dear Friends, Family, and Compassionate Supporters,
I am reaching out to you in a time of profound urgency and desperation, seeking your assistance in raising funds for the emergency evacuation of my family from Gaza. We have set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $50,000. Your help and generosity are crucial in enabling us to cover transportation, temporary accommodation, and other essential expenses necessary for ensuring the safety of my family during these incomprehensible times.
Before I delve into the harrowing experiences my family has faced, let me introduce them to you.
My family consists of six members: my parents, my 11-year-old sister Farah, my sister Faiza who is a medical graduate, and my grandmother. All are currently in Gaza, grappling with unimaginable challenges. They are developing mental illnesses like PTSD and facing health issues due to the scarcity of food and medicine. My father and grandmother, both suffering from hypertension, are in constant danger as medication is no longer available. My father has dedicated his life to working for the municipality of our city, initiating numerous projects that promote environmental sustainability. He planted many trees over 25 years ago, but sadly, they are all gone now. Despite the risks, he braves the dangers daily to bring supplies to our family, once narrowly escaping death due to a nearby bombing.
Below is a picture of my father being honored for over 25 years of service to our community.
My younger sister Farah, a beacon of light in our family, is enduring hardships that are robbing her of her childhood. She is an outstanding student and a creative soul who loves to draw, sing, and create videos for her dream YouTube channel. It broke my heart when she confessed to being so accustomed to seeing death that it no longer affects her. Can you imagine the trauma an 11-year-old must endure to reach such a state?
Our family is well-educated and has always strived to support our community. My mother, with over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, has successfully secured over 2 million dollars in funding for humanitarian projects in Gaza. Yet, life has been unfairly harsh to us. Financial difficulties forced our family to separate, with our mother moving to the Netherlands. She has been away for six years, living with the constant fear that her absence might be in vain if anything were to happen to us.
Each of us carries our own burden of pain, yet we share the collective agony of loss. We have lost over 35 relatives and 60 lifelong neighbors and friends. For my father, the loss of his best friends, Mohammad and Sami, was devastating. For me, it was Ahmad, Ibrahim, and many others whose names I can no longer recall due to the sheer number of friends lost. You can learn more about my story in a newspaper article where I discuss how I feel with everything that has happened. https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede/ut-student-mohmad-23-verliest-27-familieleden-4-vrienden-en-2-buren-in-gaza~a0866b2d/
the money will cover the following:
- egyptian border security clearance at an unbelievable amount of 8000$ per person.
8000$ * 4 = 32000$
- 2 months living expenses in egypt for a family of four considering the economic situation in egypt and increasing prices of rent & groceries. The period is 2 months until my family are able to process their papers at the dutch embassy in Egypt and await approval from the IND.
the living expenses are as follows per month in a total of 1900$
1-Food = 500$
2- Transportation= 400$
3- rent = 600$
4- Medications for my father and grandma = 100$
5- General activities= 300$
- airplane tickets for my family from egypt to Netherlands averaging at 500$ dollars per ticket with consideration to extra weight of bags
500$ * 4 people = 2000$
- moving in expenses in the Netherlands = anything that can help my mother finnaicliy in finding a house that fits my family's size and other stuff.
My mother has a minimum wage job in the NL :
1- The average apartment rent is 1500 euros with the deposit for the first month, insurance, gas bills is estimated at 3000 euros.
2- school expenses for my sister and dutch courses for my family averaging at 1750 euro
With your help, we can turn this situation around. Your donation can make a significant difference in our lives, providing us with the means to safely relocate and start anew. Every contribution, no matter how small, brings us closer to safety and a better future. Please consider donating to our GoFundMe campaign and sharing our story with your network. Together, we can overcome these trying times and build a hopeful tomorrow.
Thank you for your kindness and support.
Sincerely,
Mohmad Abumery
Fundraising team (2)
Mohmad Abumery
Organizer
Ariel Troy
Team member