Help Nehal's Mom Beat Cancer & Build a New Life

Dear compassionate friends, I hope this message finds you well. This is Omar, Nehal’s co-worker. I'm writing here to help amplify Nehal’s voice and reach out to you.

For those unfamiliar with Nehal's personality and achievements, She is marketer, a lecturer, an internationally certified marketing trainer who has helped Palestinians and youth worldwide start their jobs. Nehal is the entrepreneur behind Digi-connect platform and company, a promising startup that was swept away by this aggressive war. Nehal and I first met through a global workshop and conference for Arab junior entrepreneurs seeking guidance to establish their own businesses. Nehal dedicated her limitless efforts to creating a business that could help Palestinians and all youth globally build a new, independent life through her company and online platform. This platform was designed to train youth to become marketers and programmers and find their first online job through freelancing training. Her primary objective was to aid them and their families toward a brighter future.

When people ask me, “Where are the Palestinian entrepreneurs who have a positive community and international impact?” I think of these incredible women.

I think of Nehal.

But to lead in the future, Nehal must first survive the horrors of today.

Nehal lost her job as a lecturer and freelancer and her company. Nehal’s family lost their lovely four-story home filled with love and warm memories, leaving them homeless. Right now, Nehal and her family, especially her cancer-affected mother Mahasen Naim, are refugees in Rafah after fleeing their destroyed home. They have endured random artillery fire and air strikes, and their building has been cracked and shattered. They've spent five months in a small tent with very minimal support for proper living, amidst freezing cold and a polluted environment, without essential elements for human life like clean water or bathrooms.

Nehal’s mother has been suffering from breast cancer since 2019, with treatment becoming increasingly difficult due to the war. The shortage of medicine for cancer patients and the specialized hospitals ceasing operations have worsened her condition. Her treatment has been very limited, with restricted access to healthy food to support her immune system.

Nehal’s family needs help. I will take charge of transferring the collected contributions. The money donated today will help Nehal’s family establish a new lovely life. They are now refugees who must find a way to build a new life with very limited resources.

Unfortunately, that's not enough to guarantee a safe life for her family. She needs to rebuild her home, restart her company, and secure medical care and surgery for her mother. She and all her family members need appropriate psychological and medical care to begin healing from what they have suffered.

She lost so much: peace, a dream job, peace of mind, security, her brother, some family members, and her dear friends. But we can help change that. We can help Nehal rebuild her life, find safety, and continue leading and growing in her community.

Our goal is $25,000, with a stretch goal of $40,000. Here's what Nehal says about the fundraising goal:

$25,000 is required to cover the initial costs to evacuate Gaza and establish a new life in Egypt in which to guarantee a secure life and medical check for her mother, and consult with a breast cancer specialist since she hasn't had access to her medicine in Gaza for 5 months.

$40,000 is required to rebuild our lovely apartment to guarantee a safe, clean place for my mother and father and to try to return all the lovely and warm old memorie.

"If there is any money remaining, it will be sent to other Gazan cancer patients who are close to death so they can have the suitable mass treatment."

This is who Nehal is. In the dark and terror, she thinks of what she could do if she had the funds to help others and build a brighter world. Below are photos and more of Nehal’s story in her own words, but first, please consider donating USD 50. If 13000 of us donate USD 50, Nehal’s mother will get the right treatment she needs, and Nehal can cover their new life needs. If 100 of us donate USD 650, Nehal’s family can rebuild their destroyed floor and apartment to have an independent and safe place instead of a tent in the street. If 100 of us donate USD 100, we can cover the company and platform's expenses.

Any amount helps Nehals family start new safe life, as does sharing this fundraiser on social media.

Nehal, in her words:

"After my long journey of shifting my career from an English teacher to a marketer, my dream had always been to work in the marketing lecturing and training field. Before the aggression on Gaza started, I was very close to getting a promotion to become a marketing consultant working online from Gaza for a Belgian company and establishing my own business, my own training platform. Now, since Gaza is disconnected from the world, I have lost all my opportunities and have zero chance of getting my dream job or any job to support myself and my family. With your help, I will be able to start anew, rebuild my warm home, and overcome work obstacles to start again from zero. I also aim to become a mentor for other Gazan girls who want to take the same path. Day by day, my mother's health is deteriorating, and it breaks my heart just to imagine that I may lose another close family member as I lost my lovely brother. After the airstrike causing massive destruction to our home, we were forced to flee to Rafah. When Rafah was threatened, we had to flee again to Al-Nuseirat camp. We are literally living in a street tent under rubble, counting bombs and waiting for our turn. Palestinians, especially youth, need a woman like Nehal to survive and help rebuild Gaza. She is loved, respected, and by working together, we can help save her life.

Please consider giving.

Thank you very much.