Helping Renan & her family to escape war in Gaza
Donation protected
Hello everyone
My name is Abdullah and I am helping my dear friend Renan and her family to raise funds to help them to get out of Gaza and to relocate to Egypt for their safety since there’s no place safe in all of Gaza now. Renan was an exchange student in the US few years ago along with many other exchange students from the globe that come to the US every year.
Here’s her story with her own words:
Hello world, I'm Renan Saed, writing my story to you with a heavy heart while i'm staying in a plastic tent of nylon at the beach of Rafah suffering from sickness, freezing from cold, struggling from the muds when it rains and the sound of bombings that doesn't stop .. after being displaced 7 times, we couldn’t find a place to stay in other than this tent, beside the struggle to secure clean water and food..we have been without electricity and internet connection for more than 4 months!
I'm a passionate girl who loves life, gaining new experiences and making a positive impact in my community. I see education is the most important thing in person's life. I've been chosen to represent Palestine in Science and technology in The USA couple years ago. I have so many Goals, and I know that I can achieve them.. but this war has stolen every dream and goal I was enthusiastic to achieve. in the beginning of October i was preparing myself for my senior year of dental medicine college, excited to graduate and then obtaining my studies specializing in oral and maxillofacial surgery to address the dire medical needs in Gaza, where the health care system is overwhelmed and lacking resources. Unfortunately, my college(Al Azhar university) has been bombed in the beginning of the war.
Despite the ongoing war, displacement and the dangerous situation, I haven’t stopped offering help in the dental clinics to my community. In Rafah, I volunteered at a local dental clinic to help out in anyway I could.
Today is the 124th day of war, as days pass the situation is getting worse and more complicated. literally, we are living in a constant state of fear and not knowing what will happen next. we have been evacuated home 7 times holding nothing with us seeking safety but unfortunately there is no safe place in Gaza and every area is targeted and bombed without being warned before. since day one of the war I'm psychologically suffering because of the severity of the nearby scary sounds of explosions, which made me always shaking, losing weight, not sleeping and not eating because of fear..I can't even find medications for my panic attacks. The scary and hard moments i lived during the war especially in the north of Gaza never left my mind, literally we witnessed the death in front of our eyes, especially when my family and I were trapped by the Israeli tanks in our home for 7 days, the Israeli army was dropping bombs and white phosphorus gas in our neighborhood and inside our house all day without stopping, the bricks and the glass were falling on us and we weren't able to leave home.. easily, if you go out of your home, you will be shot! I tried to call the Red Cross many times crying for them to rescue us but their answer was " we can't help you" at that moment, I really felt that I hate this world and made sure that nobody is with us but God. during the 7th day, at our own responsibility we tried to evacuate our home holding white flag in our right hand and the ID card in our left hand.. When we went out from home we found the street full of martyrs.. I got traumatized and was unable to walk, my brother started to pull me as we’re rushing to get out under the sound of bombs and bullets. This scene haven't left my mind and still haunts me every night. During the evacuation our neighbour tried to evacuate, she was holding white flag and her grandson was walking beside her and guess what? She has been shot in her chest in front of our eyes and had been bleeding for hours, unfortunately she died and her sons buried her in their home because there were no hospitals and ambulances can't reach us. For us, we have narrowly escaped death by a miracle that we arrived the south without being shot or detained. Here is a video for our neighbour when she got shot in front of our eyes when we were trying to evacuate our home. Click on the link to view the video
I'm a survivor from 4 previous bloody wars, but this war was something that we’ve never experienced before, it’s much worse than all other previous wars combined. I'm not sure if I will survive this one. In my panic attacks within the sounds of bombings I always say ( I don't wanna die) and yes, until this moment i say I really don't want to die..I love life and I still have goals i want to achieve. Besides dentistry, I was a passionate entrepreneur, constantly trying to pursue a brighter future. I dedicated myself tirelessly to prosperity, constantly trying to improve and uplift myself and those around me, I always wanted to help in building an advanced and united community.
Our neighborhood is very close to one of the hospitals in northern Gaza(Al Shifaa hospital), we experienced the heaviest bombings nonstop for straight days and each strike gets closer to us which made us think that we will probably die with the next strike and I still can’t believe that we made it alive and were able to escape. However, our home took a lot of damage and has been partially destroyed and we are not allowed to return to it because they don’t allow people to come back from south to north. As of March 20th, 2024 we learned that our house was burned down and bombed leaving behind only rubble and emptiness, taking with them not just my possessions but the precious moments and memories that once filled its walls. My family and I were eager to have a chance to go back to it but at this point, we lost everything and we have nothing to go back to and its impossible to start over in a destroyed city. My university has been bombed..my dad, brother and sister lost their Jobs. I have lost so many beloved friends and people. Despite these hardships, my spirit remains unbroken and I am determined to obtain my dental medicine degree out of Gaza as soon as possible. However, I need to get out from Rafah to continue my last academic year. The cost of getting out of Gaza to enter Egypt through Rafah crossing seemed overwhelming as I have to pay between $7000 to $10000 per person for my immediate 7 family members.
Your help means a lot as we are desperately trying to rebuild and think of better days ahead. Every donation, big or small, helps us start fixing our broken dreams. I am sincerely and deeply asking all kind people to help me share my story and message to the world. Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging time. Your contribution means a new life for me and my family. Also, it means compassion and solidarity for justice and preserving human lives.
Important Note;
This fundraiser is being organized by me, Abdullah.
I am a friend of Renan based in Columbus, Ohio USA
All funds raised will be transferred directly to Renan's personal bank account in Palestine. A proof of the funds being transferred will be provided upon request.
Here's Renan's Social Media Pages:
Facebook:
Instagram:
Organizer
Abdullah A
Organizer
Columbus, OH