Life and Hope in Gaza for Ali Madhoun's Family

Ali Madhoun GoFundMe

In the midst of this ongoing war that feels like it will never ever end, we try to live as best we can in our tent. Hope is what keeps us going and the only thing that makes it easier for us to bear this - the thought that there are people that really believe in us and believe in our right to live. This means us the world to us.

I am Ali Madhoun and this is a part of my story. I hope you will read it.

Since the 13th of October 2023, which feels like a lifetime ago, our home is a basic tent. It has gradually become worn down through the seasons of scorching sun, punctuated with heavy rain that washes everything into mud.

We eat basic canned food and have dug a well for water to clean our clothes. It is a discoloured water but serves our purpose. My Mother suffers from migraines and serious cartilage issues and needs specific medication and a medical bed to rest, but we do not have access to these things.

I never thought I would run a GoFundMe campaign, but the need for survival as well as keeping some kind of hope and goals, is all that sustains us amidst the sound of heavy bombing and the smell of death all around us. Still, we hold onto hope and dreams, and try to keep our dignity.

Before this war, I used to be a software engineer with international clients that I spent endless hours and long nights to build. Then in an instant, I lost it all. That was the worst thing of all for me - losing my clients’ trust. I would do anything to be able to get back to work and gain my clients trust, and a solar panel cell would allow me to do this.

In order to get electricity to charge my laptop, I have to buy a solar cell. The smallest cell that fits my needs would cost around 500$. A battery would cost around 400$, and a power inverter would cost around 250-300$. I made this illustration to show how the three components required to generate electricity from sun waves work together. These three components would cost around 1000~1200 USD.

With a power system I would be able to get back to work easily, and more importantly, support my brother, Eslam, a first year Software engineering student at Al-Azhar University. Due to the war and the leak of income resources, he won’t be able to pay his fees which are around 885$ per semester. I wish him to continue his studies without worrying about electricity. In this situation we have to take care of each other - otherwise, we all get lost..

The worries about food and basic survival are of course paramount in our situation – and yet if we can just hold onto some kind of future goals, and keep up some meaningful work, it can sustain us mentally and help us from losing all hope, the feeling that our future is crushed forever.

Please consider supporting my GoFundMe campaign with even a small donation. Every donation counts, and helps us to build up our hope bit by bit, and to dare to dream that there can be a hopeful ending to all of this.