Restoring life for my Gazan family - Mahmoud Kouta
Donation protected
UPDATE!!: Alhamdulillah, on the second day of Ramadan both Mahmoud and his brother Abdel-Rahman safely evacuated from Gaza into Cairo. Mahmoud is reunited with his wife and little girl, Ameera who is almost 2 years old. These last few weeks, Mahmoud has received medical treatment in Egypt and currently works with multiple NGO’s and grassroot groups to continue advocating for Palestine and provide life saving aid for those inside and leaving Gaza.
Mahmoud’s goal is to help as many children and families as possible while the visa for his wife and daughter are approved. Then they’ll arrange flights back to Canada where they’ll begin to rebuild a life. They will be searching for a house, furniture, transportation, electronics, etc - to replace everything lost in the rubble from airstrikes and so Mahmoud can continue working again. In the mean time, Mahmoud is committed to helping as many organizations as possible to continue providing for Palestinians and his homeland. Because of your help and pressure on the Canadian government, it’s so wonderful to see the Kouta families reunited. As of now Abdel-Rahman, Moe Kouta and Mahmoud are no longer in Gaza. Their brother Ahmed (Prince) Kouta is still in the North of Gaza, now providing meals through HCI Canada and successful aid deliveries to create a food kitchen.
Here is the link to watch Mahmoud’s evacuation:
Update on personal health and media representation:
Follow up on Mahmoud’s medical visits:
Please continue reading below!! May Allah bless you, it won’t be forgotten that you stood with the Palestinian people during this excruciating genocide.
Inshallah, we will see a Free Palestine soon ❤️
- Abby Carroll
UPDATE: As we met the goal for the initial fundraiser, further donations are turned off and updates/information will remain here so that everything is accessible in one place.
Our initial campaign titled, "Gaza Children and Family Initiative" is an ongoing initiative that your contributions here will still provide for. Mahmoud was the proprietor of both fundraisers, but for convenience, we've combined the two.
As Mahmoud raises funds for his evacuation, travel, and emergency expenses alongside his wife and 18 mo. daughter, he will continue providing for the thousands of people sheltering with him.
Please scroll down to view photos inside Gaza and read Mahmoud Kouta’s story.
From Mahmoud:
It's hard to find the words and the strength to make this page. I, Mahmoud Kouta, am a Canadian citizen, born in Ontario, and I'm currently trapped in Gaza. I came to Gaza 3 years ago to study my bachelor's degree which I was close to finishing, but my education was forced to end. Because I lost the chance to finish my studies, I worry about finding work to rebuild my family's life once we can get back to Canada. Our present and future is very dangerous and I just want to bring my family to safety and support my community right now.
Every day I watch videos of my wife and 18 month old daughter before we lost everything, just wishing to have our lives back. Our names have remained on the list to cross the border for almost 4 months. My parents safely returned to Canada but now the fee's are unreasonable and we've waited for over 100 days. It's my biggest hope we can reunite with my parents in Ontario as a complete family.
We had a beautiful home in north Gaza before we had no choice but to evacuate. You may know my brother, Prince (Ahmed) Kouta, who's our only family member still there. He was able to reach what was our neighborhood, but every street is unrecognizable. I was hoping he'd be able to find a painting I made for my daughter under the rubble, but our life has been destroyed into debris. My 4 brothers and our parents lost every tangible memory and artifact they owned. This kind of loss can't be amounted into words.
I am a father, brother, content writer, athlete, friend, student and son above all else. But, my qualities can't be maintained under these circumstances. Many of you have found me through social media. I want to thank those that follow our story and graciously open a space for you to extend your support however that may look like. I am sharing my message by choice as my community outside of Gaza grows. It is the same choice you have, to share our message. I didn't expect to end my year and start anew in this way, and I'm unsure how to restore my life of 21 years. Our memories, laughter and dreams live inside us but without the tools to prosper, it's far too difficult to achieve now. It's with my upmost humility and faith, that this page will be the beginning to restoration for my family.
Please watch my interview with CBC News where I show you my shelter and survival conditions. Anything available to buy in Gaza is so expensive that we're suffering without any basic needs met. To buy my daughter diapers, it's about 50 usd each week and to buy a bag of flour it's about 180 usd. Without jobs and infrastructure Gazan's cannot afford anything, especially during a war. I am steadfast despite everything but humbly ask you to share my story and don't stop talking about Palestine. I began a children's and family initiative to aid, entertain, support and feed the people around us. It's at the risk of our safety to extend these efforts to the most vulnerable among us, but the livelihood of our people is essential and infinite. I want to share my instagram with you, @mahmoodkouta so that you can see our situation and the hundreds of people I help how I can. I will remain steadfast as we all pray for a ceasefire.
From Abby Carroll:
Hello everyone, I’m a friend of Mahmoud and set this fundraiser up on his behalf. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Canadian account nor can the fundraising go directly to him. All proceeds will be collected at the end of each day and be deposited into a savings account with my credit union. We have had successful transfers before using a travel banking app that auto converts currency. I am on standby and funds get transferred once I get the okay from Mahmoud. Transfers are made in increments for now, but we are finding other options for this to be smoother. It’s an unpredictable situation but I would like everyone rest assured, this is not a scam and I have no personal interest or gain. Mahmoud and I talk day by day when his service allows, and we will continue working on solutions as any issues arise.
Please message me on IG @abbby.00 for any questions that I can answer directly, although I may not get back to you right away. I'm doing my best to respond to everyone.
Organizer
Abby Carroll
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT