Help my displaced family from Gaza resettle in Portugal

Hello Everyone!

Many of you already know me, Dr Sulaiman Abuhaiba, a Palestinian Portuguese doctor from Portugal who had his family stuck in Gaza during these very difficult times and under continuous daily threats. With your generous help, we were able to reach the goal of our previous fundraiser, i.e. the family has been evacuated and reunited with us in Portugal.

Thanks to many of you, the first and most painful leg of my family’s journey has been successful. With the generosity of GoFundMe participants and because I am a naturalized Portuguese citizen, we were able to rescue 6 of my wife’s family – mother, father (owned a clothing store in Khan Younis), two brothers (in their 30’s doing humanitarian work for Red Crescent) and two sisters (in their 20’s) all with advanced degrees. They were able to escape to Egypt from Gaza only 5 days before the border was shut completely. They lost their home, business and all savings, survived 6 months dislocation, displacement and war and are now safe but without funds – only the clothing on their backs - to rebuild their lives and contribute to the country that saved them - Portugal.

They are not eligible for government assistance (we are NOT complaining!) but that means there will be no income at all for rent or food, medical expenses, clothing or any other necessities right away. At the moment, we are 7 living in a tiny - bedroom apartment and two others with friends. They will need to find a place to live – and furniture including beds, a sofa and perhaps a table and chairs as well as pots and pans, a bit of clothing, etc.

In addition, all speak only Arabic except for the father who also speaks Hebrew which is a real problem. Now all 6 – they have only been here 2 weeks - are already trying to learn Portuguese and English on YouTube and have successfully registered for an in-class Portuguese course that commences in October 2024, so that they can get jobs – and they are willing to do any task – perhaps delivering food (if they can get a reliable vehicle) or anything else that contributes to the household expenses. They will be more than happy to do it. They also have a dream of starting a small Palestinian/Mediterranean restaurant here in Coimbra.

We are estimating their expenses to be close to $2000 a month until they are completely self-sufficient – perhaps 12 months we hope at the most. If there is anything you can do to help it would be very much appreciated. This is a family that has a lot to offer Portugal – and they have already been met with kindness and warmth. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (And if that restaurant materializes, you must stop by and give and get a hug.) I am hoping for great joy in your lives. There is no room for anything else.

Finally, I keep you with some pictures of our difficult journey for the past months.

The father-in-law store was completely destroyed.

My brother-in-law. The family had to live in tents in a camp for the displaced for over 6 months before they left Gaza.

Thank you,

Dr Sulaiman Abuhaiba