Stranded Young Family in Gaza

Hello! My name is Kelsie and I'm 25 years old, just like Yarin. Our connection began unexpectedly when I was watching real-time footage from Gaza on the Snapchat Map in February. What started as a simple reply to her public photo blossomed into a friendship. Since then, I have lent a helping hand and initiated this campaign because I believe in her situation and want to help in whatever way I can.

UPDATE 4.28:

As conditions are worsening, Yarin and I have decided to increase our campaign goal in hopes of evacuating the rest of her family, including her siblings and parents.

Click here for an in-depth overview of Yarin's family, their situation, and our campaign.

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This is her story:

'Hello, I introduce myself. I am Yarin, married and I have two children, an infant and a two-year-old daughter, from the Gaza Strip. I live east of the city of Khan Yunis. I am from a middle-class family of four members. We lived in an atmosphere that might have been paradise for us before October 7.

My home before the war...

My home since the war began...

We had a beautiful house to live in. Our life was beautiful and simple, but soon the situation changed and I went to my family’s home where I, my husband, and my children took shelter. Then they bombed my beautiful home and my husband’s workplace. We spent the first days of the war in my family’s home in fear and terror because of the intense and indiscriminate bombing of the homes around us. They targeted many places. Next to us, two of our relatives’ homes were bombed, and with time the bombing began to intensify around us from everywhere, with the force of sound and the shattering of glass and fragments above us. We left the house to the school shelter and lived there for the most difficult periods of my life, lack of food, water, and hygiene.

This school...

I was eight months pregnant with my child at the beginning of the war, and after a month of war, I went to the hospital to give birth and gave birth to my child in this strong war and under these difficult circumstances. I was released from the hospital the next day, under heavy bombardment, as a mother to a newborn during war. My child and I did not receive rest or proper food. We sat in crowded shelters. Another night, the violent artillery shelling intensified nearby. We lived through a very difficult night at that time. Shrapnel from the shelling reached our place of refuge, and the enemy raided the area. We left again after two days and headed to the west of Khan Yunis in another shelter. We sheltered again somewhere new for two weeks. Then, the shelling increased around the area, and they were about to reach us again.

My little baby...

We were displaced again and continued south to the Rafah area, in a tent for the displaced in the Al-Sinaa neighborhood. We have been here since.

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Evacuation Plan:

Yarin's family will begin their journey at the Rafah Border Crossing, traveling in four separate groups as campaign milestones are reached. The total cost to evacuate, including permits and transportation from the border to Cairo, Egypt, is $62,000* for everyone - 14 people. If children did not require permits, the total cost to reach Cairo would be $52,000. The current cost to evacuate is $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per child.

Group 1: Yarin, her husband, and her two babies

Group 2: Yarin's mom, dad, and two youngest siblings

Group 3: Yarin's sister, her husband, and her daughter

Group 4: Yarin's oldest brother, his wife, and his daughter

The trip from Rafah to Cairo typically involves a 6-hour car ride. Transportation from the border is arranged privately, with the cost estimated at $150 per group.

To facilitate this evacuation and cover initial costs in Egypt, including housing, clothing, and other necessities for starting over, we have set a fundraising goal of $75,000. This goal will provide a “buffer” for unexpected emergencies or medical attention needed in Gaza, and necessities. The usage of these “buffer” funds will be left to the family’s discretion based on their immediate needs.

For their privacy and safety, I will not be disclosing their last name. As a testament to the authenticity of their situation, Yarin has been sharing her real-time location with me since February. Thank you for standing with me and showing compassion to those in need.

I will personally oversee the distribution of funds to Yarin and provide regular updates to keep everyone informed of the progress.

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