Grief, hope and giving
As we enter a new year, please don't forget the people who needs us the most
It’s been a while since I last I’ve been on Substack, other than to read my favourite Substack newsletters. Like many of you, the year of 2024 has been heavy with grief and the feeling of overwhelm at world events, especially at the ongoing genocides in Gaza and Sudan. Apart from the fall of the Assad regime in Syria at the start of this month, there really isn’t much to celebrate.
I used to find solace and escapism in fiction, but have only read 14 books this year. I just don’t seem able to focus or concentrate. It’s been a year where we have witnessed the true colours of friends, neighbours, colleagues, even relatives - those who justified or intentionally ignored genocide, and those who surprised us by actually taking a stand for Palestine, or who genuinely asked us how we are doing.
This time of year is one of reflection and also one of giving.
It would mean so much to me, and to the Gazan families I manage fundraisers for, if you would be able to give to any one of them. Every donation helps. If you can’t donate at the moment, sharing with friends and family would mean a lot too. I am also going to share a couple of other initiatives from my friends at Aid4Gaza and Basmat Wasl, a grassroots charity initiative in Sudan.
Samah Alnakhala
Two of Samah’s four children
Samah Alnakhala is a single mother to four children and currently living in freezing conditions in a tent in south Gaza. Initially we opened her fundraiser with the intention to raise money to pay brokers at the Rafah border to evacuate her and the children, but since the border closed, we have been raising money for food and medicine. Donations have been really slow since we last sent money to her in August.
To donate or share, please click here.
Ruaa Ishneiwra
Ruaa and her family (Ruaa is on the far right)
Ruaa’s family home, destroyed
Ruaa’s entire immediate family were killed in an Israeli airstrike and the family house destroyed. Ruaa, her husband Abdalkarim and their baby now live in Malaysia, but want to be able to send money to Abdalkarim’s family who are still in Gaza for food and medicine. They also hope to one day be able to rebuild their respective families’ houses when the war ends.
To donate or share Ruaa’s fundraiser, click here.
To donate or share her husband Abdalkarim’s fundraiser, click here.
Areej Hijazi
Areej at work before the war on Gaza
Areej Hijazi is Dr Haya Hijazi’s sister, who you all know I helped raise money for at the start of the war by doing a sponsored walk. I also interviewed Dr Haya Hijazi for The New Arab (read it here). Areej managed to get evacuated to Egypt before the Rafah border closed but needs money to pay her tuition fees so she can finish medical school, as well as money for rent, bills and food for herself and her family.
To donate or share, please click here.
Aid4Gaza
Aid4Gaza is a registered UK charity which coordinates with medical teams on the ground in Gaza to provide free or heavily subsidised medication as well as medical care. I have been regularly in touch with them about their work since early 2024. They especially need people to subscribe to monthly donations, as a regular stream of donations enables them to plan ahead. I am a member of their “Small But Mighty” subscription, where you can determine how much you would like to donate monthly.
To donate or share, please click here.
Basmat Wasl
Basmat Wasl is a grassroots charity initiative sourcing and distributing food to people in Sudan who have been affected by the ongoing war. I have been in regular contact with them since Ramadan 2024. As RSF militia have torched massive areas of farmland and getting food aid trucks in is challenging and risky (due to the danger of being attacked by RSF militia or looting) grassroots groups like Basmat Wasl are doing the hard work of sourcing food themselves.
Please donate to this secure donation link (which I’ve tried myself) and share widely:
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/BT5WNSYYKFJQC
Thank you all for your support, kindness and generosity. I wish you all a blessed and healthy 2025.