Help Bring Hope In The Dark

As-salamu alaykum. My name is Melissa 'Meelieka' Kyle. I reside in the United States and consider myself to be an advocate of humanity, whose mission in life is to bring hope to my brothers and sisters in need. If your day has been anything like mine, then it has been blessed with challenges and triumphs in equal measure... But my own experiences pale in comparison to the struggle I want to bring to your attention. I am here to talk about a family in South Gaza—a family that has captured my heart and, I believe, deserves to capture yours as well. This isn't a story to be passively heard: it's a story that demands our attention and our help.

I will not assume that you are aware of the atrocities that are occurring in Palestine, but I invite you now to bear witness to what I have learned. Ibrahim and his family's story is a powerful illustration of the profound human cost of the conflict in Gaza. Their struggle for basic needs in a secluded encampment reflects the desperation of countless displaced families who have little access to humanitarian aid. Ibrahim, my brother in Islam, is a father and a husband faced with challenges beyond anyone's comprehension. Ibrahim is a proud man. He doesn't want pity. But I do not offer pity, but kinship. The act of shared kindness is what breaks through Ibrahim's emotional wall. I pray this will remind our brother that he is not alone in his suffering.

Every parent's deepest desire is to provide for their children, to protect them from harm, and fill their lives with safety and warmth. Ibrahim, his wife, and their five beautiful children—three daughters and two sons—live in a pocket of profound need, where every day is a fight for the most basic human necessities: food, water, and access to medical care. For Ibrahim's three daughters, the darkness is far more profound. They suffer from a congenital macular defect, a condition that impairs the central vision needed for seeing fine detail and recognizing faces. In their life before the "war," this condition would have been manageable with proper medical care, low-vision aids, and support.

For those who live in a free nation, who do not and cannot compare their living situation to the horrors that the Palestinian people are living in day and night, despite one's own financial problems, medical conditions, and personal issues, please, find it in your heart to donate to Ibrahim and his family. Despite what narrative is being spread by Western media and/or social media, the truth is, no human being on this earth should be denied their basic rights nor the basic everyday needs in order to live on this Earth. Remember, it's not how much you donate but the significance of the act as giving to those who are less fortunate than ourselves will be repaid 10-fold. I would like to thank you in advance for your compassion and generosity. May God reward you for your good deeds here in this life and in the Hereafter.