Since 2023, Gaza has been living through a genocide that has led to one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in recent history.

Entire neighborhoods have been erased. Families have been displaced again and again, forced to flee with nothing. Survival has become a daily struggle.

In response, we came together as a grassroots collective to act quickly and directly.

Because of your support, we have been able to:

• Help individuals and families rebuild livelihoods, so they can meet their basic needs with dignity and independence

• Provide clean water and deliver emergency food parcels to displaced families

• Distribute clothing and blankets

• Support medical needs and essential supplies

• Offer cash assistance to families with no income

• Support displaced Gazans in Egypt through urgent aid

As the war has ended, a new reality is unfolding, one shaped by loss, displacement, and deep, unprocessed trauma. We are now shifting our focus toward long-term recovery, addressing the psychological and social impact on individuals and communities.

✦ Healing After Trauma

Across Gaza, children are growing up surrounded by destruction and fear. Women carry immense emotional and physical burdens, while families struggle to rebuild any sense of safety, stability, or normal life.

With no safe spaces to reconnect or simply breathe, creating a place for healing has become a necessity.

So, we are now initiating:

✦ The First Recreation & Healing Center in Gaza

A community-led space designed to support women, children, and families in healing from the lasting impact of war.

Rooted in our work with women and cultural heritage, we believe that collective making and storytelling are not only forms of preservation, but powerful tools for healing. We use art, heritage-based practices, and shared experiences to create therapeutic environments for emotional expression, grounding, and the rebuilding of identity. Alongside these, we integrate play and everyday practices to restore a sense of joy, safety, and belonging.

Through this initiative, we will offer:

• Guided psychosocial support and structured recreational activities adapted to community needs.

• Safe, inclusive environments where families can gather, reconnect, and rebuild.

• Creative programs including embroidery, textile crafts, and visual arts as tools for emotional expression and processing.

• Journaling and storytelling practices to support reflection and self-expression.

• Music and singing circles for emotional release and collective expression.

• Movement-based activities such as exercise, play, and body-based release practices.

• Sensory play and child-focused programs combining play, creativity, and emotional support.

• Breathing and grounding exercises for emotional regulation and a sense of safety.

• Cooking sessions and shared meals that rebuild routine, connection, and community.

• Gardening activities that foster grounding, nurturing, and connection to land.

• Women-led circles and workshops that foster mutual support, skill-building, and collective care.

What began as an emergency response last year reached its first milestone of $22,000 thanks to your donations, enabling us to deliver urgent aid to families in Gaza and Egypt. Rather than starting over, we have chosen to continue on this same page, building on what you helped make possible.

This campaign now enters a new phase: from survival to healing, raising funds to support long-term recovery, healing, and rebuilding.

✦ Who We Are

A grassroots collective founded in Gaza, working across borders to respond to urgent needs and support long-term recovery. This work is led by people directly connected to the reality on the ground, because we are part of it.

✦ Why This Work Matters

In the absence of sustained international support, we rely on mutual aid, people caring for one another within the same community. Activists, artists, educators, and organizers come together to support those directly affected.

We have already seen what collective work can do. Now, we are building something that goes beyond survival, a place where healing can begin.

✦ Your Donations Will Help

• Setting up the recreation and healing center (location, materials, and infrastructure).

• Providing art and educational supplies.

• Supporting local facilitators, women leaders, and community organizers.

• Sustaining programs for children and families over time.

✦ How You Can Support

• Donate.

• Share this campaign widely.

• Organize fundraisers, workshops, or community events.

• Follow and amplify our work through @GazaCollective.