Bring Hope to Neda's Family Amid Crisis

Hi! My name is Chandra, and for the past several months I have been trying to help my friend Neda Gharib raise funds to help her family in Gaza meet basic needs. We need your help.

Neda and her family were forced to evacuate from Rafah, leaving everything behind as the bombs fell in the middle of the night. They were displaced to Deir al-Belah in the central part of Gaza. Neda and her husband have three young daughters, Lamar, Siwar, and baby Alma, who was born by C-section at the maternity hospital in Rafah in January.

They are also living with Neda's twin sister Feda, her brother, and their parents, and the family is struggling due to lack of work and high costs.

Neda and I have been talking for months, and I have also become friends with her brother in Norway. I consider them family, and they need a helping hand so they can buy food, water, diapers, formula, and medicine. The situation has become dire. Since being displaced, Neda and two of her daughters have had the flu, the baby requiring hard-to-find medical treatment. Poor diet is creating more health issues, and Neda has been struggling with dental issues.

Both Neda and her husband are university-educated people, and they have lost everything. Her husband worked for a food import business and is struggling now to find employment. Neda loved to bake cakes and do crafts. She provided her daughters with a lovely, loving home. Now she holds her daughters as they cry out, scared for their lives. Every day is unimaginable struggle, and it is taking a huge toll on their mental and physical health.

Even finding water is hard, and they are forced to buy most of it, saving it in containers, while washing clothes and bathing in seawater. Water, alone, can cost $200/week. They cook over a fire. It's summer now and hot. They need fans, but there isn't electricity, unless they can buy a solar panel, which is $500. They make do and do their best to survive. But we can help them.

I have been on calls with Neda while the drones buzz overhead and as bombs hit in the background. I always worry about them and often stay up late at night because of time zone differences so we can connect. We send pictures back and forth...their better days, the girls enjoying themselves, craft projects and baked goods. I send pictures of beautiful things from my garden. We talk of drinking coffee and the smell of the air as rain comes. Someday I hope to sit with her in person. For now all I can do is be a listening ear and try to help them raise some funds.

Any donation is appreciated. Never underestimate how helpful a few dollars can be. It all adds up. I am asking this community to help me help a friend. Bring a little light to their lives. Help them buy food. Help Neda as she tries to be the best mama possible despite the uncertainty in their lives.

Thank you.

Chandra Spaulding

Life Now:

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Life Before:

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July 2024: Neda sent me pictures of a diversion they held for the neighborhood children to give them some relief. I am only sharing pics of her daughters for privacy reasons, but it was wonderful to see all these darling kids together. Neda used a small amount of the donations I sent in order to get some basic clothes for the girls, since they had outgrown what they'd brought with them ❤️.

l-r Siwar, Alma, and Lamar