
Clinging to Life: Help a Lovely and Persistent Fam
Donation protected
I am Ahmad Saidam, a husband, a father, and a hard worker from Gaza.
I’m going to tell you, my story; a story of a persistent independent couple who succeeded in building their family from scratch overcoming all the challenges they faced until it became impossible for them to progress alone anymore.
It all started 15 years ago when Nehal & I first met coincidentally at a cultural ceremony. We were fresh graduates with modest experience and limited resources but with strong faith and belief in our love, ourselves, and our aspirations. Nehal & I were aware of the numerous economic and social challenges awaiting us. We knew that the way is long and difficult and; therefore, we were determined to go through it together.
A Picture of me and my dear Nehal.
We worked hard for years to achieve our goals of owning an independent home, raising our children properly, and getting prestigious jobs. Life was generous enough to bestow us all what we dreamed of. We were blessed to have our two children Sham & Zain, and to own a fancy & spacious home in the heart of Gaza City, and finally to get wonderful jobs in prestigious organizations.
A photo of my family in our new home in the Al-Rimal neighborhood.
Nehal & I participated as Jury Members of the Welfare Association Award for the Cultural Sector in Palestine.
My son Zain was finally able to attend his dream school, but the school was destroyed in the war in Gaza.
Our family in a supporting visit to my daughter Sham while training with her Basketball team. The club was destroyed in the current war.
Shockingly, all our dreams as well as our home and aspirations collapsed after October 7. Only a few days after October 7, my family and I were forced to evacuate our beloved home in the Al-Rimal neighborhood because of the Israeli massive shelling attacks on us. Explosions and shelling were random and none of our neighborhood’s houses survived. When I first saw my dream home, I could not help but cry. It was shocking to see our big achievement falling apart.
Our dream home after it was bombed and destroyed.
What added insult to injury was having my wife, Nehal, stuck in the West Bank, as she was on a business trip only days before October 7. It was the first time for us to be far apart and I found myself forced to take care of my children alone. It took us 40 days to reunite again and get Nehal back to Gaza.
A report in The Washington Post about my Wife while stranded in Ramallah https://wapo.st/3rOiFpE
Ever since, my family and I have been fleeing for our safety, now having evacuated 5 times living in catastrophic conditions with no electricity, no running water, and no food security. With threatening to attack Rafah, there is nowhere else for us to go in Gaza.
This is where I turn to you my friends all over the world to seek your help to survive my family and evacuate from Gaza. I hope to find a safe place for my family outside Gaza till it is possible to go back and rebuild what has been destroyed. Your support, no matter how modest it is will make a significant impact on our lives which are at risk now. Your support might save our lives and help us start over.
My sincere thanks to you for reading my story and for your support and feelings.
Your donation will help cover the fees of evacuating me and my family across the border to Egypt and help us pay off our debts and repair our apartment once the war ends. I am transferring the funds through my wife's aunt in Calgary, Canada to my sister in Egypt who will help us pay the Egyptian authorities to cross the border.
Organizer
Mohammad Qazzaz
Organizer
Calgary, AB