Hello I'm Yev,

I'm hosting this fundraiser on behalf of my friend, to help them relocate to safety as GoFundMe is not available in Lebanon. They are urgently trying to escape their home country of Lebanon due to persecution and war. The following is their letter to you:

Hello!

I’m a queer person from Lebanon. I never expected that one day I’d need to leave my country for my own safety, but this is the situation I find myself in now.

My country has become increasingly unaccepting of queer people, seeing an increase in targeted attacks and death threats. I've witnessed family members, who were close friends with queers in the past, grow so hateful that they now unapologetically say they should be killed. Even worse, my own parents regularly voice such thoughts.

I’m always trying my best not to raise suspicion about my identity. Forced into suppressing my authentic self, hiding clothes I love but can’t wear, trying not to get close to people, limiting my social interactions and presence etc.

I’m aiming to leave for Spain where I have some support. I'd continue my education, and would finally be able to focus on myself without the constant fear of dying. However, I can't do this without funds.

With the economy here, it is virtually impossible to find a job that pays a liveable wage. I ended up becoming the main caretaker of my sibling, and have tried to supliment income by selling my crafts, but it isn't enough.

And now.......my country is at war.

In my 25 years of existence all I’ve ever known was surviving, I can’t recall a time where I could pursue my dreams, from home and financial situations to a country in crisis and war.

I’ve experienced war at the age of 8, where it started in our area and I thought this is it, maybe I wasn’t meant to live long... A thought no kid should ever have.

Today, my area is targeted again. Evacuating to safety has been a challenge we were lucky to overcome, but I can’t distract myself from the horrors with my childhood toys anymore, I can only hope it ends soon.

I’m not the kind of person who asks for help normally, preferring to exhaust all other options first. But it's clear now - I can't do this alone, or fast enough. So I'm here to ask for help.

Any donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference to me, and sharing this fundraiser will be equally appreciated.

These donations will be used to help me get to Spain, and to pay for rent and basic necessities for around a year at most, as I get settled in and find my footing after immigrating.

The following is an expense breakdown for how the collected donations will be used:

Rent: ~€600

Groceries: ~ €150

Phone and internet: €40

Transportation: €40

Insurance: €50

Water and electricity: ~ €160

Total: approximately €1040/month

Thank you for reading this far, you have my deepest gratitude, and I hope one day I get to pay it forward.

With gratitude.