Help Abdallah and his Family Survive in Gaza

Stephanos Wenner is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hello, my name is Stephanos Wenner, and I live in Northern Virginia. I’d like to share the story of a remarkable young man I met online through Snapchat, Abdallah Abu Lebdah.

A smart and resilient young man from Gaza who is doing everything he can to care for his three sisters and Mother, amid unimaginable hardship.

As you may know, Gaza is facing a devastating, man-made famine. Food is scarce, prices are impossibly high, and essentail lifesaving aid sits blocked at the border while families starve. Abdallah, his sisters and his Mother are among those struggling daily just to survive.

When I asked Abdallah if I could share his story to seek support, he gratefully agreed. Now, I’m reaching out, hoping we can come together to provide urgent relief for him and his family. Every contribution, no matter how small, will help put food in their stomach and bring them hope in this dire situation. Please take time to read his message below.

Abdallah's message:

Hello, my name is Abdallah Abu Lebdah, and I live in Khan Younis. Me and my family were displaced under the bombing and destruction everywhere around us. We are now living in a worn-out tent made of cloth and nylon. The suffering has been torn apart and does not stop. Every day we wake up hoping to get a little food and water. So that I do not see the fatigue and sadness on the faces of my Mother and sisters, I always try to provide everything for them. Please be a reason for our happiness and try to help me, please.

I have not been to school for two years. I attended Al-Mutanabbi Secondary School for Boys. Since the beginning of the war, my school was destroyed, and with it my dreams that I dreamed of achieving one day were destroyed, but because of the genocide, we are now living the worst days of our lives. I am now 17 years old, and I am supposed to be living the best days of my life, just like any person my age outside of Gaza, but here in Gaza, everything is different. We live our lives as if I were 70 years old. Everything is difficult for you everywhere. Every day, the fear increases more and more. You are afraid of losing someone from your family, you are afraid of living miserable and alone. It is enough that we lost our home and everything.

Before the war, I was one of the best students in my school. I was always the top student in the school. I even did many presentations and I also got a certificate from an artificial intelligence program because I won the competition and I was the first. I created a tennis game, but it was special, I designed it. Instead of moving the mouse, I used my hand. I moved my hand in front of the camera and the racket moved.

Then the war came and all our dreams became to provide one loaf of bread that would be enough for me and my little sisters.

Everyone in the world is looking forward to the future, but here we are hoping the past will return.

I wish I could go back to our home. I wish I had just a bed to sleep on. I'm so tired of the life we live here. Our home was completely destroyed, and with it all our dreams and beautiful memories in it.

In fact, words fail to describe the feelings and life that I live in Gaza (bombing, destruction, genocide, war, hunger, famine; poverty, starvation, cold, drought, water, fatigue, disease, pollution, .....) If I keep talking, I will never finish.