Help Ahmad’s family evacuate from Gaza

I am Sarah from Suffolk, and I’m trying to raise funds to help evacuate my professional friend Ahmad and his family from the heartbreaking crisis in Gaza.

Their story, in his own words, is as follows:

Hello, Ahmed Al-Hout and I am from the G.a.z.a Strip. A web developer and a graduate of Computer Systems Engineering from Al-Azhar University - G.a.z.a. My family and I enjoyed beautiful days in a beautiful house. Our simple life was destroyed. We lost everything we had. We also lost many of our loved ones. In this terrible war.

My immediate family, including me, my wife and my little girl, fled first to my aunt's house in Rafah city which was also bombed. We narrowly escaped death. Then we fled to Mawasi Khan Younis. I once dreamed of becoming a world-class web developer, but the war shattered my dreams and those of my family.

I was working as a WordPress programmer in a company in the G.a.z.a Strip and I also worked as a freelancer on freelance platforms and worked with clients abroad including Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Egypt and Albania on a fragmented system when the genocide began. The electricity was cut off, the internet was cut off, I lost my job in the company, I lost my clients abroad and I lost everything I had built.

After living without shelter for 3 days on the streets of Khan Younis, we secured tents and this is where we are now. Our children are cold and hungry, we lack sanitary supplies, we drink contaminated water, and we do not have enough food, which adds to our suffering. The war has been devastating and we are facing unimaginable hardships. We fear an imminent invasion by the Israeli army.

I am asking for your help to move my family across the Egyptian border to safety before the invasion

Required:

The cost of traveling to Egypt through Yahla Travel and Tourism is $5,000 per person. We are a family of 3. I am Ahmed, my wife and my daughter Hanan, who is two years and four months old.

Saving our family means overcoming financial and bureaucratic challenges. The costs of safe passage to Egypt and obtaining the necessary legal documents are significant obstacles that we cannot overcome on our own.

The opportunity to evacuate to a safe place is looming, but the road ahead is full of obstacles. In order to safely cross the Rafah crossing and reach Egypt, each adult must pay $5,000, and $2,500 for those under the age of sixteen. Judging by conversations with friends who have crossed the border, the cost of transportation from Rafah to Egypt has increased significantly during the ongoing war.

When I arrive in Egypt, we will also need to secure housing, purchase basic furnishings for our living space such as mattresses, and purchase a new laptop so that I can continue working.

While our intention is to secure employment and become self-sufficient, it would be very helpful to be able to cover rent and living expenses for a few months while we process the trauma we have experienced. Additionally, my family needs immediate access to healthcare for check-ups, as months of unhealthy food and exposure to various diseases have taken their toll on our shelters. The cost of all these needs is estimated at around $3,500.

Breakdown of costs:

Entry of 2 adults to Egypt = 2 x $5,000 = $10,000

Entry of 1 child to Egypt = 1 x $2,500 = $2,500

Living expenses for 3 months to move to Egypt = $3,500

Total: $16,000 or around £16,000

GoFundme is a valuable platform for supporting the needs of many people around the world, but it does not allow Middle Easterners like me to withdraw funds unless we have European bank accounts. My close friend from West Suffolk, UK, Sarah, has offered to help me withdraw the funds from this crowdfunding and then make sure they are received. The donated funds will be used to complete the registration process with the travel agency, cover the associated fees and cover our living expenses in Egypt.

Through GoFundMe, I appeal to you not only as potential donors but as beacons of hope in our darkest hours, to help us rise from the ashes and rebuild our shattered lives.

Your contribution is a lifeline for my family and many others like us. It will not only provide sustenance and shelter, but also restore the tools I need to rebuild my career as a graphic designer. Your generosity will breathe new life into our family, ignite hope and inspiration that can help us overcome the harsh realities we face.

How can you help:

Donation: any donation will support our efforts to cover the logistical and financial challenges of crossing the border into Egypt. As soon as we settled in Egypt and resumed work،

Share:

by sharing our story, you expand our reach for help beyond our direct reach, potentially saving our lives.

Support:

any guidance, resources or assistance you can provide will be of great value in our pursuit of safety and stability.