Hello, my name is Lucy and I am based in East Anglia in the UK. I am raising funds for Alaa's family in Nuseirat, Gaza, a family of nine people trying to surviving in the midst of genocide. My friend Rachel originally knew the family as she has taught English online to one family member.

These are Alaa's words below:

My name is Alaa. I live with my large family of nine people. We used to live in a small but warm house that held all our memories and our sense of safety.

Unfortunately, the occupation forced us to leave it after our area was designated as one that must be evacuated.

We left everything behind — the home we built brick by brick, the memories, and the sense of security — and started a new journey into the unknown.

We moved to a new area, trying to adapt to the harsh conditions and the overwhelming challenges.

Life here is a daily struggle for survival.

Everything has become so expensive, beyond what we could have ever imagined.

Even the simplest things we used to take for granted have now become luxuries we cannot afford.

Flour — the most basic staple we rely on for baking our daily bread — now costs $20 per kilo.

Sometimes we have to reduce how much bread we make, or stretch it with whatever else we can find, just to get by for one more day.

Sugar has reached an unimaginable $80 per kilo. Even a simple cup of sweetened tea feels like a far-off dream.

Firewood — which we rely on for cooking and warmth — has also become extremely scarce and expensive.

Prices have soared so high that we now sometimes share a single piece of wood or scavenge for scraps of branches and broken planks to burn.

Sometimes, we resort to burning paper or cardboard — anything that can give us a little heat to cook a small meal or boil water.

The kerosene we use for cooking and sometimes for light at night now costs $28 per liter, an amount we simply can’t afford.

We often sit in total darkness when the last candle burns out, asking ourselves how we’ll make it through the next day.

We have to ration what little food we have, sometimes sharing one small meal among all of us.

Even the quality of the food we eat has become poor and cheap, just to avoid going completely hungry.

Every day, I live with a constant sense of anxiety and tension.

I wonder: how will we survive tomorrow?

I try to stay strong for my mother, father, and siblings, but the truth is, I feel so helpless.

I see the fear and worry on my family’s faces, and I wish I could provide for them. But the prices and the circumstances are beyond my control.

Life is no longer what it used to be.

It’s filled with fear, deprivation, and uncertainty.

Our days are heavy with worry, and our only hope is that someone will help us make it through this hardship.

Today, from the bottom of my heart,

I ask you to extend a helping hand to us.

Your donations, no matter how small, could mean the difference between a new day filled with hunger and despair, or one with a glimmer of hope and dignity.

Thank you for your kindness and for listening.

May God bless you with goodness and abundance.