Many of us watch the suffering in Gaza and wonder, what can I possibly do to help?

We can’t help everyone, but we CAN help this family of eight as they navigate displacement, hunger and genocide.

We have the unique privilege of being able to help the family of Ashraf Mahmoud Abdel Hay Hussein. Please consider partnering with us. No donation is too small.

Ashraf is 29 years old. He is the eldest son of the family. His father Mahmoud suffers from a heart condition and high blood pressure. Nahla is his mother. Her name means "a drink of water," "first drink," or "water in the desert," symbolizing life, purity, and refreshment, and can also refer to a "honeybee" in Arabic, representing sweetness and hard work. His brothers are Ahmed and Abdullah. His sisters, Asil (married and living with her husband in a tent about a 30-minute walk from the family tent), Hadeel, Hala and Jouri. Jouri is the youngest and will turn ten on February 14th.

The family currently live in a tent in Mawasi, Khan Younis refugee camp. They were forced to leave their home in Rafah on May 12, 2024, and have been displaced four times in total since then. Rafah to the Tel al-Sultan area in Rafah, then to Mawasi Rafah, Fash Farsh and now they are in Mawasi Khan Yunis.

“The last time I was displaced, I was at a checkpoint from Tel al-Sultan under fire and shelling. Those were some of the hardest days of my life. Martyrs lay in the streets, and the wounded bled, and no one could do anything for them. Even the Red Crescent and ambulance crews were killed and buried with the ambulance. Every time we were displaced, it was under fire and shelling. The hardest time was when I was displaced from Rafah to Khan Younis. Gunfire was directed at the car we were trying to move some belongings in. I moved some. The rest remained where they were. Those were very, very difficult days we lived through, my sister. The pain and suffering are beyond human comprehension. We slept on the street and on the asphalt, I would return to the tent, risking my life, just to get a blanket for my sister Jouri so she could keep warm. I risked my life and have shots fired overhead to protect anything my family ate. We spent hours and days outside the tent with no food or anything else, and we slept in the streets.”

Ashraf is a Laboratory Medical Technologist. Before the “war” he worked as a Medical Analysis Specialist at Al-Azhar University and private laboratories. He volunteered at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah collecting blood from donors for the injured and sick. He would go out under bombardment and fire, to any shelter centers, displacement camps, field hospitals, and others, to collect blood units for the injured.

Eventually, employment disappeared as facilities were destroyed and the family was forced to leave. He continued to volunteer whenever possible at a blood banks. In fact, this is how we eventually connected with Ashraf. He befriended Nick Docktare a Sarnia born nurse when Nick came to donate blood. After returning from Gaza, Nick spoke to our group, Sarnians4Palestine about his experience volunteering there.

A few months ago, Ashraf was able to secure a volunteer position working in his field at Al Shifa Hospital. Six days a week he walks fourteen kms to and from work. It is an unpaid position, but Ashraf is very grateful for the opportunity to help the sick and injured.

The suffering has not ended. Bombing continues despite the “ceasefire.” The family desperately needs our help to survive. We’ve been able to provide shelter, food and other necessities of life. We are making a difference.

“Do you know I'm writing to you while my heart aches from the memories of what I've lived through, my sister?”

“The donations helped us set up the tent and protect us from the rain and storms, and many other things. The donations also help us provide food, clothes, blankets, and other necessities. Your donations help us in the most difficult circumstances, my sister, when we couldn't even find bread to eat. Every dollar helps us a lot in securing the family's basic needs: food, drink, clothes, blankets, and so on.”

“After this war it is my dream is studying for a master’s degree in hematology, but right now I can only think of helping my family survive.”

“I hope you will stand by us, my sister, for we are human beings like everyone else. We are brothers and sisters. We want to live in peace, security, and tranquility. We want to live in comfort.”

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Ashraf, his family and our mission to help during this very difficult time. If you can, please consider donating and sharing our campaign.

NOTE: This GoFundMe continues month after month and began 10 months ago. Consequently, we raise the goal amount as time goes on rather than beginning a new GoFundMe. It takes time to have a GoFundMe vetted and approved, time that would delay help reaching the Hussein family. After consultation with GoFundMe advisors, this was viewed as the best option given the situation.