Help Badr & His Family Survive in Gaza

Hi! My name is Jo Blair Cipriano and I'm a writer from Tucson, Arizona. I'm raising money to help my beautiful friend, Badr Jamal Qudeih keep himself and his family alive in Gaza.

Badr in the rubble of the bombing of his home

Badr and I first met through Instagram earlier in 2024, and became fast friends. From the first time we talked we've spoken almost every single day, sharing photos and videos of our lives with each other. Badr's spirit is beautiful: he is kind, generous, funny, and extremely bright. Before the genocide, he was a dedicated student: "I was in the most important stage of study and I was diligent, until this nightmare came and everything was destroyed," he told me.

Badr is only 19 years old (his birthday was on November 27!) and is the provider for his family of 8. After their home was destroyed, Badr and his family were forced to relocate to a displacement camp in Rafah (a designated "safe zone"—which was also bombed), and now are in a camp in Khan Younis. Badr currently is living in a tent with his mother, his father, two sisters (one older, one younger), and three younger brothers.

Badr's camp in Khan Younis, on the verge of a winter storm

Today (December 4, 2024), I spoke with Badr. "How are you, my friend?" I asked him. "We survived a massacre two hours ago," he responded.

On top of the constant threat of violence, Badr and his family are also suffering from the increasing famine in Palestine. Right now, one bag of flour is $250 in Gaza. Imagine feeding a family of 8 with one bag of flour only. Imagine having to pay $250 every time you need bread. Imagine carrying this enormous weight at 19 years old.

some food that Badr was able to buy with your donations!

When asked if he wanted to try to cross into Egypt to escape this violence, Badr immediately said no. "I will not leave my family," Badr said. "They depend on me." All Badr wants is to raise enough money to keep his family alive.

Because of strict international banking laws and because gofundme does not recognize Palestine as a state, every single cent you donate, I will send to Badr via my personal PayPal. If you'd like any type of receipt, proof, etc, please let me know and I am more than happy to provide this.

Also, please feel free to reach out to me via instagram @joblaircipriano, or also my website www.joblaircipriano.com. Badr and I are both on ig checking messages fairly often, so if you have questions, feel free to reach out anytime.

Every day, Badr and I sign off messages to each other with "stay safe" "take care of your family" "love you," never knowing what will happen next. "I hope this war ends soon," Badr says, "And our beautiful life is back."

Please help us make sure Badr and his family are there to welcome back their beautiful life. Please help Badr, only 19 years old, protect his family. So far, through donations like yours, Badr has been able to provide a tent for his family of 8 (the gofundme's banner photo), and food to keep them alive. Winter has arrived in Gaza, and the cold is becoming unbearable. We need your help to keep this beautiful family together and alive.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. May you all stay safe, take care of your family, and be loved.