Help support Ahmed's family in Gaza

Story

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead Dear Friends… Please meet my friend Ahmed, a Palestinian refugee who is in dire need of help at the moment. Ahmed currently lives in the Sijsele refugee camp near Bruges, Belgium. I recently had the privilege of spending a week with him in Belgium to learn more about his very difficult current situation and life story. Ahmed and his daughter, Amina (now 5) Most of you will know about the horrors happening in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. The human rights violations are endless and Israel has been taken to the ICJ by South Africa on the charge of genocide. What you may not know is that Palestinians have been suffering for 75 years, since the Nakba (Great Catastrophe" of 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes). There have been countless massacres every few years (too many to mention here) but this is relevant to Ahmed’s story and current need for support. In addition to the long-standing occupation of Gaza by Israel, Ahmed and his family were deeply affected by the 2014 war. He buried over 40 family members and even before that, like so many Palestinians, struggled to support his family with the 85%+ unemployment rate. As the father of three children, and with his own father deceased, Ahmed left Gaza in 2022, in an effort to better support his family. His journey was extremely difficult and traumatic. After a harrowing boat trip, he was detained in both Turkey and Greece, subjected to torture and other mistreatment, and even thrown in the ocean to drown. He was rescued and eventually made his way Belgium in the fall of 2023. Of course, he could not have predicted the current genocide, and would do anything to return to Gaza now to protect his family. Although he is working hard to meet all the requirements, he has not yet been granted a work permit and is unable to do anything for them. (Above) 2014 in Gaza I first “met” Ahmed through my online protesting on social media. I was struck by his authenticity and kindness. At the time I was feeling very helpless in my efforts to support the people of Gaza, but I knew if there was one thing I could do, it would be to make sure just ONE PERSON from Gaza felt totally seen and heard - that world would not just see them as numbers. As Ahmed began to tell me about his children I saw his deep sense of helplessness. As a mother, I cannot imagine knowing my children were in a brutally violent war zone facing famine (and often cut off from communication) without me to protect them nor comfort them. I have spoken with Ahmed almost daily for over 6 months now, and through this friendship, I have learned so much about Palestinian culture, community and generosity, about the difficulties faced by refugees and about the depths of human resilience. In March I travelled to Belgium during Ramadan, and was able to meet Ahmed in person. His kindness and ability to express both hope and gratitude was humbling to witness in the face of such great loss. While I was in Belgium, he prepared a beautiful traditional dish for me at the camp, packed it up and rode a bus and a train to bring it to me. To this day he continually asks about the well-being of MY family. He just recently started volunteering a centre for people with cancer. He is an OUTSTANDING human. Right now, Ahmed’s wife, Shaima, and their three small children Yousef (9), Amina (5) and Jihad (4) are currently staying in a tented camp between Khan Younis and Rafah as their neighbourhood was levelled by an airstrike in the fall. 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced by such attacks, and forced to move south to Rafah - however a final attack on Rafah is now looming. In addition, Ahmed's mother and sister (and her surviving children) along with many other family members are also displaced. (Left) Ahmed's home / neighbourhood after the airstrike in Khan Younis (Right) The conditions inside the camp tent (dirt floors and flooding) (Above) Ahmed's sister makes simple bread on the floor of the tent. This photo is from months ago. Flour has become even more scarce and expensive. In just the last few months, Ahmed has lost two brothers (one was killed just a week ago), along with aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and close friends. His (recently deceased) brother’s wife is now also left with three small children - with the youngest still breastfeeding. Israel has been blocking humanitarian aid for months and Gaza is on the brink of famine. Despite thousands of aid trucks waiting at the border, many Palestinians have already died of hunger and malnutrition. Even mainstream media has now covered the massacres of people trying to access aid for their starving families. I have spoken via text with Shaima and Yousef a few times. A conversation I will never forget is when Yousef - only 9 years of age - wrote a note to me and said, “Now we are just waiting for death. We only hope that it comes [painlessly].” It absolutely broke me. Children in Gaza have lost their childhoods and have seen horrors that no one should ever witness. Children are now dying of cardiac arrest, and humanitarian aid workers have reported hearing children as young as 5 wishing for death. Many children have had to have amputations without anesthetic. It is unfathomable. It is now a common practice for families to split into smaller groups and stay in different places so that if one camp is bombed, there are still surviving members in another location. Ahmed's family have also chosen to do this. According to UN over 19,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned since October 7th. When a Palestinian child is orphaned, other family members step in the raise that child. They take care of each other’s children and love them as their own. Ahmed now has his own children as well as his deceased brother’s children to support. With the extreme scarcity of food and medicine in Gaza, prices have skyrocketed for the most basic necessities. Humanitarian aid is nearly non-existent. (Left) Pre-Oct 7 birthday party (Right) Amina (Above) Ahmed's youngest son, Jihad Ahmed’s family is relying on him for support and yet he is not permitted to work in Belgium. Not only is he grieving and suffering extreme trauma, he is in a state of utter helplessness. His family - immediate and extended - is in dire need of flour (and any other basic foods that may be available), medicine for wounds, blankets, shoes, clothing and baby formula. Both Shayma and Amina have had burns on their hands which require ointment. I fully trust Ahmed to allocate the funds responsibly. Note: In November, I sent some leftover Euros I had from a past trip to Spain to Ahmed. I thought they would be more useful to him in Belgium. He IMMEDIATELY sent the funds to Gaza. It was getting very cold there at the time. The children in the tent next to Ahmed’s family had no shoes and no blankets, so he purchased blankets for THEM. This is an aspect of Palestinian culture - this care for everyone in the community - from which we all stand to learn. It was also yet another reflection of his kind character. I am hoping to raise some money on Ahmed’s behalf, which will be sent securely to Gaza so his family can purchase the food and basic necessities needed desperately for survival. I do want to be transparent and share that Ahmed has to this day NEVER ASKED me for money. He did not even ask me to start this Go Fund Me, but when I offered he was so very grateful. Every dollar counts and no amount is too small. I really believe that by coming together, we can make a such difference for Ahmed’s family. Thanks in advance for any support! Meeting Ahmed in Belgium