Hello my name is faten and i'm fundraising for my friend

The following with her story

I'm Ghada Samir from Gaza, a pharmacist and devoted mother of four. Despite our relentless efforts to provide a promising future for our children, the war in October 2023 brought unimaginable devastation, destroying our home and displacing us continuously since its onset. Our health has suffered severely due to the scarcity of essential medications, adding to the challenges we face daily. Despite these hardships, I remain determined to rebuild our lives and secure a better future for my family. I'm now seeking support to continue my education at the University of Dundee in Scotland, hoping to create stability and opportunity, especially for my youngest, Zain, born amidst conflict, who deserves a peaceful tomorrow.

Ghada the Loving mother and the hard-working pharmacist

Before the war, I was employed at the Middle East Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Company (Megapharm), one of the prominent pharmaceutical companies in Gaza. With 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, I have a promising career and a great desire to take this career to the next level to contribute to my community and the growing pharmaceutical field, especially the company I was working at, which was on the verge of expanding its market reach beyond Gaza—a step that could open the door for more opportunities for Gaza's young pharmacists and revolutionize this industry in Gaza. With a huge urge to be a key contributor to this evolution through my knowledge and skills, I embarked on a journey to obtain a master's degree in the UK.

To prepare for this step, I dedicated significant time and effort, juggling full-time work, and evening IELTS courses to pass the exam, and attending various training programs related to pharmaceutical manufacturing. With the support of my husband, who has administrative work at Al-Isra University (which was totally destroyed in this war), he faced a lot of hardship and suffering with me, taking on household work and childcare responsibilities over the past year to help me pass the IELTS exam and pursue my dream of obtaining a master's degree from the UK.

After a very tough period, I successfully passed the IELTS exam with a score of 6.5 and obtained certificates from several specialized training courses. All this work paid off as I was accepted to pursue a master's degree at the University of Dundee in Scotland. I reached out to the university and managed to secure a partial scholarship, reducing my tuition fees from £20,900 to £8,765 (10430.57 EUR). However, even with this significant reduction, we still couldn't gather enough funds to sustain our living expenses for a year in Scotland. Consequently, I made the difficult decision to postpone my master's program until September 2024. During this time, my husband and I committed to taking on additional work and making every possible financial adjustment to save the necessary funds for both my education and our family's stay in Scotland.

Balancing long work hours, caring for my children, and anticipating the arrival of my fourth child was no easy feat. Yet, the prospect of furthering my education and securing a brighter future for my children served as the light of hope that kept me persevering through the challenges.

Then, the onset of war stripped away everything from me except my unwavering determination to carve out a better life for my family.

The war and its challenges

At the beginning of the war, we were forced to evacuate our house, which was bombed and totally destroyed. We lost all our belongings and found shelter with relatives, where we shared limited space with up to 50 people inhabiting a house designed for many fewer. The living conditions became extremely challenging. The scarcity of basic necessities such as food, water, and medicine, the lack of clean drinking water, inadequate hygiene due to water shortages, and mountains of rubbish accumulated in the streets due to disrupted municipal services posed significant health risks that badly affected us. The pervasive smell of death in the streets, with countless bodies remaining under the rubble, and the inability to retrieve and bury them, further intensified the hardships we faced.

My husband, who has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, served as an administrator at Al-Isra University, which was brutally bombed during the war, resulting in his sudden unemployment. This added to the already difficult circumstances we faced as a family. Now he is struggling to afford even basic necessities like food, water, and medicine for our family, including crucial supplies for our infant like milk and diapers. These basic needs become expensive in a crazy way due to the war. On top of job loss, the rising costs and skyrocketing prices have forced us to use all our savings, originally meant for my education and our new life in Scotland, just to survive each day.

I have lost many friends and relatives in this devastating war. What kills me the most is that there is no room for grief. You are forced to carry out the arduous tasks of daily life, no matter your circumstances or psychological state.

Sadly, I found myself in a particularly challenging situation as I was in my seventh month of pregnancy when the war started. The scarcity of adequate food and medication, coupled with the physically demanding tasks I had to undertake daily, led to my suffering from anemia and malnutrition.

Zain

Zain, my youngest child, was born amidst this barbaric war. Since coming into this world, he has never known a peaceful day without the threat of bombing. The night I gave birth to Zain was a piece of hell. With the cellular connection cut off that day, we couldn't reach out for an ambulance. With no other choice, and as my situation grew more dire, we had to take a private car to the hospital on a night filled with danger. I have never felt such horror in my life as we crossed empty streets, the sound of bombs exploding around us, praying we wouldn't be the next target.

Upon reaching the hospital, the attending doctor immediately recognized the critical nature of our situation. She urgently called for the preparation of an emergency operating room to safeguard both my well-being and that of the baby. The feeble heartbeat of the fetus posed a grave risk, and the possibility of losing him loomed large. In a state of unpreparedness, without sterilization or appropriate surgical attire, I was swiftly ushered into the operating room. Tragically, the unavailability of anesthesia forced me to endure the excruciating pains of childbirth without respite. The experience was unbearable, leaving an indelible mark on both my life and that of my child. Subsequently, due to respiratory issues, we had to transport him to the hospital on multiple occasions following his birth.

Witnessing my newborn endure agony from his very first day left me pondering the injustice of his plight. Our struggle to procure basic necessities such as milk and diapers, which were exorbitantly priced, severely strained our already limited budget, compounding our distress.

My children

Dear Children,

I have three other children: Mohammed, Dima, and Hisham. They were filled with excitement as they began their educational journey, as school had just started a month before the outbreak of the war. Before the conflict, my children enjoyed activities such as playing soccer at the local club and leisurely swims in the sea and recreational areas on weekends. These activities brought them joy and a sense of normalcy.

Since the war began, their lives have been disrupted, and their daily activities have been reduced to searching for drinking water, handwashing their clothes, and gathering firewood for cooking. This tragic change, combined with the constant fear of shelling, has resulted in serious health issues and psychological crises that will take time to overcome.

Mohammad (13 years old)

My eldest son, Mohammad (13 years old), is very talented in acting and takes part in annual theater workshops and summer plays. He is a joyful individual who aspires to become a doctor. Before the war, Mohammed attended language, computer, and math courses and competitions. He enjoyed playing football at the local club, but the war has transformed him into a child skilled at starting fires for cooking, searching for clean water, and waiting in long queues at aid centers. In addition, Mohammad was also afflicted with hepatitis A during the conflict, exacerbated by the scarcity of medications and the difficulty accessing overcrowded healthcare facilities, overwhelmed with casualties and the wounded around the clock.

Dima (9 years old)

Dima, my cherished daughter and the heart of our home, astonished me one day during the war by meticulously compiling a list of all the displaced individuals sheltering with us—each parent and child included. She made multiple copies of this list and strategically placed them throughout our residence. When I asked her about it, she explained that in the event our home was bombed, civil defense teams could use these lists to locate and rescue everyone from the rubble. She had heard distressing reports about countless casualties trapped under collapsed buildings, motivating her proactive step.

Dima is gifted in mathematics and aspires to become an esteemed math teacher for children. Alongside her academic talents, she has a knack for crafting bead accessories. She utilized this skill to create personalized bracelets for each family member, inscribed with their names, as a precaution in case they were tragically lost. During the war, she contracted hepatitis A from her brother due to the cramped living conditions and their close proximity, compounded by a lack of access to necessary medications, which made her recovery particularly challenging. As a token of hope and love, she fashioned a special bracelet adorned with white and blue beads for her infant brother, Zain.

Hisham (8 years old)

My third child Hisham, is the light of our house with his sweet talk that everyone loves. He always says, "It's okay if the war continues, but you need to provide me with clean water, good food, delicious fruit, and lots of cookies so I can endure the war." He used to spend his days between school and playing football, but now his activities are limited to collecting firewood and starting the cooking fire.

The Hope for a Brighter future

The enduring effects of the war have left deep physical and emotional wounds in our lives. The challenges endured throughout my pregnancy and Zain's birth stands as a poignant reminder of the immense horrors our family has faced. Through sharing our narrative, I aim to illuminate the pressing necessity for aid and solidarity to help our family, who have borne the profound consequences of this genocide.

Today, I humbly appeal for your assistance to help me pursue my master's degree at the University of Dundee in September 2024. This financial support is crucial for me to rebuild my life and provide a better future for my children. The opportunity to study abroad will not only enable me to enhance my knowledge and skills but also empower me to contribute to the reconstruction and development of my homeland upon my return.

The war has shattered our dreams and aspirations, leaving us in dire need of assistance. Your help represents our last and only chance to reclaim our future and rebuild our lives. I sincerely hope that you will provide me with the necessary support to help me and my family overcome the hardships we currently face

Fund breakdown:

In order to facilitate my family’s evacuation from Gaza to Scotland, I am setting up a campaign to raise 71,531 EUR Here is the breakdown of the funds

- (9200 EUR) 4600 EUR each for me and my husband.

- (9200 EUR) 2300 EUR for each of my children.

- 7000 EUR ⁠for Treatment and Medication

- 3600 EUR plane tickets

- 10431 EUR tuition fees for university

- 3500 EUR ⁠Visa fees

- 14600 EUR ⁠Financial requirement to support students outside London

- 14000 EUR ⁠Nursery for Zain

Your assistance and support will enable me to pursue my education further and secure a brighter future for my children. With your help, Zain can experience a day of normalcy, Mohammed can pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, Dima's laughter won't be masked by fear, but by celebration and Hisham will enjoy the simple pleasures of food, cookies, and fruit – things no child should be denied - without enduring the horrors of war and the inhumane conditions in Gaza. Together, with your help we can end this war's nightmare and give our children hope for a brighter tomorrow.