Help My Family Rebuild Their Lives

My name is Youssef, and I am a Palestinian chef living in Alice Springs, Australia.

I was born in a refugee camp in Cairo into a Palestinian refugee family. Displacement has shaped my family for generations. I grew up hearing stories about Palestine, loss, survival, and the homes our family was forced to leave behind. Food became one of the strongest ways we stayed connected to who we are.

Some of my earliest memories are of cooking alongside my grandmother, learning recipes that had been passed down through generations. Those recipes are more than meals. They carry our history, our culture, our memories, and our sense of home.

Today, my family is once again trying to rebuild after losing almost everything.

Thirty-four members of my family were displaced from Gaza during the war and were later evacuated to Egypt. Although they escaped immediate danger, they are now living as refugees and facing the daily challenge of rebuilding their lives from the ground up.

They need stable housing, food, medical care, education for their children, and the basic security every family deserves.

Living in Australia while my family faces these challenges has been incredibly difficult. I wanted to create a long-term way for people who care about our family to support them directly and meaningfully.

This GoFundMe will help my family cover essential living costs as they rebuild their lives in Egypt, including:

- Food and groceries

- Rent and housing

- Medical care

- Children’s education

- Clothing and everyday necessities

- Urgent and unexpected expenses

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a real difference. Your support will help my family find stability, dignity, and the chance to begin again after years of displacement and loss.

For me, this fundraiser is also about preserving something that displacement has never been able to take from us: our family, our memories, our food, and our connection to Palestine.

If you are unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser with your friends, family, and community would mean just as much.

Thank you for standing with my family and helping us build a safer future while keeping alive the traditions and stories that connect us across generations.

With gratitude,

Youssef