I am fundraising for Raneen Abu Amsha, a courageous mother of five children who, like so many others in Gaza, is struggling to provide her family with the essentials: food, medicine, and shelter.

Raneen's children have developed skin diseases due to the lack of hygiene and access to clean water. They have been living in a torn tent for months, enduring extreme cold weather. At night, her children often wake up soaked from rain leaking through the tent, after having gone to bed without any food during the day.

I have been supporting her family as much as I can, but I cannot do it alone. Prices for essentials in Gaza are skyrocketing, and access to humanitarian aid is almost nonexistent.

The funds collected will be spent to provide food for her family, medicine for the skin diseases of her children and hopefully rebuild their life.

Below Raneen tells her story in her own words:

My name is Raneen, and I am a mother to five children: Jana (8 years old), Eileen (7 years old), Zeina (5 years old), Ghazal (4 years old), and Musa (2 years old). I hold a degree in Business Administration and English, while my husband graduated in Social Services. Despite our education, we are both unemployed. We were displaced from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on the first day of the war, fleeing to an uncertain fate after our home was bombed. We narrowly escaped death.

Initially, we sought shelter in a UNRWA school in Jabalia camp, but it too was bombed, and we lost one of our children. We were forced to flee again, this time to southern Gaza, enduring more than 11 displacements. We eventually ended up in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area, which was falsely claimed to be safe. There, we found nothing but fear, constant bombings, destruction, and the terrified screams of children.

We now live in a torn tent that barely protects us from the cold and rain. It feels as if we are living on the streets. We lack even the most basic human necessities, such as proper shelter and access to a clean bathroom. Instead, we relieve ourselves in a hole without water or sanitation, and we sleep on bare sand without a mattress. This has caused my children and me to suffer from contagious skin diseases for months.

My children are traumatized. The constant bombings and fear have led to involuntary urination. My youngest son, Musa, clings to me in terror. Our dreams are shattered, and my children’s future is being destroyed. There is no access to education, no food, and no hope. Food has become something to look at but not to buy because prices have skyrocketed. Every day, I hear my children crying, craving even the simplest meals. But I cannot afford even a piece of bread.

I appeal to anyone with mercy in their heart: please help me provide food, clean water, medicine, and a warm tent for my children. We need a way out of this nightmare. Whenever we try to move forward in this miserable existence, it feels impossible. We are living in a hell that consumes everything and everyone around it.

My children have lost their childhood. Their spirits have aged before their time. My eldest daughter, only 8 years old, stands in line for hours to get us a small plate of food—often not enough for one person. She returns in tears, unable to fill her plate because of the overwhelming crowds. She also queues to fill a single bottle of water to quench her sisters’ thirst. The sight of my children suffering breaks my heart. Childhood should be filled with play and learning, not hunger and fear.

We have lost everything—our home, our possessions, and our peace. With your help, we could begin to rebuild our lives. My family and I now live in an unsafe area, still searching for safety and basic necessities. My children deserve to live in peace, to have food, milk, and proper healthcare.

I wish I could take my children away from this destruction, chaos, and disease to a safe place. We desperately need your help to escape this dire situation. For over a year, we have faced death every single day, while the world has done nothing to stop the bloodshed. We are fighting for survival with empty stomachs, frail bodies, and shattered spirits.

Please help us secure a better future for my children. They deserve to grow up in safety, away from the horrors of war. Your support could save their lives and give them a chance to thrive. Help me give my children the life they deserve, free from fear and devastation.