Help Selma's Family Escape the Horror of Gaza War

Hello,

I am reaching out on behalf of a dear friend, Salma, and her family, who are urgently seeking assistance to escape the escalating dangers of the war in Gaza. I met Salma in 2011, when I was working in Gaza. I always remember how her smile lit up the room as she walked in for her interview.

Salma and Marina, Gaza Beach 2015.

Over the years, I have come to know her as the most resourceful, incredibly strong woman, who was able to remain positive and strong through everything that has happened in Gaza before this war. She has had a successful career in the non-profit sector for many years and has also worked as a freelance trainer and translator. She raised five wonderful children and always found a way to provide for them, no matter what challenges they were facing along the way. That she is asking for help this way means that they have exhausted all their resources and are truly desperate to reach safety, so that her children can continue their education and have hope of a safe future.

The costs involved are staggering - depending on the broker they range from $6,000 to $10,000 and can even go up to $12,000. The family will also need support to cover their costs once in Egypt for at least six months. Your donation will help pay for:

Salma’s family is her whole life. Please support them through this campaign. Thank you!

What follows are Salma’s and her daughter's words describing their family and what they are currently experiencing in Gaza, and a desperate plea for help from a mother who is in fear for her children's lives and futures.

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My name is Salma Abu Oriban, and I am reaching out to you with a plea from the heart. I am a mother, a wife, and the sole provider for my family of seven, including five beautiful children. We have endured unimaginable hardships living in the Gaza Strip, surrounded by the constant threat of war and violence. In the face of all the hardships, I was able to work and support my family until 2018. Since 2018, finding work and providing for my family became increasingly challenging, but we were still managing.

My daughter Nada, who helped write this, is a stellar student in her final year at the Faculty of Software Engineering. My son Muhammad was supposed to start his first year at the Faculty of Commerce this year. My daughter Hoda, who is nineteen, was in her last year in secondary school and my second son, Habib, sixteen, was in the first year of secondary school. And my little girl, Jana, nine years old, was in primary school. All of our lives have been upended by the war but the most heartbreaking loss has been the hope for a better future for my children.

We were a simple, happy family, until the war started. We have lived through the horrors of several previous wars in Gaza but it has never been as horrific as this. Nowhere is safe anymore and I am in constant fear for the lives of my children. My family was displaced from our home, food is scarce, we don’t have clean water.

The cost of evacuating from Gaza is prohibitively high, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 per person. As a family of seven, this amount is simply beyond our reach and I have no option but to reach out for help to secure a safe exit from Gaza and give my family a chance for a new start somewhere safe.

The funds are not just a price of crossing from constant life threatening danger to peace and safety; they are a means of our survival. They will offer a chance for my children to be safe, to live without fear, to continue their education, pursue their dreams, and to build a brighter future. Your donation would contribute to providing the lifeline that saves my family from the horrors of war.

Thank you for your kindness, compassion and generosity.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Salma