This is a fundraiser for Tala Al-Haj, a 15-year-old trying to evacuate herself and her family from Gaza. She and her siblings want to continue their educations, which have been halted since the start of the war.

Here is Tala’s story in her own words:

Hello, I am Tala Al-Haj, I am 15 years old, in the tenth grade, from Palestine, specifically

Gaza. I love life very much.

I have many dreams, the most important of which is to complete my education and

become a doctor, but because of the war on Gaza, this dream is destroyed. I have not gone

to school for 7 months now, and I had a talent that I loved very much, which is writing

stories, and I had a hobby of horse riding, but because of the war, I could not live a life. She

is normal like the rest of the children in the world

As well as my family members, I have a beautiful family consisting of 5 members, Abi

Bahaa

My mother Areej

And my big brother Muhammad

And I am Tala

And my little sister, Hala

Every member of my family has his own dreams that they want to achieve.

Since the beginning of the war, my family and I have not lived a normal life. Rather, we have

lived a life full of suffering. Our suffering began with forced displacement from our home in

Gaza to the south. We left everything in our home.

A month after our displacement to the south in the Nuseirat camp, specifically on the night

of my birthday, the house opposite our’s was bombed, and it was truly one of the most

difficult nights.

After all this, the Nuseirat camp was threatened with evacuation to Rafah in preparation for

its ground invasion. We did not know what to do at this moment, and when the danger

increased, my family and I decided to flee to Rafah. We fled to Rafah after a very terrifying

night.

We arrived in Rafah. Since our arrival and displacement to Rafah, a new meaning began.

We lived in one of the tents in one of the deserts of Rafah, in a very small tent that could

accommodate two people. We lived in it for five people. You can imagine how cold the tent

is at night and the complete opposite in the morning. You can imagine what the condition

would be like. The tent after a rainy night

After more than a month, Rafah was threatened with a ground invasion, so my family and I

decided to return to Nuseirat camp despite the danger

My older brother, Muhammad, wanted to become an interior designer and was in his first

year of university, but because of the war, his dream was destroyed

My little sister, Hala, wanted to complete her education and become a doctor, but because

of the war, her dream was destroyed

My mother wanted to take a master’s degree in psychological counseling. She is a

psychologist in a school in Gaza. She loved her work and helping children to get rid of the

problems they face in their lives.

My father was an accountant in a Gaza company. He loved his work and worked hard, but

because of the war, he lost his job

I hope you can help me cover the expensive travel costs so that I and my family members

can survive and try to live a normal life like the rest of the families in the world.

I hope you can help us