Help Weam and family evacuate from Gaza

Weam is my long-time colleague and friend in Gaza, pictured here at an educational conference in July 2023. She's an inspiring teacher who champions every girl she teaches. Also pictured is her daughter Haya, receiving an art prize in the same month. Haya's a gentle soul; she loves to draw and dreams of travelling. She also loves speaking English. The warmth and humanity that shines through children like Haya in the language and storytelling sessions that I've shared with Weam is truly amazing. Denied all the freedoms that we take for granted, these children respond with love and hope, not cynicism.

In the middle is a picture of their bombed out home in November 2023. The family of 17 (Weam and her sisters' families) are now crammed into a room in Rafah living under daily bombardment with desperate shortages of food and water. They had no wish to leave their life in Gaza, compromised though it was, but now they have no option. Weam herself explains the difficult mechanics of this process below. Please help them to evacuate by donating or sharing.

I can't thank you enough, Paul

My name is Weam. My family (my husband , two sons and two daughters ) and I are citizens of Gaza, and you will know how dire the situation is here.

I, along with my sisters and their families, have never wanted or expected to leave our homeland but I believe that I am doing the right thing to help my family start a new life outside of our beloved Gaza, especially having lost our house and our jobs.

The only options for us are: either stay in Gaza and wait for our turn to die from the constant bombing , hunger or fear or save our lives by paying the Egyptians at the Rafah border crossing to get out. (Payment of 5 thousand dollars for each person and 2.5 thousand dollars for each child will be made through the only travel agency called Hala Consulting and Tourism).

After a month of war, my sister gave birth the twins ( a boy and a girl)they were born in very harsh conditions, as they struggled to provide birth and baby supplies

‏Unfortunately, the male newborn was exposed to an illness that placed him in intensive care in the nursery, and it turned out that he had acidity in the blood

‏, but they were forced to leave the hospital again to the city of Rafah in the far south. W‏ithout completing his treatment

In order to facilitate my family's evacuation from Gaza and to Egypt , I'm setting up a GoFundMe campaign to raise 60.000 £ Here is the breakdown of the funds:

• A total of 60.000 £ has been allocated to cover the expenses associated with obtaining permits to leave Gaza, as well as crossing fees at Rafah, at the Egypt-Gaza border. This amount breaks down to 5000£ per adult and 2500£ per child , including my 3 sisters's families (17 people).( Weam +Hani+ Reyad + Husam +Haya + Taya + Doaa + Iyad+ Karim+ Menna +Omar+ Zeina + Wafa + Muhammed+Teif +Yusuf and Ahmed )

Every donation, no matter how small, will make a significant difference to my family's safety. The funds raised will be used transparently and efficiently to ensure that every dollar is spent on ensuring their safety.

My family and I are deeply grateful for your support, and I am deeply grateful for any assistance you may be able to provide during this difficult time. Please share this campaign with your friends, family, and colleagues so that we can reach our goal and provide safety for my family

Please accept my sincere thanks for your kindness and support, as well as your willingness to stand with us in solidarity, as together, we can make a difference and help my family find safety and security.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart