*******UPDATE! (as of 3/2/24)********
Hooray! We have such great news. Today, Kareem's parents were able to evacuate from Gaza and were reunited with Kareem and his sisters!! Here they are--all together in Cairo. Words cannot express their family's (and our) gratitude to each and every one of you--for saving their lives and their future. Over the past week plus, Kareem has already gotten back to studying German to try and qualify for university in Germany, where he eventually hopes to become a neurosurgeon.
I imagine it will take all the family members some time to adjust to being in Egypt with their oldest daughter and are not sure yet what onward plans await. But for now, we're all sitting with the shock and awe and gratitude of this moment.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this possible. Thank you for pouring out your hearts and your pocketbooks. Thank you for being on this journey together--to do at least one important, vital, crucial thing we could do amidst this unspeakable tragedy. It really gives us hope that together, our collective efforts make a difference.
I'm including here the final news piece that ran on our efforts to secure Kareem's family's evacuation from Gaza that includes a video interview with Kareem from Cairo!
We'll be officially "ending" the fundraiser now with supreme gratitude for all of your contributions, every dollar of which went to securing the family's evacuation from Gaza, (which ended up costing more than the original planned for $5,000 per person.) Thank you, again.
Gratefully yours,
The Wilders
*******UPDATE! (as of 2/18/24)*******
We have wonderful news to share! Thanks to our donors, Kareem and his sisters were able to evacuate Gaza and make it safely to Cairo to reunite with their eldest sister! They are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.
As you can imagine, Kareem's parents are especially relieved to have their children out of harm's way, though we are still working to secure their own departure from Gaza. As conditions deteriorate in Rafah, thousands more are trying to get on the list that allows them to leave. While our initial funding goals have been met, securing Kareem's parents' spot in line continues to be a work in progress. We are grateful for the extra monies received (as of this date, $3,078 over the original goal amount of $20,000) because they have all been directed to the extra and unforeseen costs to evacuate the parents. We will keep you updated through this campaign!
In case you missed the news coverage of our collective efforts and a snippet of Kareem's voice and experience, check out: https://krcrtv.com/news/local/redding-couple-raises-funds-to-rescue-former-exchange-student-from-gaza-war-zone
We expect a follow-up news interview on Thursday or Friday of this week!
Meanwhile, with Kareem's funding goals met, there continues to be a need to support Gazans caught in the crossfire. We are now turning our attention to another family that has ties to Redding and is in a similar predicament. Six years ago, we hosted Amjad al-Shaer, who attended Shasta High, participated in numerous activities such as the Madrigal dinner and track, and (like Kareem) was a cherished member of our family. Fortunately, Amjad is safe in Finland completing graduate studies, however his family lost their home in Gaza City and is now under bombardment in Rafah, including his parents, older sister, younger brother and youngest sister (who just turned 11 on Valentine's Day).
Kareem has asked that any additional funds that come in for this campaign be directed to Amjad's family. You can donate here or directly to Amjad's fundraiser.
Thank you, thank you for your generous support of these precious people.
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Hi, we're the Wilder's and we're raising funds to evacuate Kareem, our former exchange student, and his family, from Gaza.
Kareem spent the year in Redding, California, on a prestigious scholarship through the U.S. State Department. He was a model student, a talented classical trumpet player – “the only trumpet player in Gaza”, his Palestinian teachers liked to joke. He lettered in varsity swimming and soccer at the local high school, Foothill High, and most importantly, was kind, patient, and open-minded. Kareem was wonderful with our three young kids and even tended to Janessa's brother who has special needs.
Kareem was a popular student at Foothill and made friends easily. Given we live in rural northern California, it was many of the American students' first time meeting someone from the Middle East, and certainly someone from Gaza.
Kareem's father is a political science researcher and a peacebuilder in the highly selective Euphrates Institute Peace Practice Alliance. Kareem's mother and two younger sisters, ages 15 and 11, are also with him in Gaza. The family are religious moderates and have espoused views opposing Hamas as violent and corrupt.
Their apartment in Gaza City was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike and the family stayed in Khan Younis for a time, where the situation grew increasingly unsafe, before moving to Rafah near the border. The situation is horrific--the death toll keeps rising in Gaza. As of this writing, over 27,000 Gazans have been killed, according to the Gazan health ministry. Each day, the family prays to survive as airstrikes continue and basic supplies dwindle.
Like us, you might be looking at the news and feeling overwhelmed and helpless at the situation. But here's a scenario where you can contribute directly to the survival of an incredible family and help secure their evacuation out of Gaza.
The cost to secure passage through the Egyptian border (essentially hiring an Egyptian company to ensure their names are on the border list) and allowing them to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt is $5,000 per person. The total amount we need to raise for the five of them in the family is $25,000. We already have pledges amounting to $5,000, so we are hoping to raise $20,000 via this campaign.
Any amount you contribute is welcomed and honored and gratefully received by the al-Fadi family as well as our family. Thank you for your generous support!