Make Yahya's Next Chapter in Belgium a Reality

Who are We?

My name is Hannah Saunders, I am a writer and museum worker in Wales, UK and I've set this campaign up for my dear friend Yahya Alhamarna in Gaza.

Yahya is a Writer and Political Science Student whose life and studies have been disrupted because of the genocide.

SO! I’ve created this new fundraiser for my best friend Yahya towards the costs of setting himself up in Belgium and starting his next chapter when he makes it out of Gaza.

The Other Campaign

The existing campaign which you might have seen and donated to, was set up by Yahya’s dear friend Alaeddine back in February 2024, but it has stalled at the halfway point since the summer. The funds raised via Alaeddine should be enough to cover the following: getting Yahya to Rafah, permits for the crossing into Egypt, traveling from Egypt to Turkey and then finally, Turkey to Belgium.

The New Campaign

However, this leaves Yahya in a difficult position. When he makes it to Belgium, he’s going to need clothing, food, rent, bills, psychological support, daily necessities, and sadly the amount raised so far won’t cover these additional and vital things.

So that’s why we’re creating the new campaign, to make sure he can start the next chapter of his journey comfortably and easily. With our support I hope we can make this difficult transition leaving his homeland to escape the genocide, a little bit easier.

When I Survive

We’ve managed to raise around £1,000 from the #WhenISurvive music compilation so far toward helping Yahya, £500 of this has been transferred to him via PayPal for food and necessities during this harsh winter in Gaza. But we’re hoping any further funds generated by the project can be put into this new fundraiser to ensure he’s got a little nest egg for Belgium to relieve some of the stress.

Targets

We’ve set the target of this new fundraiser as £7,000, but if we could get more that would be wonderful, we all just want our friend to be able to breathe easily and focus on his future now.

Support!

We would really appreciate it if you pushed this new page and got the word out! Just wanted to be transparent and explain our rationale and ask for all of your generosity and solidarity in these difficult times.

Nobody should have to be put in a position like this, but that’s how it is, so we adapt and we keep fighting!

More about Yahya:

Yahya loves knowledge most of all. He adores literature: Kanafani, Darwish, Shakespeare, Dickens. He loves Philosophy with Plato being a firm favourite. He's fascinated by Ancient History, the Middle Ages and the Age of Enlightenment. He supports Real Madrid and dreams of attending one of their matches in Spain. He is kind, curious, inspiring. He has a deep love for his faith and wishes to learn more about other faiths, to be able to discuss such subjects with his friends across the globe. Oh and Yahya loves chocolate and can't wait to sample Belgium's famous chocolate when we get him there!

Links and Futher Resources:

Listen to Yahya's beautiful poetry below, in a video rendition by Prolekult below:

Follow Yahya on Instagram: @yahya_alhamarna