Help Oday's Family Escape War

Introduction

My name is Oday. I was born in the Gaza strip in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the early 90s. I grew up in a family of six sisters and one brother with dreams, hopes and desires like any human in this world. We had gone through wars, pain, losess and trauma, but despite hardships I still had hope. A hope in humanity and that one day I would survive and be able to pursue my dreams. Fortunately, I survived, studied, worked, and today, I am one of the many fellow Canadian immigrants who live and work happily in our new home, Canada.

Context

Gaza’s latest war is declared the worst in the century. My family has lived through many wars in Gaza, but this one is by far the worst than the rest combined. Today, they need me. They too need hope. Within a few days of the beginning of this horrific war, they were all forced to leave our home in Al-Maghazi. A home that my father and brother have spent the entire summer renovating. Today, this home was hit and destroyed. The streets of Al-Maghazi are full of ground combat and military clashes. There is no home left for them. In this page, I will introduce some of my family to you hoping you could connect with their stories and help me fundraise their escape. This fundraise is created following the recent announcement made by the Canadian government (link). This news is the only hope my family has today, and your donation.

Saeed: A Med Student, A Writer

Saeed is my younger and only brother. He was 14 when I left Gaza, and today he is 23 years old, studying medicine in his 5th year to become a medical doctor at Al-Azhar University. Saeed has risked his life multiple times during this war to go to get money, food, water and medicine whenever deemed possible. He is the hero in our story and I pray every day that we reunite in Canada. I call him the Poet because his Arabic writings are so beautiful and sentimental. If you can read Arabic, one of my fave writing that he wrote during this war, titled “A message from a child to God”.

Rana, The Dreamer

Rana is my youngest sister. She was only 12 when I left Gaza. Rana is the only one among us who was born under the Siege. Gaza is the only world she knows of. It is the place of all her memories and where she formed her childhood friends and used to hangout at the beach or go for a stroll after school. She loves photography. Recently, Rana got admitted into med school to pursue her medical degree like Saeed. I call her the dreamer because when we were young we would let go of our imaginations and laugh as we sang together, acted together and did all sorts of fun goofy things a brother and sister could do. The only real dream she could have is through the stories I share with her about Canada. This war has destroyed every possible dream Rana had had. Rana’s dreams have turned into nightmares. Please help Rana escape the war.

Gada: The Resilient Mother, Sister, Wife and Teacher

Gada, second from the left, is my second oldest sister. She is a Mother to four children, a wife to her husband Alaa and a science teacher. Gada and her family went through Hell. A displacement due to the 2014 war when their house was destroyed, a cancer that almost took Alaa away, a loss of their pharmacy business, and now, another displacement due to this devastating war. I call her resilient because no matter what, Gada and Alaa have stepped up with all they got every single devastating time. When they lost their home in 2014, they both studied and worked multiple jobs to rebuild a new home for themselves and their kids from the ground up. By 2016, they managed to complete the building, and Alaa got promoted as the head of surgery department at Al-Aqsa Hospital. Only a few months later to be diagnosed with Cancer. During this devastating time, Gada took it upon herself to work as a teacher and support her ill husband and four children. After surviving cancer, they went back to working together again and built their pharmacy. Today, they lost everything again. They never had thought of leaving Gaza. They have survived multiple times, but the extent of this war and after what they and their children have been through, it is high time. It is truly time for Gada, Alaa and their children to get out of this Hell. They may not have any energy left to fight any more. I plead with you to support Gada and Alaa and their kids.

Objectives and Distribution of Fundraised

This fundraise will help achieve three objectives:

Together, we can make a difference and bring them some much-needed relief. Your kindness and generosity will be forever appreciated. Any donation is much appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your compassion and support.

With gratitude,

Oday