Imagine holding your newborn daughter, Marya, for the first time, not in the comfort of your own home, but on the street, unsure if you'll survive the night.

This is the heartbreaking reality for Raed and others fleeing Rafah. Devastating bombings rip through their hometowns in northern Gaza, forcing them to flee south, only to be told to relocate north again, leaving them with nothing.

Raed and others like him embody resilience in the face of unimaginable losses. They’ve lost family members, homes, possessions, and a sense of normalcy. Yet, amidst the hardship, a tiny spark of hope remains—Marya and all the children of Palestine.

Hello, I'm Bojana, an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist from Vancouver, Canada (see my Linkedin to learn more about me). If you had told me eight months ago that I would be fundraising to save the lives of friends I know, I wouldn't have believed it. Through my online activism, I connected with Dr. Raed Redwan and his family. Over the past weeks, our video calls have shown me the near-death situation they live in.

From Tent Shelters to Desperation on the Streets

When Raed's family was in Rafah, they had tents and some semblance of sanitation. But after yet another forced evacuation, they now find themselves sleeping on cold, unforgiving streets with no supplies to sustain them. What began as my effort to support one family has grown into a heartbreaking realization: Raed, his loved ones, and 50 other families are in dire need, facing a crisis that demands immediate action.

Please help Raed and his camp survive this unimaginable situation. Your donation can provide them with the basic necessities they desperately need. Don't hesitate—act now to save lives. Donate generously and be the difference between life and death in the coming weeks.

How Your Money Will Be Used

Here is exactly where your donations will go:

⭕ Food Aid: $50 per box (100 boxes needed) = $5,000

⭕ Tents: $200 per tent (50 tents needed) = $10,000

⭕ Clean Water: $20 per box (250 boxes needed) = $6,000

⭕ Sanitary and Healthcare Supplies: Total = $10,000

This is IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY AID for these families. They need this money as soon as possible. Unable to evacuate, they rely on our donations to survive until the conflict ends. Please, don't hesitate. Donate generously. Help save the lives of people I know.

Scroll down to learn more about Raed's story...

My name is Raed M. Radwan from Gaza. I am an english teacher and academic writer. My life was going normally until the events of October 7th, where my marriage was barely a year old, and I was awaiting the birth of my new daughter. But with the beginning of the war on Gaza, everything turned upside down. I had set up a simple teaching center to sustain myself amidst the difficulties I faced in Gaza due to the blockade, unemployment, and the scarcity of job opportunities. I was working with a teaching team and we had a number of neighborhood students, and things were going well.

Then the war came, and I lost everything. I lost my house, which cost me all my hardships and savings to build, and I lost my father, grandfather, and my brother's daughter. My brothers were arrested. Our house was bombed while we were inside on one of the hardest nights. My family and I miraculously survived and fled to the hospital, where I volunteered with the medical teams during the war for 130 days. I lost my dreams, memories, and dearest possessions; I lost my father who was executed in our house along with my grandfather. I lived through months of war without seeing a single beautiful day within the hospital walls, no sleep, electricity, good food, or money. Months of displacement, sleeping amidst blood, dreams, and nightmares...

My personal project, for which I sacrificed days and nights, I established it to take care of my daughter who was born during the war and to live a beautiful life with my wife and family. But unfortunately, I lost the center, the students, and the team. Everything was destroyed. My dreams were shattered among the rubble of the center, and I hope to be able to rebuild everything and restore my dreams and belongings. I wish for that...

I aspired to continue my higher studies abroad. I applied more than once for scholarships, including the Chevening Scholarship and some international grants, to pursue a master's degree in development and in the field of mental health. But the war prevented me, obstructing my dreams, and standing as a barrier to that. Now my only ambition is to stay alive...

About losing my father... My father, Dr. Mohammed Radwan, was an example of a wonderful, persevering man. He worked in the healthcare field for 40 years, dedicating his life to the health sector, working in all Gaza hospitals. He suffered from many illnesses in his later years, yet he never stopped fulfilling his professional duties. My father lived through days of war without food, water, or electricity. He built our house through years of hard work, only to see it destroyed in moments due to artillery shelling. My father remained steadfast, enduring all kinds of bombing, fear, and horror, until he was killed by army gunfire in our house, along with my grandfather. May they rest in peace...

About losing our home... I didn't just lose my house; I lost the memories and all the beautiful days we spent together inside it. I lost all the equipment for my scientific research work. I used to work from home as a freelancer, and I had a workspace that cost me around $5000. Unfortunately, nothing of it remains but rubble. As for our family home, which cost us around $120,000, nothing remains of it but stones. We lost all our belongings to the fire caused by the shelling and explosions, and we moved to displacement, living in the streets under fear, shelling, and destruction. I hope we stay safe and that God compensates us for all of this, and that I receive compensation so we can continue building our lives in peace…

Text message updates from Raed below…

May 18

In Al Zawayda City, I am utterly exhausted and defeated. Life around me has vanished. I sleep on the streets, feeling abandoned by the world. People here are so selfish. I search for food, water, and a place to charge my phone. There is no medical care to ease my pain. My back aches, and I can't sleep due to the scorching heat and the constant noise. I've lost everything and spent all my money on this last evacuation. Transportation is prohibitively expensive, and there's a scarcity of everything. Oh, May Allah help us...

May 15

I am fighting to protect my baby. I will do whatever it takes to keep my family alive and safe. We deserve to live in peace. Everywhere we look, we see death. We suffer from a lack of water, food, money, and a safe place to stay. We need help. Please support us, share my plea, and amplify our voices to the world. Please, don't leave us alone.

May 12

I'm on Salah Aldeen Street in Deir Al-Balah, an unsafe and risky place. I'm homeless with my family: my mom, my wife, my baby, and my brother. There's no life here, no water, no food, no electricity. Gaza is a place of despair. We sleep on the streets as explosions happen nearby. Please, help us. The government is powerless, and life here is unbearable. Food prices are sky-high, and the tents we were given have disappeared. There's no safety in Gaza. Everything is falling apart.

—---

Thank you for getting this far and learning about this situation. I appreciate your time and help, even just sharing this story via the link provided.

Bojana