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Hey everyone,
I'm Mirvat Alshrafi a Palestinian-Canadian living in Aurora with my 4 children and my husband. I'm reaching out with a heavy heart.
My family in Gaza is going through an absolute nightmare.
On October 20th, their home got hit, and miraculously, they survived, but not without injuries. They're still under constant threat, struggling for basic necessities like shelter, food, and water. My whole family (18 members) is residing in Gaza including my mom, 4 sisters, 1 brother, their spouses, 5 nephews and 3 nieces (from 1 to 12 years old).
My lifeline through all this is the dream of bringing them to Canada. Fortunately, there's a special program for Palestinians with family in Canada opening on January 9th, 2023. I'm working diligently to prepare their temporary residence visa applications, but Canada is unfortunately not providing any financial support, I need your help to make it happen.
My family
My widowed mother and my orphaned niece Remas .
My mother, the rock of our family, has been facing this nightmare alone; she was taking sanctuary in one of the places that was damaged and is still displaced among 20 people in the home of family friends. She was widowed after we lost our father in 2023; my father died without me seeing him, and I couldn't visit him because of Gaza's condition. Remas was only 10 days old when her mom passed away. My mother took custody of her and raised her like a daughter. What she went through was very difficult, so I want to start a new life for her.
Rasha, her husband Mohammed and three kids
When the conflict broke out, my sister Rasha fled to my mother's house with her three children. On that dark night, they were bombed, and her three children, as well as others, were injured. She is currently living in a tent in the cold with her three children and others. Her house also was entirely damaged.
Yara, her husband and her baby girl. 
Yara, my younger sister, had her first child just a few months before the conflict. She is now unable to find formula, diapers, or other necessities for her infant. She lost everything when her apartment burned down, and she worries about losing her only child because of a cold, disease, or a bomb.
Haya and her husband Younes
Haya got married, and she started a new life. She had dreams and hopes; they all went away with the bombs at her home and her husband's workplace and source of income. They have nowhere to return.as same as my brother Anas and his wife with his 3 children.
My siblings and their children have a right to a safe and calm environment in which to rehabilitate from the awful tragedies of war.
My family is a hardworking group of people, and I am confident that by providing them with a way to Canada, they will be back on their feet in no time. With your help, a new life chance is possible for them.
What is Canada's Emergency Program?
Following months of requests from Canadians with extended family members in the battle zone, Immigration Canada Minister Marc Miller launched a new temporary visa plan for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives. Miller described Gaza's state as "unlivable." He plans to launch a temporary visa program on January 9, 2024. He emphasized the difficulties of leaving the besieged Palestinian area. Mr. Miller said that Canada has received no assurances from Israel, Hamas, or Egypt that extended family members on the Canadian list will be able to depart. Furthermore, no financial support will be provided to evacuees or their families in Canada.
The following expenses are not paid by the Canadian government for travel and applications
Notary and translation expenses (around $600 total)
Application costs for 18 people (a total of $1,800)
Living and travel expenses in Egypt for 1 month while documentation is processed (about $4,000).
Biometrics costs (required for adults): $85 per adult, for a total of $850.
Flight tickets for 18 passengers from Cairo to Toronto (estimated at $1,800 per person, for a total of $32,400)
Settlement costs (for the first three months until they can work)
Rent 4 apartments (about $2,000 per apartment each month, $24,000 total).
Furniture and sleeping beds (around $6,000)
Personal essentials, winter clothing, etc. (around $3,000)
Daily living expenses (calculated as $1,800/month x three households x 3 months, total $16,200)
If something happens and my family is unable to leave Gaza for any reason, I would use this money to construct them a shelter and help them rebuild their lives because they have lost everything.
Every little bit counts in getting my family out of harm's way. I'm all in for them, and your support can turn this plea for help into a real game-changer. I'm telling my mom, "Hang in there. I'm here, and we can help as long as you're alive.” With your help, those words can turn into a reality.
Donate now and be part of this journey from desperation to hope.
If something happens to my family,All excess funds will be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).
Gratefully,
Mirvat Alshrafi
Herkese merhaba,
Ben Mirvat, Gazze'de yaşayan Filistinli bir ailenin en büyük kızıyım. Ailemin acilen yardıma ihtiyacı var, bu yüzden bu bağış kampanyasına öncülük ediyorum.
Ben Kanadalı-Filistinli bir kadınım. Türkiye mezunu bir mimarım .
Ailemin en büyük kızı olarak annem, 4 kız kardeşim, 1 erkek kardeşim, esleri, 8 yeğenim (1-12 yaş arası) var.
Savaş başlayınca Gazze'nin kuzeyinde yaşayan 3 evli kız kardeşim çocuklarıyla birlikte Gazze'nin ortasındaki El Nusirat kampındaki annemin evine taşındılar.
20 Ekim günü tüm ailem evde uyurken ailemin evi ağır bir şekilde bombalandı. Yaralıların bu bombardımandan sağ kurtulması büyük bir mucizeydi. Ateşkes gerçekleştikten sonra kız kardeşimin eşleri evlerini kontrol etmek için kuzeye döndüler ve evlerin tamamının yıkılmış olduğunu gördüler. Ailemin tüm üyeleri artık evsiz ve her şeylerini kaybettiler. ailem hala tehlikenin ve bombalarin altinda yasiyolar. ayrica yemek . su veya herhangi bir guluk ihtiyaclari olmadan tehlikenin icindeler.
Barınma ve yaşam ihtiyaçlarını sağlayarak hayatlarını yeniden inşa etmelerine yardımcı olmak ve Refah sınırından Mısır'a çıkmaları ve Kanada'ya girmelerine izin verilmesi durumunda onları Kanada'ya getirmek istiyorum.
Katkılarınız nasıl yardımcı olur?
Kanada hükümeti geniş ailemizi Kanada'ya getirmek için özel bir program hazırladı. Ailemi (18 kişi) buraya güvenli bir yere getirmek için sizin de yardimlariniza ihtiyacimiz var. Fon, passaport ve vize masraflari, vizeleri verilinceye kadar Mısır'daki konaklama masraflarını karşılamak , uçak biletleri, varış masrafları, Kanada'daki konaklama masrafları ve kişisel ihtiyaçlar karsilamak icin kullanilicaktir.
Onlar için bir şeyler yaptığımı bilmek onlara umut verecek, her konuşma fırsatı bulduğumda onlara verdiğim sözü tutabileceğimi bilmek içimi rahatlatacak.
"Lütfen hayatta kalin. Ben buradayım. sizin yaşadığıniz sürece yardım edebiliriz" diyorum ve bana güveniyorlar.
Lütfen onlara yardım etmek için sizin desteginize ihtiyacimiz var. ALLAH RAZI OLSUN