My name is Marjan, a Canadian artist and activist, and a mother of two. I am writing this appeal on behalf of my life partner, Rashid Yaghi, his brother Ahmed, and those displaced members of our family in the war on Gaza.
In 2020 my son and I met his youngest uncle for the first time. My brother-in-law, who had gone through an impossible journey to leave Gaza and reunite with our small family here in Canada, was meeting my partner, his eldest sibling, after almost twenty years from when he was only a child. It was the moment of their long-awaited embrace and tearful joy that made me understand how painful it is to be rubbed away from the basic right to a safe home with your loved ones.
However, our short-lived happiness has turned into months of living hell with the horror of potentially losing everyone in our immediate family in Gaza. The continued bombardments and killings of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza have already claimed 40 members of our extended family and have left everyone without a home to return to. https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/two-lawyers-from-the-palestinian-centre-for-human-rights-were-killed-in-israeli-airstrikes/
Despite our desperate efforts to reach out and reassure our loved ones with the hope of survival and reuniting with us in Canada, we find ourselves in a race against time. Rafah, the last imagined safe zone in Gaza, is now under attack with over a million and a half displaced refugees, deprived of minimum nutrition needs, clean water, medical aid, or a safe place to take shelter.
I’m reaching out today not only to our distant families and friends in other corners of the world but also to everyone who has been witnessing this continuing catastrophe and the extent of urgency for an immediate ceasefire. Although Canada has offered to open its doors to a potential number of Canadian-Palestinians’ immediate family members in Gaza, we are faced with the dreading costs of moving a family of our size across the world, their legal financial guardianship in Canada, as well as the criminal and inhumane monetary demands of 5-10,000$/person to secure a crossing permit imposed on all Palestinians at Rafah-Egypt border. (For the sole purpose of the review and the approval of this fundraising appeal, an estimated breakdown of potential costs is provided following the names of signatories).
Amidst this devastation, our immediate family stands—a diverse group of 21 individuals, each with their own dreams and longing for a safe future.. They are not human shields, collateral damage, or numbers on a growing death toll. They are doctors, engineers, educators, lawyers, elderly and children, who have been born, lived, and thrived with the least resources and in spite of fifteen years of coerced siege on Gaza.
Mohamed Kamal, our retired father, 65 years old
whose only pleasure before this war was spending time with his grandchildren, and praying in the Mosque near our home at every chance he had.
Our sister Rana, 42 years old, IT Educator - “The Sun of the family”
Her partner Sameer, 48 years old, Athlete - “Mr Handyman”
Their son Mohamed, 21 years old, A scholarship IT programming student in Hungry visiting family, “Mama’s Pride”
Their daughter Deema, 19 years old, a first-year medical student, Gaza's second highest score of university entry 2022
“Our Miss Surgeon to be”
Their son Ahmed, 15 years old, loves school and water sports, dreams about going to the Olympics one day, “SAMAK - Fish”
Our brother Ibrahem, 39 years old, University Associate Prof. in Physics, “Sweet Scientist”
His partner Marah, 36 years old, Elementary teacher, “Fun Auntie”
Their son Mohamed, 10 years old, full of life and stories, loves school and Seedo, “Grandpa’s secret favorite”
Our sister Zara, 36 years old, Graduate of Medical Technology, “The Family Chef”
Her partner Mohamed, 43 years old, IT programmer and data scientist,
“Obsessively Careful Dad”
Their son Salah, 17 years old, pre-university student, reads everything about AI technology
“Data Scientist Jr”
Their son Noor, 16 years old, a high school student, loves programming but with a touch of comedy “Family Poet and Comedian”
Their daughter Sofia, 5 years old, the diva of her KG class, with many dresses and dolls, “Princess of the House”
Our sister Marwa, 34 years old, a Graduate of Electronic Eng, is all about healthy eating and staying active, “Loud and Jolly”
Her partner Khaled, 40 years old, IT Engineer, a loving and fun father of three energetic boys “Uncle Gamer”
Their son Rami, 15 years, loves football and bodybuilding above and beyond everything,
“Mr. Handsome”
Their son Mohamed, 12 years old, bright and loving, lights up every room he is in. A+ student,“Pro Footbalist”
Their baby boy Yusuf, 15 months old, the sweetest baby boy with the longest luscious eyelashes, “The Wonderful Mistake”
The urgency of our situation cannot be overstated. With tensions escalating and the threat of further attacks on Rafah looming, we are desperate to relocate our family to safety before it’s too late. This appeal for help is not made lightly; it is a plea for help in our time of dire need, it’s a lifeline offering us the additional support for a chance of a new life away from the fear and uncertainty of survival from a Home that has never stood the chance to shelter our existence for too long..
However, your support is not limited to financial means. Any form of contribution, whether sharing our GoFundMe link, supporting other Canadian-Palestinians by contacting your MPs, demanding our government’s conscientious humanitarian interventions to stop this starvation and massacre, or voicing your support for the many global campaigns demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, all of which is an act of kindness and an extended force to help rescue thousands of other families in unimaginable desperate measures.
We shall forever remain beholden to your benevolence.
Marjan, Rashid, Ahmed
For Yaghi family
Potential costs summary:
Travel and application expenses not covered by the Canadian government:
- Notary and translation fees for required documents (approx. $800 total)
- Application fees for 21 people ($100/person, $2,100 total)
- The stay in Cairo for a minimum of 3-4 weeks waiting for paperwork (est. $3,500)
- Biometrics fees in Cairo (mandatory for adults) ($170 x 4 families, $85 for individual mothers, $765 total)
- Flight tickets for 21 people from Cairo to Montreal (est. at $1,500/person, $31,500 total)
Settlement expenses (for the first 3 months until they can find work):
- Rent (three apartments, besides family accommodation already existing) (est. $2,000/house per month, $18,000 total)
- Furniture (est. $3,000)
- Personal essentials/winter clothing etc. (est. $2,000)
- Living expenses (est. $2,000/month x 5 households x 3 months, $30,000 total)
- Ya Hala travel agency to get them out of Gaza. (est. $79,000)
Beyond the seas there is a city,
in which its windows opened to epiphany
its rooftops were the domain of resting pigeons
Where eyes of the early morning rising children
were as vast as the sun
Where the wind
whispered the folklore of the fallen olive trees
Beyond the seas there is a city,
with immortal memories and ephemeral lives
and the yearning for a boat!
*Cover Image: caption of a video from our living room window looking at the serene Gaza Sea, a window in our childhood home that no longer exists.