<div><strong>Update on May 7: Abeer and her mother are now safely in Egypt! </strong>Your generosity helped to save their lives. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>The reality of starting a new life from scratch in Egypt are starting to become clearer as Abeer and her mother seek medical care and mental health support. She has asked me to update the goal to $30,000 to accommodate the increased costs of living and medical care. Thank you so much for your past gifts and continued support. 

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>—

</div>

<div><strong><br /></strong>

</div>

<div><strong>Many of you know Abeer Younis: </strong>her brilliant smile, her sharp mind, her profound sense of justice, her ability to connect -- heart to heart -- with people coming from very different places. For those of you who do not know her personally, think of a friend, a programmer, an entrepreneur, <span>a daughter, a leader, a data scientist, a citizen diplomat: who you are thinking of is Abeer.</span>


</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Abeer and I met through a U.S. State Department-funded exchange program called TechWomen, which identifies leading women in STEM and connects them with mentors, top tech companies, and other leaders in Silicon Valley. Participants in the program are in the top 4% of applicants and <strong>rigorously vetted </strong>by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before being offered visas to the U.S. TechWomen doesn't say it explicitly, but the point of programs like this is to find future leaders of countries all over the world and help them make American friends early in their careers, to further mutual understanding and peace on all sides. <strong>When people ask me "Where are the Palestinian leaders?" I think of these incredible women.</strong>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>I think of Abeer.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><strong>But to lead in the future, Abeer must survive the horrors of today.</strong>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Right now, Abeer and her mother Omama Ibrahim are sitting in the dark of their destroyed home, having fled random artillery fire and air strikes to Rafah, and then forced to flee Rafah again in the face of Israel's threatened invasion. The building is cracked and shattered from air strikes; the artillery fire smashed through the wall, feet from where she sat with her Mother in the dark.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>We text on WhatsApp when the communication isn't cut-off; she lost her laptop fleeing to Rafah and is borrowing a neighbor's Israeli SIM card to send the photos and the words you see below. This is no way to live and I am afraid every day she and my other Palestinian friends will die before I see them again and can introduce them to my son.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><strong>Abeer needs to get out.</strong> She has found a friend in Egypt who will take the transfer of any money we raise here today to give to her as soon as she crosses; I will post a photo of that happening for transparency. She is smart, hardworking, kind, and connected. But that isn't enough to get out of Gaza today: she needs enough money to pay the Egyptian military's extortionate border crossing fees, to rent an apartment, and to get medical care for herself and her mother to begin to heal from what they have suffered.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>She has lost so much: peace, a dream job, security, and more family-members and friends than she can say. But she has not lost her life or her mother, and we can help keep that true. <strong>We can help Abeer build her life back, get to the safety she and all people deserve, and resume leading and growing in her community.</strong>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Our goal is $17,400 with a stretch goal of $30,000 to cover desperately needed surgery for her mother. Here is what Abeer said about the fundraising goal:



</div>



<ul>



<li>"<strong>$17,400 USD</strong> is required to pay exit fees and cover rent, food, and transportation in Egypt for six months. I chose this duration after consulting my Palestinian friends in Cairo to determine the time needed to find a new job."



</li>



<li>"<strong>$30,000 USD</strong> is required to cover exit fees, establish a new life, undergo urgent surgery for my mother’s left eye, consult with a Heart and Blood Pressure specialist as she hasn’t had access to her medication in Gaza for three months. Additionally, both of us need to see a psychotherapist after the challenging situation we went through. I also need to purchase a new laptop, as I lost mine during my escape to Rafah, and cover the costs of my data analytics and English courses."



</li>



<li>Update on May 10, based on current need: “If there is any money remaining, it will be sent to the wife of the CTO of my startup, Anas. After his wife, Sondos, lost him in this genocide, she stays alone with their two little kids, Anwar and Ameer.” —&gt; [Former text: "<strong>If there is any money remaining, it will be sent to other TechWomen program members who are fundraising to leave Gaza</strong>. In the absence of such needs, I would like to contribute to any TechWomen fellows aiming to support women on the ground through aid initiatives."]
</li>



</ul>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><strong>This is who Abeer is. In the dark and the terror, she is thinking of what she would do if she had the money to help others, to build a brighter world.</strong>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Below are photos and more of Abeer's story in her own words, but first, please consider donating $100 USD. If 174 of us donate $100 USD, Abeer and her mother will have what they need to get out. If 35 of us donate $500, they can get to Egypt safely, with money left over to give to other TechWomen seeking shelter from the war. Any amount helps, as does sharing this fundraiser on social media.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><br />



</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78913035_1710519230391902_r." width="100%" />



<div><br />



</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78913035_1710519242893262_r." width="100%" />



<div><strong>Abeer in her own words</strong>:



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><em>My dream has always been to work in the tech field. After a long journey in the tech field, in 2023, I decided to become a data scientist. Before the aggression on Gaza started, I was close to securing a permanent job working online from Gaza for a multinational company. Now, since Gaza is disconnected from the world, I have lost all my opportunities and have zero chance of getting my dream job or any job to support myself and my mother financially. With your help, I will be able to move to Egypt and get new opportunity to work on my career and hopefully support myself and my mother until this aggression ends. I also aim to become a mentor for other Gazan girls who want to take the same path.</em>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><em>It breaks my heart to see my mother unable to get her heart and blood pressure medication because it is not available in Gaza. She has been without her medication for the last three months and needs to undergo urgent surgery for her left eye. Day by day, her health is deteriorating, and I am really scared to lose the last family member, my mother.</em>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><em>The building I live in has been bombed twice. Firstly, by Israeli artillery fires randomly targeting the edge of the room balcony where my mother and I were sitting; it was literally one meter away from us. The second time was an Israeli airstrike on the next-door building, causing massive destruction to our home. After these incidents, we went to Rafah and stayed there for a month and a half, but were forced to return to the remains of our destroyed home in Nussirat Camp when the Israeli army threatened to invade Rafah. We are literally living under the rubble, counting the bombs and waiting for our turn.</em>



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>--



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Palestinians need women like Abeer to survive, to help rebuild Gaza. The world needs her. Her mother needs her. And her friends need her. She is loved and respected and <strong>by working together, </strong>we can help save her life.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Please consider giving.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div>Thank you very much.



</div>



<div><br />



</div>



<div><strong>Jessica Dickinson Goodman</strong>



</div>



<div>Volunteer TechWomen Impact Coach



</div>



<div>San Jose, California, USA



</div>

Anonymous

Maria Plamenova

Ethan Goodrum

Robin Schmeizl

Moth villani

Amir Nathoo

Maia Compertore

Spencer Dougherty

Katherine Walsh

Susan Michele Mesler-Evans

Brendan Routh

Emre Muhlandiz

Ruth Miller

Rescue Abeer and Her Mom from War in Gaza

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Rescue Abeer and Her Mom from War in Gaza

Still $9,232 to go. Help us build momentum.