Dear friends and community,

We are Mary Newberry and Rory Gus Sinclair from Toronto, Ontario, and we need your help to bring our friend’s family in Gaza to Canada. We came to know, love and respect Asmaa beginning over seven years ago when she arrived in Canada from Gaza. Against all odds, she has built a life here in Ontario, becoming a Canadian citizen and contributing back to society. She now faces a new unimaginable challenge, and we are turning to our friends, community, and broader public for help.

Asmaa’s family, currently trapped in the dire circumstances of Gaza, consists of 22 immediate family members. They are:

• 2 elderly parents over the age of 80

• 1 brother, his wife and their 6 young children

• 2 sisters, their husbands with their 8 young children

These are ordinary people, once leading lives filled with homes, jobs, and dreams. The current conflict has taken away everything, except, so far, their lives. Asmaa has lost more than 35 extended family members, killed during airstrikes or direct attacks. Can we save these surviving family members?

All of the family have been forced out of their homes, moving from one place to another. At the moment, they are living in tents and temporary shelters with no electricity, running water, or adequate food supply. Two homes have been obliterated, one is partially destroyed, and her elderly parents have run out of vital medications with no access to healthcare.

Three older children, who had been pursuing higher education in engineering, IT, and pharmacology, have lost any possibility for the foreseeable future of completing their degrees. The universities have been rendered uninhabitable, as have the schools for the younger children, also without school, with no foreseeable likelihood of returning.

All income sources have been lost. Family members forage for food and don’t have access to the essentials of life in what is virtually a post apocalyptic world. Gaza has become an unlivable nightmare that will likely take decades to recover, if at all.

Asmaa, fearing for her family's safety, is determined to bring them to Canada and save their lives. Fortunately, the Canadian government has announced a program, launching January 9, 2024, allowing Canadian citizens to apply to bring their family from Gaza to Canada. The program will issue temporary resident visas. However, the Canadian government will not assist individuals with exiting Gaza through the Rafah border and will not provide any financial support for those arriving, making Asmaa responsible for financially supporting all 22 family members.

To make this reunion possible, we are initiating a fundraising campaign to help her cover the following expenses in whole or in part:

• Application fees for 22 people (estimated over $2,000)

• Expenses for leaving Gaza to Egypt (currently Gazans have been asked to pay US$7,000 per person to be able to leave through Rafah border)

• Expenses for staying in Cairo including administrative expenses related to obtaining passports and to complete the Canadian visa process (estimated $3500)

• Flight tickets for 22 people from Cairo to Canada ($800-$1,000 per person)

• Resettlement expenses (until recertification/training and job searching is complete), including rent/utilities for three families (22 people), food, transportation, clothes, winter gear, health coverage, and school costs (estimated at $120,000 for 6 months)

• GoFundMe transaction fees (2.9% + $0.30, which includes debit and credit charges) per donation is deducted.

Funds will go directly to Asmaa who will pay and arrange for her family’s evacuation from Gaza to Egypt then from Egypt to resettling in Canada.

Your support is not just a financial contribution — it is a lifeline; it is an act of empathy, symbolizing the collective strength of a society that cares. Your kindness will play a pivotal role in saving the lives of innocent family members, offering them a chance to rebuild and create a new life here in Canada after enduring the unspeakable atrocities of war.

We extend our deepest gratitude for considering this cause and for helping our friend and her family. Together, we can make a significant difference in their lives.

Thank you for your compassion and support.

With heartfelt thanks,

Mary and Gus