Hello, I’m Gabriel from London. With my wife, Nadine, we are fundraising for our dear friends in the Gaza Strip, Shadi and Laila Saqer and their children, who were dedicated members of Gaza’s community of Scouts before the genocidal war.

Together, Nadine and I are doing a Walk for Palestine along the Thames Path, from Hampton Court in West London to the Thames Barrier in East London, to raise money for the Saqer family and raise awareness of the Palestinian cause. We completed the first stage of the walk on 14 July, and are going on the second on 4 August. Please join us on the walk by messaging us here, or on our Instagram page . And please sponsor us here!

Next to the River Thames on the first leg of our Walk for Palestine, July 2024

Now, more about the cause we are walking for. The Saqer family find themselves displaced and in need of our support to survive, rebuild their lives and continue their contributions to the community.

Here is their story in Shadi’s words.

“My name is Shadi Jawad Saqer, and my beloved wife is Laila Mikhail Ibrahim Saqer. We have three children, Razan, Adi and Ghazal and two lovely cats called Sukkar (Sugar) and Chica. We used to live in the al-Awda neighbourhood north of Gaza City. For years, we dreamed of owning a home in this neighbourhood. With hard work, our dream came true in 2015 when we got a mortgage for a beautiful apartment.

From left: Ghazal, Laila, Adi and Razan

We not only owned our first home, but also created a Scouting Museum in a spare room, in which we built a collection of local, national and international awards and objects related to the history of Scouting in Gaza. Our museum was the first of its kind in Palestine. Our home and the museum became an activity centre serving hundreds of Scouts and children, free of charge.

View of the Scouting Museum in the Saqer family home, before its destruction

By the end of last summer, our eldest daughter Razan was starting the final year of high school. She loved folk dance and reciting poetry, and dreamed of being a Scout leader, following her parents’ love for Scouting.

Our son Adi loves playing basketball, writing and singing hip-hop to convey messages of peace and love for the homeland. He also had a special project which we established in the area, known as the Champions Club, for the psychological care of children and adults, as shown in the pictures.

Our youngest daughter Ghazal has never known peace and stability in our country. Nevertheless, she loved to play and dared to adventure.

Ghazal with Sukkar

In October, all of this was shattered. Due to the ongoing war and slaughter, we lost our beautiful home and the museum, and all the equipment we had used for our Scouting adventures. Like the homes of thousands of other families, our apartment was turned into rubble. Since then, we have been displaced multiple times.

Today, my children are fighting to survive with my wife and me. The war has deprived Razan of the chance to pursue a better future. The building housing Adi’s Champions Club has been totally destroyed. Ghazal just wants back what they had before – their own rooms, toys and clothes.

After the war started, we were forced to flee, one time after another, as we received military orders for evacuation and threats of death. Initially, we hoped that it would not be long before we could return home. But here we are, 10 months later, seeking refuge on some deserted land near the city of Deir al-Balah.

The family visiting relatives who have also lost their home and are displaced and living in a tent

As shown in the pictures, we have very few essentials to keep us going. The prices of goods, from food to clothing, medical supplies and everything else we need to live, has increased hugely. Whatever funds you can spare for us will help us buy these daily essentials, and eventually to rebuild our lives in Gaza or to travel abroad to safety.

I am doing my best to keep my family safe, but it is very difficult. The feeling of losing everything in a moment, without knowing when this ordeal ends and what comes next, is a nightmare. All our family dreams of is rebuilding our house to return to our mission of spreading love, peace and joy to children. We want it to be a safe place for our family and the cats that have accompanied us throughout our displacement journey.

Members of the family working in a kitchen to provide food for other displaced Gazans

In our hearts, there is deep sadness from everything we have seen, heard and felt. Yet we try to keep smiling, because life without smiling is nothing. We draw our dreams on the rubble, hoping to soon return to our homes, where our dreams and memories were.

Our future is now in your hands.”

- Shadi Saqer, August 2024

Thank you for reading Shadi’s words. Please donate and spread the word about this fundraiser, what’s happening in Gaza, and our Walk for Palestine!