Strength in Solidarity: Support Gazan Aid Workers

Dear friends, colleagues, and community members,

My name is Hilary and I work for CRS, an international humanitarian aid organization. I have joined forces with a group of coworkers to launch a personal fundraising effort for our heroic colleagues in Gaza.

For more than five months, our staff from Gaza have endured extreme danger and hardship. Most have been displaced - some multiple times - and many have had their homes destroyed or severely damaged. All have mourned the loss of family or friends, and all of them fear for their lives.

And yet, they persist. They continue to provide hundreds of thousands of their community members with desperately needed humanitarian aid. They work through fear, pain, and exhaustion to serve their fellow human beings. They are heroes.

This extraordinary group of aid workers have tirelessly dedicated themselves to serving their community in Gaza. But just like the Gazans they serve, they face the staggering financial costs of displacement, survival, and, eventually, rebuilding their homes and lives.

Now, it's our turn to serve them. During this season of Ramadan and Lent, I invite you to join us in making a gift to support this exceptional group of first responders. Your gift will not only help them meet their mounting financial needs, but it will send a message that they are not alone during this dark and difficult time. It will give them hope that there is a world beyond the horrors of this war.

Please stand in solidarity with Gaza and make a gift today.

Fundraiser Q&A

Who will receive the funds and how will they be split?

All 50 Gazan staff who work for CRS, an international humanitarian aid organization, will receive an equal portion of funds raised, minus platform and transfer fees. Staff who feel their financial needs are met through other means are being given the option to opt out. Individuals will receive funds via bank transfer, which has already been confirmed as feasible.

How will the funds be used?

Our colleagues face immense financial needs, and each family's needs will be different. Examples of possible use of funds include paying for temporary living arrangements or increased transportation costs during displacement, rebuilding or repairing homes when the time is right, covering medical costs associated with wartime injuries or illnesses, or meeting basic food, health, and well-being needs in the face of severe inflation.

What else can I do to help?

Please consider sharing this fundraising initiative with others you know who might be interested in supporting this remarkable group of humanitarian aid workers in Gaza.

Who is leading this fundraiser?

This fundraiser is a personal initiative coordinated by Hilary DuBose, a humanitarian aid worker with CRS who currently lives in the United States, but worked in Gaza from 2014-2019. The effort is also being supported by a group of about 20 CRS staff who have also lived or worked in Gaza at some point in their careers.