My name is Ahmed, and I have always believed that teaching is a life mission. I am from Gaza, Palestine and am currently suffering greatly due to daily bombardment, famine, lack of power, displacement, death and destruction of our beautiful Gaza. Before the war every day, I stood before my students, nurturing their minds and hearts with knowledge and hope, while guiding them toward a brighter future. I never imagined that the school I loved—my dream—would one day become a painful memory. The war arrived, transforming that dream into a nightmare. The school where I taught was reduced to rubble, and the salary we once relied on vanished, leaving only broken promises behind. While the school I taught at was bombed and destroyed, I now volunteer as a teacher with UNICEF, teaching English to kids in the tents.

Amidst this devastation, the hardest challenge has been caring for my family. I have twin boys, Salman and Kinan, whose eyes still hold the innocence and dreams of childhood. Yet, in their eyes, there are questions I cannot answer. How do you explain to a child that the world they once knew no longer exists?

We’ve lost so much. Our once large family is now reduced to tear-streaked faces, and our neighbors have left their homes forever. The friends we used to meet every day are now memories, their names etched in our hearts. In this turmoil, we hold on to the one thing that remains: hope.

But hope alone isn’t enough. In the face of everything we’ve endured, I’ve come to realize that I cannot continue this journey alone. I ask for your help—to be the light that guides us out of this dark tunnel. We need a new opportunity, a fresh start, far away from the ruins of war.

I have partnered with two people in the United States to set up and run this campaign, who will withdraw and then send all funds to me via PayPal for my family’s needs - food, water, transportation, cooking fuel - during this time of unstable, ever-rising prices. The crossings where all supplies enter have been closed completely so no supplies have entered Gaza since March 1, 2025. What was already expensive and difficult to buy is now exponentially worse. Electricity had been intermittently available but has been cut completely on March 8, 2025.

This is not just one family's story of suffering; it’s a story of resilience, a call for peace, and a yearning for dignity. Any support, no matter how small, could change our future—not just by helping us survive, but by renewing our belief that tomorrow can offer something better.