Support mom and her children in Gaza

Hello dear donor,

Thank you for being here, we are thankful for your support for Rania Hamid Sarsour, her baby Rose, and her two children. Here is a message directly from Rania:

Hello everyone, I hope this message finds you safe and sound.

I'm Rania, a mother, a gynecologist and a wife. I used to live with my husband and two children happily in Khan-Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip. Today, I'm staying with 18 family members under one small roof in Deir Albalh. I was displaced by the invasion of Khan-Yunis in February 2024. It was terrifying for me, even more so as I was in my final month of pregnancy. The lack of basic food, water and hygienic supplies every day continue to threaten both mine and my newborns’ lives.

Rania in her work as gynecologist, celebrating her birthday with colleagues (pic 1) and with her brother Ahmed before the attacks at her home.

I had to bring my child kicking and screaming into this chaos with no anesthesia, no pain killers and definitely with not enough hygienic supplies. I brought a wrap with me as there were no bed sheets, no pillows and not even hot water. Besides that, there was no privacy, no curtains to separate the patients. And it was crowded, people all over the place with severe injuries and no separation for the maternal ward. Mothers, like me, were in agony waiting to give birth to their babies. In the hospital, they lacked a sufficient number of doctors to meet the acutely dire medical needs. The scenes were horrifying, you have to wait for your turn, even if the birth is already happening. Yet you must concentrate somehow on bringing your baby into this world and shielding her in the precarious safety of your arms. On February 22nd, Rose came to life. I named her Rose in the loving memory of my dear friend Razan and her daughter Rose, who were killed alongside her entire family due to the collapse of their flat in the beginning of this awful war.

A few days after the delivery, I got to know that my home, my sister's home and my in-laws' homes were all destroyed, leveled to the ground by the brutal attacks in Khan-Yunis. All the memories we have built, our family heirlooms, our entire life’s work was burnt to the ground.

Rania’s apartment before and after the attacks

It was a blessing that we made it out alive. I am haunted by that period when we endured bombing for three consecutive days.

From the moment we awoke, we raced against time and the bombs to dress my children, pack the little we could save and run. I managed to fit two or three outfits for my kids in the bags and whatever food we had in the house which was mainly aid provisions. We had not been able to leave the house for days. There was no market, nothing on the streets to buy and we were deafened by piercing air raids, gunshots, screams and the creeping smell of gunpowder. I lost count on how many times the building shook as I didn't get any sleep in two whole days. I tried to comfort my kids, whilst at the same time, I wasn't sure we would make it out alive.

Thankfully, we eventually reached Deir Albalh around 4pm. During the journey, a lot of bombs were dropping around us and a lot of people like us were carrying as much as they could and were wandering the roads all desperately searching for a safe shore.

I never anticipated in my life to be forced into such a situation. Nor when I faced it, up until now I have no idea how to cope. How to be strong for my family. All I know is that, for now, I'm thankful for making it out alive. For the safety of my kids. For the safety of my newborn baby, little Rose.

She is the reason I keep going, I want to be strong for her and therefore I must ask for your help. I am in dire need of diapers, baby formula, synthesizers, baby clothes and money to treat birth-induced anemia. I must boost my protein levels to have energy so that I can provide well the nutrients she needs to stay healthy. Because there's no proper food that contains protein like meat, chicken and even eggs, my baby and I are weak and sick.

As I'm writing this, a single egg costs 2$ each. I cannot breast-feed, so I'm counting on baby formulas which are so expensive and my baby needs a lot of it to grow healthy. My job, my life, and my husband’s work were all destroyed by this war. We no longer have an income to feed our children, I desperately need your support at this time.

Now being displaced with a baby and an additional mouth to feed with my other two children, I found myself forced to immediately find work after giving birth. But as you may have seen in the news, many bombs are targeted at hospitals like Al-Shifa. Only 12 of 36 hospitals previously established in Gaza, are partially-functioning. It is impossible to receive a salary from a bank that is bombed to ashes.

We appeal to your kindness to support my baby and me through this GoFundMe. The money raised will be used to enable us to :

From a Gazan mother, to mother’s worldwide living in peaceful conditions. In one form, we all have mothers and know the importance of a mother’s love. Please help me to provide for my newborn baby and my kids. Help me rebuild and grant them a future better than the one was stolen from us.

Help us to have a mere decent life in this hell we live in.

I will be forever grateful.

A mother in Gaza, Rania.”

We appreciate any donation, and, if you cannot manage to do so, please share this fundraiser with your networks.

Thank you again and I will keep updating you

Lani.