Support the Esleem Family's Journey to Safety

Carly Berube is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Carly Berube and I am a nurse who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. I am starting this fundraiser for my friend's named the Esleem family.

The Esleem family consists of the mother named Manal, the father named Hassan, one daughter named Esraa (21 yrs old), one daughter named Wafaa (19 yrs old), a son named Anas (16 yrs old), another son named Saed (14 yrs old), and a daughter named Anna Leen (9 years old).

They had a beautiful and quiet life, despite living on one of the most overpopulated pieces of land in the world. They come from the Al Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City. In Gaza, the Palestinian people did not have control over any aspects of their lives due to the occupation by Israel. Gaza has been under complete siege by land, air, and sea since 2005. Complete siege means that all of the borders are controlled by Israel and the majority of the inhabitants are not granted the ability to leave. When the war started, all entrances and exits from the Gaza Strip were immediately closed and very few people have been allowed out, civilians or not.

The bombing in Gaza has not stopped for 11 months, and the death and destruction has been affecting everyone. All homes, buildings, hospitals, schools, everything has been bombed. Over 90% of the infrastructure of Gaza has been destroyed.

Can you imagine having a bomb dropped on your house while you sleep, and your uncle, aunt, and cousins all killed or trapped under the rubble? Can you imagine having to flee your home with nothing but the clothes on your back, with your children and narrowly escaping death? Can you imagine your family being split up in the scatter to leave? As you run with your mother and siblings, your father stays behind to care for his elderly mother.

They cannot remember how many times they have moved since the bombardment started. Now the Esleems are in southern Gaza, in Khan Younis, and living in a tent that is weather-worn and falling apart with many family members; there is not enough space for everyone. Food is very expensive and mostly all canned goods. The youngest of the family, Anna Leen, is 9-years-old is often ill from the dirty drinking water and sewage that is everywhere due to the complete collapse of all sanitation from the relentless bombing. To get Internet they must walk far, and climb high to access an eSIM.

To give you an idea of the suffering that's happening right now, the single closest bathroom is a far distance and shared by an average of 500 people, for one bathroom. Polio has been found in the water supply in Gaza and vaccines have been allowed in slowly for a fraction of the children, but the Esleem children have not received theirs yet. There are no available soaps or detergents , and medicine and healthcare is largely unavailable due to the complete collapse of the medical system. Diseases, viruses, sewage, trash, and rubble are all around.

The sounds of bombs can be heard where they have their tent, but nowhere is safe in Gaza. If they were to be displaced again, there is nowhere to go, as every single space is taken. The average family in Gaza has been displaced an average of 4 times and many have moved more than that, and this beautiful family is no exception.

Life has become unliveable in Gaza, so the Esleem family now hope to cross the border into Egypt. But, to evacuate from Gaza, Palestinians must bribe Egyptian officials to cross the border.

In order to gain your trust in me, I have been campaigning for over six months now for two families in Gaza. In addition to knowing families in Gaza, I also know families in Egypt.

Every single week, the ability and pathway to send money to Gaza changes and we must be as flexible as possible, but I guarantee that the money will get to her.

In the attempt to have full transparency and trust in the campaign, I am going to attempt to lay out exactly what the money will be spent on below.

I have been taking the lowest conservative estimate reported by the families for the prices that they have reported below. When the border was allowing crossings, the price for one person to get on a list to evacuate to Egypt was $5500 per person

(aged 16 years old and above), and $3000 (per child younger than 16 years old).

Although the price of food fluctuates due to how much gets across the border that day, I have taken the last reported amount for a family of her size per week. Gaza is the most expensive place on earth right now due to the very small trickle of humanitarian aid through the border.

This is a humanitarian disaster that will be studied for decades.

WHAT THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT ON:

Border crossing money:

-$5500 per person 16 years old and above

5500 x 5 = $27,500

1. Hassan (father)

2. Manal (mother)

3. Esraa (21 years old)

4. Wafaa (19 years old)

5. Anaas (16 years old)

$3000 per person 16 years old and below

3000 x 2 = $6000

1. Saad (14 years old)

2. Anna Leen (9 years old)

New tent needed urgently = $1000 (last reported)

(Can you imagine?!?)

Food $250 per week x 4 weeks = $1000 (low estimate)

Money for living expenses such as rent and food when evacuated to Egypt for one month for a family of

7 people = $3000 (low estimate)

For incidentals, because the situation and cost of everything

is changing daily = $5000

Total = $42,500

The situation in Gaza is unimaginable for most of us living in the Western world. Imagine trying to beg strangers on the internet to donate money so that you can save your children during the most well-documented and brutal war that the world has ever seen.

We also understand how hard you work for your money, and any donation, even the price of a cup of coffee, is so greatly appreciated.

Thank you for standing in solidarity with this beautiful family. Please know that they are so grateful.

Sincerely,

Carly Jean Berube

USA

If you want to get to know the family more read below.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

Daughter Esraa

"I am Esraa, 21 years old, in the final year of my university studies majoring in multimedia and web development at the Islamic University of Gaza, but the war took my university, my work, and my dream. I got engaged on October 5th with my family gathering. But the war took my joy and that of my family, and I was displaced to southern Gaza, and my fiancé, Yousef, remains in northern Gaza. I hope to be reunited with him soon."

Daughter Wafaa

"I am Wafaa. I am 19 years old. I finished high school with a grade of 87% and registered for a first-year university, but I have not gone for two weeks yet. I have not studied anything currently."

Son Anas

I am Anas, 16 years old and in 10th grade.

"I was studying hard and diligently in my school, but all my dreams ended because of this war."

Son Saad

I am Saad, 14 years old and in 8th grade.

"My dream was to become a surgeon. I was learning and studying well, but the war took away everything I dreamed of."

Daughter Anna Leen

'I am Leen, 9 years old. I love my father very much, but unfortunately, I have not had my father’s hug since the war started. I love my friends, my school, and my teachers, but

the war took everything beautiful in my life from the beginning

of my life.'