DECEMBER 22, 2025 UPDATE

After two weeks of compliance checks, GoFundMe has required that we add Iliana Montauk to the campaign page as a beneficiary to reflect that Iliana is the one personally transferring funds to the actual beneficiaries in Gaza. GoFundMe finally released the funds we’d recently raised and Iliana has transferred every dollar to the people in need. We are still short $1k for immediate needs people have expressed, and expect more help requests to come as people grapple with winter flooding, cold, lack of shelter, and high food prices.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

OCTOBER 28, 2025 UPDATE

We are so encouraged and motivated by the overwhelming support this campaign has received! We have increased the fundraising goal to $15,000 to reflect this success, and to meet the outpouring of new requests received from the Manara students and alumni that still need our help.

Basic, critical essentials like clean water and food are scarce and our friends desperately need our aid to obtain these. Please, donate what you can and continue to spread the word. We refuse to allow our community members to go hungry, and your support and awareness make that commitment possible.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Manara is an edtech startup in Silicon Valley providing an upskilling platform for software engineers and data scientists in the Middle East. Just as the word Manara means 'source of light,' it is not only a learning platform but a supportive community that continues to uplift each other long after the learning ends.

The time to act is NOW.

Since October 2023, we have been unwavering in peer-to-peer support of our Manara community in Gaza—our students, alumni, and their families. To date, we have been able to provide direct support for over 120 people. Aid has ranged from food, water, and medical care to laptops, internet connectivity, and evacuation assistance.

Approximately 50 alumni and students remain in Gaza today, and every day brings new, devastating challenges and urgent needs. The pleas for aid are exponential as families reach out in desperation, asking for help to evacuate from Gaza City to the South. For most, the only way out is through paid transportation. Walking is simply not possible—most families include very young children who could never make the journey on foot.

For those fortunate enough to evacuate, survival doesn’t end when they reach safety. A new struggle begins: finding shelter, food, and clean water. Families are sleeping outside, exposed to danger, unless they can afford a tent. We’re also providing essentials like food, water, internet access, and eSIMs so they can stay connected to loved ones and communicate safely. Some of our alumni have reached alarming health conditions—one adult weighs just 39 kg (~86 lbs) because of prolonged hunger. It is heartbreaking to witness.

We respond to each case individually, identifying specific needs and acting quickly. This is accomplished through OFAC compliant banking, liaising with embassies, and on-the-ground coordination. The costs are overwhelming:

• $1,000 covers transportation.

• $2,000 provides a tent that can shelter one family.

We are currently aiming to raise $3,000 to $5,000. This will cover current aid needs we're managing, and will be adjusted as new requests are received.

Every dollar we raise goes directly toward these lifesaving emergencies—helping our friends and their families secure food, water, shelter, and a way to stay connected. Each contribution keeps them safer and gives them a chance to survive in one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Please help and show your support through a donation.