Hello, my name is Daniel, and I am a Canadian who like many of you has been consistently devastated over the last 2.5 years by the horrors facing Gaza and the West Bank, and like many of you I have been moved to action,

I’ve been communicating with Mai and Ahmed her family for some time now and they’ve asked me to help them raise funds so that they might be able to gather essential resources like food and water and the shelter they so desperately need to survive,

Below are their stories, in their own words,

“Help Us Rebuild Our Lives and Dreams Our names are Mai M. Al-Mabhouh and Ahmed M. Dawas.

We are two nurses from Gaza whose dreams of building a life together have been shattered by war. Before the war, our lives were full of hope. I, Mai, was on the verge of completing my Master's degree in Nursing Administration, and Ahmed was working to finish his Bachelor's degree. We were planning our wedding and our future.

When the war began, our first instinct as nurses was to help. We immediately began volunteering in the pediatric department at Kamal Adwan Hospital, caring for the most vulnerable victims of the conflict.

Mai's Story:

My family has lost everything. Our home was severely damaged early in the war, its walls and furniture blown out by a nearby airstrike on October 7, 2023. We lost our car on October 28, barely escaping with our lives from the rubble of my sister's house where we had taken shelter.

On the morning of June 3, 2024, my beloved mother, Sumaya Mohammed Al-Mabhouh, was killed. A piece of shrapnel from a strike on our neighbor's home struck her as she slept. It entered her neck and exited her side. She was the heart of our family, and her loss has left a wound that will never heal.

My youngest brother, Anas (born in 2008), a child of a previous war, asks for her every single day. He doesn’t understand why she isn’t coming back.

My father, Mohammed Hussein Al-Mabhouh, has lost his livelihood. His large auto repair shop and the three cars he used for work have been completely destroyed.

My brothers' futures have been stolen. Mohammed (born 1998) and Abdulrahman cannot continue their education or find work.

My extended family is also suffering. My brother Salem and his wife Huda are trying to care for their four children, including a newborn, Mohammed, who was born on April 2, 2024. He desperately needs milk, diapers, and proper food. My brother Hatem and his wife Haneen are also unemployed after he lost his car in the war, struggling to provide for their three young children.

We have been displaced multiple times, running from shelling and smoke bombs, surviving a fire in my aunt's house, and enduring a famine where we were forced to eat animal feed like barley and corn just to survive. We experienced a moment of indescribable joy when our family was briefly reunited, but it was fleeting.

The war returned, and on June 4, 2024, we were forced to flee again, carrying nothing but the body of my martyred mother. Shortly after, on June 17, 2024, we lost my grandfather.

Today, my family lives in a dilapidated house on Al-Shati, terrified of the coming winter without proper clothes, blankets, or money for basic necessities.

Ahmed's Story:

My family has also been displaced from our home in the Jabalia camp, which has now been destroyed.

My father, Munir Mohammed Dawas, lost his pastry and cake shop, our only source of income. My mother, Aisha, suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, conditions made worse by the lack of medicine and proper care.

My brother, Murad, is partially paralyzed from a past accident and requires constant support. My sister, Rasmiya, a nursing student, and my brother, Mahmoud, a high school student, have both had their education brutally interrupted.

My other brother, Mohammed, his wife Manar, and their three children, including a baby, Yahya, born on February 15, 2025, are also struggling to survive without any work or resources.

We have lost our homes, our families, our education, and our sense of safety. But we have not lost hope. Our dream is simply to live.

We want to finish our education so we can rebuild our lives and support our families. We want to get married and have a future where we can help others as nurses. We are turning to you for help.

Your donation will go towards providing our families with food, clean water, shelter, winter clothing, and essential supplies for the babies, like milk and diapers.

Every donation, no matter the size, is a lifeline. It is a message that we are not forgotten.

Thank you for reading our story and for considering helping us rebuild from the ashes. With hope and gratitude,

Mai and Ahmed”

Mai Mohammed Al-Mabhouh, 16/8/1996,

Ahmed Munir Dawas,

29/3/1994

Mohammed Hussein Al-Mabhouh, 21/8/1969,

Mohammed Mohammed Al-Mabhouh, born in 1998

Ali Mohammed Al-Mabhouh, 2002

Salem Mohammed Al-Mabhouh (6/2/1990)

Huda Hani Al-Mabhouh (25/5/1990)

all transfers will be sent via PayPal.

Thank you so much for your time and your energy, together we can ensure their survival,

Have a blessed day!