Urgent: Support my three kids facing hunger during war

It is with a heavy heart and trembling hands that I write this. My name is Sujod Aljazzar, a 30-year-old mother of three from Gaza. I never imagined I would be pleading for help on a platform like this, but our situation has become truly desperate. For the past 20 months, my homeland has endured a relentless, long-running war that has shattered our lives. And for the last three months, we have been living under a man-made famine. The borders of Gaza are sealed shut, and not a single aid truck has been allowed in during this time.

humanitarian-situation-update

This fundraiser is my last resort to keep my three little ones alive and healthy.

Our Life in Gaza: War, Hunger, and Loss

Before the war, I was a chemist working at Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture. I was proud of my job and of contributing to my community. But now, all normal life has stopped. As the conflict escalated, the Ministry had to suspend its operations. There is simply no work when everything is in ruins. Gaza’s agricultural sector itself has been devastated by the war, with over half of our farmland destroyed. In this environment, there is no work and no income for people like me. My husband is here with us and shares our struggles, but he too cannot find any work in this shattered economy.

As a mother, I have been skipping meals to feed my children with the small portions I can obtain. I often feel lightheaded from hunger, and I’ve started losing my hair due to severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Every day, I grow weaker, but I cannot give up. My children’s innocent faces and their cries of hunger push me to keep fighting for them.

Let me tell you about my three beloved children, who are the reason I am reaching out to you today:

Sedra (3 years old) – “Mama, can we have chicken?”

Sedra is my bright and affectionate three-year-old daughter. She has always been a little foodie with a sweet tooth. She loves meat, fish, and especially chocolate. treats that used to make her clap her hands in delight. But she has not tasted these things in months. We simply cannot find them or afford them anymore. Each day, Sedra looks up at me with her big innocent eyes and asks, “Mama, can we have chicken today?” She is too young to understand the harsh reality: items like chicken and fruit have completely vanished from our markets.

I have to tell her “not today,” and it breaks my heart every time. I see her once chubby cheeks growing thinner and her energy fading. No mother should ever have to look into her child’s eyes and admit she has no food to give. I try to stay strong for Sedra, but inside I am crying and feeling like I’ve failed her

Aboud (2 years old) – A little boy who loves fruit

Aboud is my playful two-year-old son, our little explorer. He used to adore fruit; bananas and apples would make him squeal with joy. Now, he hasn’t had a single piece of fruit in such a long time. I am afraid he might forget what fruit even tastes like. I see him growing quieter and weaker; a two-year-old should be bubbly and energetic, but malnutrition is making him tired and sickly. As a mother, it is agonizing to watch your child’s sparkle dim because of hunger. I would give anything to see Aboud enjoy a piece of fruit again, to see him healthy and carefree like any toddler should be.

Sella (4 months old) – Born into war and blockade

My youngest, baby Sella, is only four months old. She was born in the midst of this war, an innocent little soul who has known nothing but hardship in her short life. I am doing my best to breastfeed Sella, but because I am malnourished, my body can barely produce enough milk. My baby girl is constantly hungry and crying, and it absolutely shatters me. She needs formula to grow and thrive, but baby formula is almost impossible to find or afford under the siege. When by some miracle a can of formula does appear in a store, the price is outrageously far beyond what we can pay. Diapers are another desperate need. We are down to our last few diapers because they have become unaffordable. A single pack of diapers now costs more than ten times what it did before the war. (Before this crisis, a pack was around $3.50; now it can cost $45 or more, which I simply don’t have.) I often have to improvise makeshift diapers from old cloth rags. Washing those cloths is also difficult since clean water is so scarce.

How You Can Help

I am humbly reaching out to the world because I have no other choice. My children are starving. We have nothing left to survive on, and I cannot stand by and watch my babies suffer. Your donation can literally save their lives.

Here is how any funds raised will be used:

I will carefully account for every dollar and make sure it goes directly to keeping my children fed, warm, and safe.

My Plea to You

I know that many people around the world are facing their own challenges, and I know there are many causes asking for help. It is not easy for me to lay bare my pain and ask strangers for money. In fact, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. But I am a mother, and I will do anything to save my children. My pride, my hesitation, my fear of imposing, all of that is nothing compared to the fear I have of watching my children waste away from hunger.

Please, if you have it in your heart and the ability to help, I am begging for your support. Even a small donation can make a huge difference. A few dollars can mean a meal for Sedra and Aboud, or a bottle of milk for baby Sella. Your kindness will directly impact three innocent young lives who are enduring circumstances no child should ever endure.

If you are unable to donate, you can still help us by sharing our story with others. Simply spreading the word can find us someone who can assist. We need as many people as possible to see what is happening here, to know that good people are trapped and starving, and that we desperately need help.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read about my family’s struggle. Your compassion and generosity could be the difference between despair and hope for us. My dream is to see my children healthy, fed, and safe – to see them smile and play like children are supposed to, without the gnawing pain of hunger or the fear of war. With your help, I believe that dream is still possible.

Please help us if you can. No contribution is too small, and every bit of support gives my family a chance to survive this nightmare. We will never forget your kindness.

Sincerely,

Sujod Aljazzar and family (Sedra, Aboud, and baby Sella).