Palestinian people

Dear friends, I am writing to you as a concerned human being in relation to the Palestinian issue. It has become blatantly obvious that the state of Israel is currently conducting a mass genocidal operation, the scale and barbarity of which the world has not seen for decades. This Holocaust of the Palestinian nation - a nation devoid of a state, a country, dignity, humane conditions and freedom of movement deserves our attention and help.

Personally I am going on a refugee ration week, aiming to raise much needed funds towards the desperate plight of the Palestinian nation. From Monday 28 April to Sunday 4 May my daily meal will be a tin of legumes a day, a cup of rice and two flat breads. My only drink will be water. I also allow for one tin of sardines, which will be divided in order to last me for the seven days.

I hope to raise a minimum of $2000. Funds raised will be given to Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) and UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, a specialized UN agency established in 1949 to provide humanitarian assistance and services to Palestinian refugees – yes, that’s how long they have been refugees.

You can support me in raising these funds by:

• Accessing the Gofundme website;

• Promoting my cause in your social media apps and sharing my story amongst your friends, relatives and work colleagues and encouraging them to donate.

Living on rations is not easy; it’s physically tough. Hungriness, coffee and sugar withdrawals are real. But the challenge brings into sharp focus the contrast between daily life for us, and for the people of Palestine and it gives me a deeper respect for people surviving on these rations day in, day out. It also reminds me that eating rations is just one small part of their life and the injustice of the situation is much greater.

We know that asking people for money can be uncomfortable, but I hope that you will support this cause and help bring hope to the people of Palestine.

Yours truly,

Stelios Piakis