Marah and Tahani

Marah and I were both students at the University of Palestine and became great friends and teammates. We worked together on our bachelor's graduation thesis and shared countless memories. After graduation, we both worked as teaching assistants. While Marah pursued her Master's degree, I moved to the UAE. Despite the distance, our friendship remained strong. Marah and I have been through so much together. We shared our dreams, hopes, and all the ups and downs. She is a dear friend to me, and I cherish our bond

The El Masawabe Family's Story

Here is a first-hand account from Marah El Masawabe:

We are a Palestinian family, my father has passed away, residing in the Gaza Strip, I’m left with my mother now. My mother’s name is Awatef Mohamed Ibrahim, born in 1958, and I’m Marah Mustafa Mohamed, born in 1999. We used to live a beautiful life before the genocide war, content with our food, drink, and work. My mom was working as a consultant lawyer and I was working as a teacher's assistant then I got my master's degree and started working as a lecturer in a couple of universities in Gaza, we had dreams and hopes for a better and brighter future for our family and our home.

We were forced to leave our home in the first week of the war and have been displaced several times since then. Initially, we sought shelter in a school amidst deplorable conditions, joining a multitude of displaced individuals crammed into overcrowded, makeshift accommodations within classrooms. Our collective struggle encompasses various hardships, including oppression, illness, indoor pollution, scarcity of essential resources, absence of security, limited healthcare access, and a profound lack of humane living conditions. After the occupation forces invaded the school two months after our displacement, we were forced to leave it again, this time for the second time, hoping to find safety elsewhere

As a result of a long journey of displacement to several places, we ended up in a very simple small tent on the street, lacking security. Our bodies cannot tolerate the cold or heat, and there is no place for basic needs, especially since our mother is elderly, 65 years old, and suffers from chronic diseases (hypertension and heart problems). Gaza lacks many necessary treatments that should be provided for her. Additionally, I was preparing to pursue my doctoral degree outside Gaza, but the war prevented me from achieving my goal and we lost all our sources of income, house, land, education, and our job.

We've endured significant losses, including the destruction of our home by occupation forces using incendiary shells. Our once-thriving farm, a vital source of livelihood, now lies completely demolished, reduced to mere remnants in the aftermath of the devastation.

Update: Marah and her Family evacuated from Rafah, they are now in Khanyonis. The situation is tough on them and they don't have always internet access.

Your Support Can Make a Difference

The significance of your support lies in helping Marah's family escape the horrors of war safely. Your contributions will be used to facilitate their journey to a place of refuge. Specifically, the funds will be instrumental in ensuring they have the resources needed for a safe escape, including:

• The high costs associated with crossing borders.

• Accommodation during this challenging transition, and essential supplies for a fresh start in Egypt.

• Marah's Mother's Urgent hospital treatment fees.

• Marah's education, for her to secure a job that supports her family.