Help Ibtisam and her family evacuate from Gaza
United Kingdom
My name is Abbey, and I live in Scotland. I’ve set up this fundraiser on behalf of my friend Ibtisam Shurafa and her family; her husband Mohamed, and three daughters: one-and-a-half-year-old Yumna, nine-year-old Raghad, and 12-year-old Mayar. The aim of this fundraiser to help the family evacuate from Gaza (as soon as it is possible again) and rebuild their lives abroad.
Life before October 2023
Despite the challenges brought on by Israel’s 18-year-long blockade and multiple previous wars on Gaza; Ibtisam, whose name literally means smile in Arabic, “always aspired for progress and excellence,” as she puts it. Along with her husband Mohamed, they cultivated “a family environment of reassurance and stability.”
Their daughter Mayar was enrolled in arts, journalism, and media courses – and like many kids dreamt of being a YouTuber and interior designer in the future. Raghad practiced gymnastics and loved taking her of her pets: her turtle, bird and cat. Preparations were underway to welcome baby Yumna into the family, as Ibtisam was pregnant.
Ibtisam worked as a librarian, participated in every local and international book competition possible, often winning awards. She would “organize book fairs [in Gaza] to encourage and instil reading habits in students.” A truly ambitious woman, aside from her BSc in Engineering and diploma in Multimedia, she was pursuing further studies in Library Science. Moreover, Ibtisam was working on a pilot project – an online talent training platform, set to be extremely useful in the HR/talent acquisition space.
Mohamed, a computer engineer by trade, owned a shop in the North of Gaza. The family lived in a house which consisted of four apartments, three of which were inhabited by Mohamed’s brothers and their families. All their loved ones close, just as the family intended.
Displacement, challenges and loss
Baby Yumna lived in the family home only for the first month and half of her life. Ibtisam recalls that “a mosque next to our house was bombed” and window glass shattered on Yumna’s bed, but thankfully, the baby survived the incident. The family became displaced in the first week of Israel’s onslaught, south, to Deir Al Balah.
Everyone suffered, but baby Yumna being the youngest (and weakest) in particular. Lack of clean diapers caused rashes, the cloths her parents used as a substitute would constantly leak making her cold and frequently sick with (not only) chest infections, and the polluted water caused gastrointestinal diseases. “My little girl’s immunity is still weak, and she cannot resist everything that happens to her,” Ibtisam shared.
Ibtisam’s “princesses” during displacement
In the meantime, Ibtisam’s father, whose illness worsened during the genocide due to lack of food, medicine and necessary treatments died in the North. Ibtisam never had to chance to say goodbye, “it is so difficult to lose a beloved without seeing them.”
Ibtisam’s mother fell, broke her pelvis and needs a joint replacement surgery. Thus far, she’s been unable to have an operation due to lack of resources. Likewise, she’s unable to access medication she needs as a diabetic.
During the genocide, two of Ibtisam’s sisters were killed by Israel – one of which was killed alongside her husband and son. Of the events of the past 15 months, Ibtisam says, “no one can bear it. It is beyond the endurance of humans.”
*What remains of the Shurafa family’s home. Low resolution due to Ibtisam struggling to find a solid internet connection in Gaza.
Looking forward / Purpose of this fundraiser
Nonetheless, Ibtisam and Mohamed are determined to start over and rebuild a life outside of Gaza. Thus, the purpose of this fundraiser is two-fold; with an immediate and intermediate/long term goal.
In the immediate term:
-Help Ibtisam’s family attain basic necessities; water, food, clothes and diapers for baby Yumna
In the intermediate/long term:
-Once the Rafah crossing reopens: secure 5 passes (for which the criminally complicit Egyptian border police charged 5,000 USD per person) -Travel expenses, passport renewals -Accommodation in Egypt for a month (the family will need to stay in Egypt for a month -whilst completing the paperwork needed for the second stretch of their journey). -Tickets to Turkey (where the Shurafas intend on starting a new life) -Expenses for reactivating Ibtisam’s pilot project (to secure an income for the family) -Payment for Ibtisam’s mother’s joint replacement surgery
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to the fund for Ibtisam and her family! Below is an update directly from Ibtisam about the current situation in Gaza. If you’re able to, please share Ibtisam’s campaign with your network. Thank you! <3 "Please add an update that the situation in Gaza is now catastrophic. The fear increases every day, and the destruction keeps getting worse. The suffering is in every detail—from the very beginning of trying to get flour for bread, to kneading and baking, all made harder by the closure of bakeries. Lighting fires daily due to the lack of gas is extremely exhausting and tiring. The commercial crossing has been closed for more than a month and a half, leading to outrageous prices and a lack of basic goods in the markets. Electricity has been cut off for more than a year and a half, and everything depends on manual labor. I want my daughters to return to school and to their lives. We are tired and worn out. We want to live. We miss having life back in our lives." Anonymous
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$40,000.00
Funding Goal -
$0.00
Funds Raised -
0
Days to go -
Campaign Never Ends
Campaign End Method
Product Description
United Kingdom
My name is Abbey, and I live in Scotland. I’ve set up this fundraiser on behalf of my friend Ibtisam Shurafa and her family; her husband Mohamed, and three daughters: one-and-a-half-year-old Yumna, nine-year-old Raghad, and 12-year-old Mayar. The aim of this fundraiser to help the family evacuate from Gaza (as soon as it is possible again) and rebuild their lives abroad.
Life before October 2023
Despite the challenges brought on by Israel’s 18-year-long blockade and multiple previous wars on Gaza; Ibtisam, whose name literally means smile in Arabic, “always aspired for progress and excellence,” as she puts it. Along with her husband Mohamed, they cultivated “a family environment of reassurance and stability.”
Their daughter Mayar was enrolled in arts, journalism, and media courses – and like many kids dreamt of being a YouTuber and interior designer in the future. Raghad practiced gymnastics and loved taking her of her pets: her turtle, bird and cat. Preparations were underway to welcome baby Yumna into the family, as Ibtisam was pregnant.
Ibtisam worked as a librarian, participated in every local and international book competition possible, often winning awards. She would “organize book fairs [in Gaza] to encourage and instil reading habits in students.” A truly ambitious woman, aside from her BSc in Engineering and diploma in Multimedia, she was pursuing further studies in Library Science. Moreover, Ibtisam was working on a pilot project – an online talent training platform, set to be extremely useful in the HR/talent acquisition space.
Mohamed, a computer engineer by trade, owned a shop in the North of Gaza. The family lived in a house which consisted of four apartments, three of which were inhabited by Mohamed’s brothers and their families. All their loved ones close, just as the family intended.
Displacement, challenges and loss
Baby Yumna lived in the family home only for the first month and half of her life. Ibtisam recalls that “a mosque next to our house was bombed” and window glass shattered on Yumna’s bed, but thankfully, the baby survived the incident. The family became displaced in the first week of Israel’s onslaught, south, to Deir Al Balah.
Everyone suffered, but baby Yumna being the youngest (and weakest) in particular. Lack of clean diapers caused rashes, the cloths her parents used as a substitute would constantly leak making her cold and frequently sick with (not only) chest infections, and the polluted water caused gastrointestinal diseases. “My little girl’s immunity is still weak, and she cannot resist everything that happens to her,” Ibtisam shared.
Ibtisam’s “princesses” during displacement
In the meantime, Ibtisam’s father, whose illness worsened during the genocide due to lack of food, medicine and necessary treatments died in the North. Ibtisam never had to chance to say goodbye, “it is so difficult to lose a beloved without seeing them.”
Ibtisam’s mother fell, broke her pelvis and needs a joint replacement surgery. Thus far, she’s been unable to have an operation due to lack of resources. Likewise, she’s unable to access medication she needs as a diabetic.
During the genocide, two of Ibtisam’s sisters were killed by Israel – one of which was killed alongside her husband and son. Of the events of the past 15 months, Ibtisam says, “no one can bear it. It is beyond the endurance of humans.”
*What remains of the Shurafa family’s home. Low resolution due to Ibtisam struggling to find a solid internet connection in Gaza.
Looking forward / Purpose of this fundraiser
Nonetheless, Ibtisam and Mohamed are determined to start over and rebuild a life outside of Gaza. Thus, the purpose of this fundraiser is two-fold; with an immediate and intermediate/long term goal.
In the immediate term:
-Help Ibtisam’s family attain basic necessities; water, food, clothes and diapers for baby Yumna
In the intermediate/long term:
-Once the Rafah crossing reopens: secure 5 passes (for which the criminally complicit Egyptian border police charged 5,000 USD per person) -Travel expenses, passport renewals -Accommodation in Egypt for a month (the family will need to stay in Egypt for a month -whilst completing the paperwork needed for the second stretch of their journey). -Tickets to Turkey (where the Shurafas intend on starting a new life) -Expenses for reactivating Ibtisam’s pilot project (to secure an income for the family) -Payment for Ibtisam’s mother’s joint replacement surgery
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to the fund for Ibtisam and her family! Below is an update directly from Ibtisam about the current situation in Gaza. If you’re able to, please share Ibtisam’s campaign with your network. Thank you! <3 "Please add an update that the situation in Gaza is now catastrophic. The fear increases every day, and the destruction keeps getting worse. The suffering is in every detail—from the very beginning of trying to get flour for bread, to kneading and baking, all made harder by the closure of bakeries. Lighting fires daily due to the lack of gas is extremely exhausting and tiring. The commercial crossing has been closed for more than a month and a half, leading to outrageous prices and a lack of basic goods in the markets. Electricity has been cut off for more than a year and a half, and everything depends on manual labor. I want my daughters to return to school and to their lives. We are tired and worn out. We want to live. We miss having life back in our lives." Anonymous
| ID | Name | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1244 | Listing Agent | [email protected] | |
| 1215 | Listing Agent | [email protected] |
