Help Sham’s Medical Evacuation

Product Description

Portugal

Supporters

Please leave a comment of support for Sham below. Her mother will share them with her. Let her know she is loved, she matters, and she is not alone.

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Sham’s only shot at healing and life is leaving Gaza.

Shamand (Sham) was a vibrant, happy little girl full of love and enthusiasm before the genocide. She was struck in a double tap strike by an Israeli missile while playing with her friends and brother and is in urgent need of evacuation.

A double tap is when a ‘target’ – a human being – is hit and once others rush to aid the person(s) hit, they strike again. This was done to children playing. The first ‘target’ was her younger brother and friends. The second was Sham. Miraculously, brother and sister survived. This is what the UN means when it says this is a war against children.

Sham has had one leg amputated above the knee, several toes blown off from the remaining foot, a broken upper arm, burns to the body and face, a fracture in the diaphragm, and the removal of part of the liver.

And her life remains in danger as nowhere is safe in Gaza. Including what remains of Al-Shifa Hospital where she is receiving treatment.

Sham spent her 11th birthday in hospital bed, suffering in enormous pain including severe, chronic nerve pain from the loss of limb. Her mental health is rapidly deteorating. She saw her friends burn to death and has nightmares. She is scared she will not make it through this. Sham, her little brother who suffered severe burns, and her parents need our support.

Money raised will go directly toward’s Sham’s family to cover expenses while receiving medical care outside of Gaza and transport pending the evacuation country as well as life expenses while they remain in Gaza and wait for evacuation because as we all know food is near non-existent and very expensive. One bag of flour costs the equivalent of $700USD.

How does evacuation work:

Evacuation is complicated and sees many delays as each patient requires a referal from the doctor, which is then submitted to the authorities to then be submitted to WHO and Israel. Israel will grant or deny evacuation. Children are waiting months for evacuation. What can speed up the process is proof that the child has a host country willing to receive them and the means are in place for their care. Sham has her letter and it has been submitted to the authorities and WHO. We are now working on securing her a host country, focusing at present on Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Portugal, and the UK. We welcome logistical support from any donor. Email the campaign directly.

While we work on the bureaucratic and logistic side of things, we need all of you to give what you can, share this campaign, and sign up to receive updates. This last part is really important as we will advise of future CTAs including collecting signatures for a petition to submit to the government. Please join us and spread the word using the hashtag #SaveSham.

Who is running this campaign:

My name is Holly. I am a Canadian creative media professional, international human rights lawyer, and NGO founder currently based in the EU. The first time I went to Palestine in 2017 changed my life forever. I thought, from my previous work, namely with survivors of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Atiak, Uganda, I could not be surprised by much. I was wrong.

Since that time, I have been working off and on with Palestinian organisations and individuals as well as attending FilmLab Palestine’s prestigious film festival which, since October 7, hasn’t been able to safely hold its annual film festival as settler and IOF violence escalates in the West Bank.

I saw two videos of Sham posted on Instagram, one from Middle East Eye and another with a plea to contact her mother to help her. I reached out to Sham’s mother, Marwa, and asked what she needed. Marwa has requested we do everything we can to help evacuate her daughter. She does not yet have a letter for her son. We are hoping one can be obtained but in the event it isn’t, our aim is to ensure the children are evacuated together and the family is not separated. Marwa has graciously provided several photos of Sham’s condition as well as the medical documents required to expedite an evacuation order. We act solely on the wishes of Sham’s parents every step of the way.

Remember, When you make a donation, please leave a comment of support for Sham. Her mother will share them with her. Let her know she is loved, she matters, and she is not alone.

The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe.

Help us #SaveSham.

Learn more about how Sham was injured in the attack. Please share.

Milly Castelow