Dear friends and supporters,
 We hope this message finds you well. We want to share an important update with our community of donors in the UK, USA, Palestine and beyond. Over the past few months, our team has navigated unexpected challenges in transferring funds to Gaza. Through it all, we remain steadfast in our mission to support Gaza’s orphans with compassion, transparency, and hope. Below, we outline what has happened and how we are moving forward together with you.

The Challenge: International Banking Hurdles
In recent times, the global banking environment has posed new obstacles to sending aid into Gaza. Financial institutions have increased their scrutiny of transactions, and many humanitarian organisations trying to send support have had their bank accounts closed and transfers frozen since the conflict escalated. Unfortunately, our own efforts were not immune to these disruptions – some of our fund transfers were delayed or temporarily frozen as a result. We know how concerning this must be for you, as it was for us. When aid is urgently needed, any hold-up feels tremendous. Please rest assured that we have been working diligently with our banking partners to resolve these issues. Every penny you donated for orphan support is accounted for, and we’ve taken extra measures to secure the funds and get them ready for distribution

Despite these hurdles, we never lost sight of why we embarked on this journey. If anything, these challenges have strengthened our resolve. They reminded us that in a fragile context, we must remain both steadfast and adaptable. Most importantly, we want you to know that we’ve treated your contributions with the utmost care throughout this process.

Stewardship and Transparency: Our Promise to You
One of our core values is responsible stewardship – ensuring that your generosity directly benefits the children you intended to help. Alongside this, we equally prioritize transparency and keeping you connected to the cause. Our volunteer coordinator continues to work closely with our ground team in Gaza to guarantee your donations reach the designated children. For complete transparency, we provide video updates showing the successful delivery of your support. Even from thousands of miles away, you can see the impact of your kindness unfold on the ground.

We remain fully committed to open communication. This means you can expect regular updates, stories, and reports about how funds are being used and the difference they are making. We believe you deserve to feel the connection to the lives you are touching. By honoring your trust through diligent oversight and open reporting, we aim to make you confident that every dollar/£ is put to work as intended.

Your faith in us fuels our determination to uphold these principles. We know that without donors like you, none of this work would be possible – and we intend to steward your gifts with the care and respect they deserve.

Disbursing Remaining Funds to Orphan Families
Thanks to your generosity, we have funds in hand that were already collected for the orphan sponsorship initiative. We are pleased to let you know that the remainder of these funds will now be disbursed directly to the orphaned families on our existing support list. These are families and children we have identified and vetted for assistance, so you can be confident that your donations will reach the very people you set out to help. By delivering the remaining aid to these families, we will provide them with much-needed support for essentials like food, clothing, and shelter as promised.

This step is about fulfilling our commitment to the orphans and their caregivers without further delay. It means that even with the earlier logistical delays, your kindness will still yield the impact you intended. The children will receive the support you entrusted us with, helping to bring them comfort and stability in their daily lives. We know how much this cause means to you, and we want to ensure that every donation already given finds its way to a child in need.

As we carry out this final round of direct disbursements under our current program, we do so with a sense of gratitude and relief. Gratitude, because your support has been unwavering even when the road got tough – and relief, because we can finally get these resources into the hands of the families who have been waiting. Our team on the ground will once again document and share the delivery of this aid, so you’ll be able to see those moments of relief and hope made possible by you.

New Direction: Partnering with a Local Orphan Support Initiative
With the immediate distribution of remaining funds underway, we have also been reflecting on how to strengthen our impact going forward. In light of the banking hurdles and the ever-changing landscape in Gaza, we are making a strategic shift in our approach. Rather than continuing to run the orphan sponsorship project exactly as before, we will be partnering with a locally based NGO in the Gaza Strip that is dedicated to supporting orphans. This new direction allows us to leverage the NGO’s on-the-ground expertise and established networks in Gaza, ensuring that aid can be delivered more reliably even when international channels face obstacles.

What does this mean in practice? It means our mission to care for orphans in Gaza will carry on, but through a collaborative, locally-led model. We will work hand-in-hand with a trusted Gaza-based organization that shares our vision for these children. Building on the foundation of our Aid4Gaza Orphan Sponsorship Programme, we remain committed to supporting Orphans in Gaza with essential monthly aid – that commitment does not change. By joining forces with a local team, we can continue to provide those families with consistent care and relief while also navigating regulatory challenges more effectively. Our partner will help execute distributions and welfare check-ins for the orphans, while we provide funding, oversight, and donor updates.

We chose this path after careful consideration of how to best serve the children. Local NGOs have deep insight into community needs and can respond swiftly as situations evolve. Together, we’ll be stronger and more agile in delivering help where it’s needed. Importantly, this collaboration also positions us to reach more vulnerable children over time. As our own project has noted, there is a long waiting list of vetted orphans and families in Gaza who still urgently need support. By partnering locally, we improve our capacity to eventually extend assistance to those still on the waiting list, beyond the 30 families we support now. In short, this new direction is about doing more good, for more children, in the most effective way.

We understand that change can bring questions, but please be assured: this shift comes from our unwavering commitment to the orphans of Gaza. We are not scaling back our efforts – rather, we are adapting and amplifying them through local partnership. We will keep you informed as this plan unfolds, and you will continue to receive the same transparent reports and heartfelt stories, now enriched by the perspective of our local partners on the ground.

Operating in a conflict zone like Gaza has taught us a profound lesson: adaptability is crucial in a fragile context. Circumstances on the ground can change overnight, and to keep serving those in need, we must be ready to adjust course. Our Family Support Fund was originally established to ensure families and children are supported through “the extreme conditions of the ongoing conflict”, and that principle guides us today. The strategic changes we’ve described above are a direct response to the reality we face – they represent resilience, not retreat. By staying flexible and solution-oriented, we can uphold our promise to the children depending on us, even when external conditions are challenging.

Throughout these adjustments, one thing remains constant: our long-term mission to support Palestine’s most vulnerable children. We reaffirm that mission now. We are here for the long haul. Our commitment to Gaza’s orphans isn’t a short-term campaign, but a lifelong pledge to help nurture a safer, brighter future for them. Every step we take – whether distributing funds, forging partnerships, or finding creative workarounds to obstacles – is rooted in that enduring purpose.

To our donors and supporters, we want to say thank you for embracing this journey with us. Your understanding and encouragement have been vital. In moments when the situation felt overwhelming, your faith in the cause gave us strength. Because of you, we are more optimistic than ever that we can overcome hurdles and continue making a meaningful difference.

Looking ahead, we are filled with hope and determination. You have shown us that every act of kindness matters, and we will carry that truth forward as our rallying cry. Together, we will continue to “bring hope and care to those who need it most”, no matter what challenges arise on the path.

On behalf of our team and the families we serve: thank you for your trust, your patience, and your unwavering compassion. We will keep you updated on the progress of our new partnership and the lives being transformed because of your generosity. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or thoughts – we are always here to talk.

With heartfelt gratitude and solidarity,
 The Aid4Gaza Team
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P.S. We believe in the power of community and adaptability. This journey has reinforced that belief. Thank you for standing with us through the twists and turns – your support means the world to us and to the children whose lives you’re changing.