Family (and other) Updates, Jan-Feb 2025
Published on March 1, 2025 by Billy Ruffian
Hi lovely subscribers, friends and community!
We've finalised moving over from Patreon, and are welcoming our first subscribers here on Open Collective! We're so excited to start building a community on a more suitable platform for us. Do get in touch if you have any questions or issues.
Now, on to some news about how our families are doing and our recent donations.
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY DONATIONS
Most of our families have been returning to what remains of their homes over the last couple of months. Very few of them have intact houses, and many are still living in tents pitched on the rubble or in nearby camps. On a monthly basis we've assessed who has the most urgent needs and distributed what we have available. Below are some updates from these families.
I've included links to each person's Instagram and GoFundMe page, so if you're on Instagram, a great way to help them further is to share and comment some support on their posts. Many people in Gaza feel forgotten now that the ceasefire is (theoretically) in effect, so visible support means a lot. Very little aid is getting in, prices in the markets are still high, there is no paid work available, and people are trying to replace basic facilities like solar power and water pumps in their homes, where they have homes left at all. Our families’ need for our help has not diminished.
This month we were also supported by generous fundraisers from Inda's mum, who raised $2000 among her friends, from Sarah Dyer who hosted one of her fantastic draw-along sessions and donated the proceeds, and from C4G mega-supporter artist Valeria Fogato, who has held several fundraising events, exhibitions and markets over the last few months. Their contributions went directly to the families so as to avoid incurring extra fees. Huge thanks to them for their time and generosity.
Nourhan has returned on foot with her two children, Najat and Mohammed, to their home in the North. Their home has been entirely destroyed, and Nourhan expresses devastation at the level of destruction of their neighbourhood. She has found a tent in a camp and is salvaging what remains of their belongings from their home including some of her children's clothing, but she is struggling to find food and water, and they are all very cold.
Anas has returned to the North with his parents and extended family. Their home has also been completely destroyed and burned along with all their belongings, so all they have is what they were able to collect during their months of displacement. Anas is currently in his uncle's house, where 20 people are staying. He supports his sister, her husband and three children, but they have no means of income other than donations, and they have had to spend everything they had on transport and repairs to his uncle's home. Anas says that there is food in the market, but there is no aid available.
Nour returned home on foot with her husband Majed and daughters Malak and Joud. Their home was destroyed and they had to stay with Nour's mother for a while. Nour has now found an apartment to rent, but all her savings only covered half of the first month. She will need to pay the remaining half by the end of February.
Rewaa walked home with her husband Mohammed and children Ali and Tia, carrying her baby Maria in her arms. Their home is damaged, but still has walls standing, so they are clearing rubble and hoping to be able to continue living there. Like most people in Gaza they have no running water, electricity or internet, and much of their clothing has been ruined by mice. All the money they receive is spent on food and water, but they are hoping to save for a battery to provide electricity.
Abdullah and his son Omar are sick with chronic health conditions and hoping to get a medical evacuation to Egypt. They've returned to their home in the north and found it completely destroyed, so they are homeless and searching for somewhere they can live temporarily. Like most families, much of their money is spent on food, water and the added cost of their medication. Abdullah recently donated a small portion of the money he received from C4G to some desperate families in Gaza.
Fadi returned to the north alone and on foot, leaving his wife Alaa and their daughters in the south. He found their home and neighbourhood largely destroyed and no belongings remaining in their house. He struggled to find food in the north and felt hopeless and depressed at the devastation everywhere, describing the total lack of electricity, water, sewerage or other infrastructure. There are no schools for his children. He is looking for work but can find nothing so far.
Fadi has now found a house to rent but it is completely unfurnished, without even doors or windows. He is in the process of moving his family north to join him, and he is hoping to save money to buy a water pump.
Tahani's family is currently living under a tarpaulin set up under the gutted structure of their home, which could collapse at any time. There are only enough blankets for two people to share and they have no tent. She says food in the markets is still expensive, and water is far, difficult to get and contaminated, and internet is patchy. Tahani needs to transport her belongings from the south, but she can't afford transport to do so.
You can view all our donation receipts since the establishment of the Patreon in this folder.
I know things sound bleak for these families, and I want to emphasise that the situation is still pretty desperate. We are definitely seeing a decrease in attention since the ceasefire, and this is partly because many of us are burned out after the last year and a half - so we can only imagine how people in Gaza are feeling. We need to find a way to resource ourselves to continue to help them, because for many we are a lifeline.
C4G NEWS
- Our illustrated cookbook TABKHA: RECIPES FROM UNDER THE RUBBLE written by Mona and illustrated by 21 C4G artists has arrived in the world! Australian orders are beginning to ship out. For the rest of the world there's been a small delay from the printer, with copies now arriving in April. You can still pre-order your copy here. (Photo: Aphrodite Delguiado)
- The #DRAWTABKHA monthly drawing challenge continues! We've had some beautiful submissions for our first two months' prompts, pomegranate and lentils. March's prompt will be dates. To join in, all you need to do is create something inspired by the prompt, then submit it via our form here (if you're happy for us to use it on upcoming fundraising products) and optionally post it on instagram, tagging #DRAWTABKHA, @COFFEESFORGAZA and @TABKHABOOK.
- And for writers, there's the Stretch Your Shelf x TABKHA short story competition! Write a short story up to 1000 on the theme of Food & Memory and submit it to [email protected] by the 9th March (extended deadline). Prizes include copies of TABKHA, art prints and publication on the Stretch Your Shelf website. More information can be found here.
With love and solidarity,
Billy and the C4G team x