The Gaza Children’s Fund was established in 2010, with the purpose of aiding Gazan children and their families. Since then, several Palestinians have had their homes, livelihoods and families stolen from them by the state of Israel.
Gaza Children’s Fund advocates for the end of this oppression and helps Palestinians by providing them with money and resources. Some of their life-changing projects include providing safe electricity kits, sponsoring young Gazans and Qurban distribution. such as safe electricity kits.
I had the privilege of attending Gaza Children’s Fund Sydney event on Saturday 11 March with my family and found the occasion confronting, eye-opening and enjoyable.
As the night began, we heard an address from Ramia Abdo Sultan. She apologised for the lack of air conditioning but reminded us that the heat was not even comparable to the torment Palestinians faced with limited electricity supplies, creating freezing conditions in winter and sweltering ones in summer.
She acknowledged that the event was taking place on Darug land, an important showing of solidarity between the Palestinian and Indigenous Australian communities, who have both had their land, culture and communities stolen by settler colonialism.
After hearing addresses, including a beautiful poem recited in Arabic from the founder of the Gaza Children’s Fund, the first part of the Al Jazeera documentary ‘60 Minute Warning’ was screened. The documentary focused on the bombing of media, business and residential towers by Israeli forces under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism.’
I could feel the audience devastated as families recounted the traumatic experience of rushing out of the towers, given only an hour’s warning. I also felt the rage in the room, as retired IDF members justified Israel’s decisions, characterising their hour warning as generous and their violence as necessary to allegedly counter Hamas.
In fact, at the end of the documentary, a woman shared her rage, questioning how the rest of the world could watch on as Israel blatantly displaced, killed and tormented innocent Palestinian people.
After the documentary, we heard from a young Palestinian woman about her recent visit to Gaza. She debunked the myth that Palestinians were solely defined by suffering, sharing heartwarming stories about resilience, Palestinian food and culture.
In this mood of celebration, we then applauded the Palestinian students who recently graduated from high school with admirable ATARs.
To end the formal part of the night, an auction of beautiful Palestinian clothes, artworks and furnishings was held.
We then left the auditorium for prayer and dinner. A delicious buffet of Kibbeh, Sambousek, mini pizzas, Chicken and other delicious foods was served. People ordered coffee and Knafeh and bought from a variety of stores, which would donate their proceeds to the Gaza Children’s Fund.
I found a beautiful canvas bag with a map of Palestine decorated with Olive branches reading ‘Free Palestine.’
At the end of the night, I found myself grateful for the generosity and hard work within the community, whilst also feeling a sense of shame and anger about the state of oppression in Palestine.
I felt encouraged to advocate through donating and raising awareness about the issue. Alhamdulillah for the work of the Gaza Children Fund and other incredible organisations working to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians and other oppressed peoples around the world.
You can find the Gaza Children’s Fund here and the documentary ‘60 Minute Warning’ here.
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