Shining A Light in The Dark Of Gaza

This week, until September 14th, every purchase you make from my website directly supports a remarkable young mother in Gaza and her grassroots project Humans To Be.

This includes 5 new glass coaster designs available to pre-order along with matching new greeting cards and 7 more additional card designs.

Meet Laila Ezzat Al Shana

*Laila Ezzat Al Shana- July 2024 in our first video call*

For about fifteen months, I've been supporting a young mother in Gaza through my personal social media platforms.

At 22, Laila is quite remarkable. She's a mother of two: Ishmael (3) and Ibrahim, who turns one at the end of September. Her husband Mohammed, disabled since a 2014 bombing, cannot walk without crutches. Laila is her family's main provider while furthering her university studies in English online. She also started a grassroots women-led community project called Humans To Be, born from her recognition that Gaza's war-traumatized children desperately need psychological support..

Laila introduced herself to me when she was in her final trimester with Ibrahim. Facing constant evacuation orders and displacements, her pregnancy was fraught with complications. She gave birth under bombardment with no pain relief. A week later, having returned to their damaged family home in Deir Al Balah, a missile exploded in their living room just minutes after she'd left with both children. After this narrow escape, the family was displaced again to a UN school in Khan Younis.

Every displacement is a physical and financial disaster. With Mohammed unable to carry anything, Laila must manage two young children plus whatever she can carry alone—under bombardment and sniper fire. They've been displaced multiple times, with costs escalating each time. The next displacement, which is inevitable, will mean abandoning everything: pots, pans, food, medicine, bedding, clothing. If they can find a tent and space for it, it currently costs at least US$2,000.

I've also shared on my business social media pages recently and now here on my website. Some may say this is inappropriate. It is my belief, that the time for quiet support ended a long time ago. If you don’t agree—I'm cool with that. I feel this is something I have to do. If you're willing to be part of it that will be a huge bonus.

In The Midst of Apocalyptic Destruction

It was after relocating to the UN school that Laila decided to start the Humans To Be project. Surrounded by severely traumatised children—some who had lost parents or siblings, others injured and dug from flattened buildings—she wanted to create a space where they could simply be children again as much for her own children as fo the children around them. Through play, dance, and song, she creates joyful moments that foster healing and hope.

*Mohammed, Laila’s mother, Laila, Noor and Haneen in a UN school (since destroyed) in Khan Younis*

With support from her husband, her mother and sisters, Haneen and Noor, Humans To Be provides entertainment, educational support, and basic necessities like food and clothing. They create safe, engaging spaces for play and healing, showing Gaza's children that they are humans to be loved, entitled to the simple right of being.

Last week, Laila organised a three-day summer camp for 30-40 children. Previously, she raised funds to buy infant formula when small amounts were allowed through the Israeli blockade, and organised an event for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

*Haneen and Mera at a Human’s To Be event*

The Reality Of Life For Laila and People Like Her

Laila lost her grandfather and three cousins in an IOF missile strike near their school. Two weeks ago, the family lost two more cousins—children aged 13 and 14—shot in the head while trying to obtain food at a Gaza 'Humanitarian' Foundation site. Since I first wrote this, they've lost another one: 7-year-old son Adam. There's a video on Instagram showing Adam's pure joy after managing to have a shower and get clean. Twenty minutes after that moment of happiness, he was shot dead by a drone that deliberately targeted the queue at a mini market where they'd gone for water. Adam had been playing daily with Laila's 4-year-old niece Mera, whose tent was beside his. Mera is devastated by his death. For the adults—Laila and her sister Haneen (and Adam’s family)—part of their trauma is never having time to grieve properly as they're always just trying to survive. After Adam's death, Laila told me she wonders when it will be her turn. It can come at any moment. These are just the family members I know about.

Every trip for supplies could be their last. Day or night, life can end in extreme violence, with the slow violence of deliberate starvation hovering at the edges daily. Laila is exhausted, her boys are sick, yet she continues her studies, builds international community support through social media, and maintains hope for Gaza's children. Her efforts have led to interviews with BBC World Service and Al Jazeera.

She is made of steel, forged by growing up through six wars since her birth:

2008 (age 6)
2012 (age 10)
2014 (age 12)
2019 (age 19)
2022 (age 20)
2023 (age 21)

She never had any other choice.

This is genocide in Gaza: a brilliant young mother who should only worry about juggling childcare with university deadlines instead calculates how to buy food, find clean water, source fuel for cooking, and obtain medicine—all while organizing summer camps and raising funds for baby formula when it briefly returns at astronomical prices.

Ibrahim Will Soon Turn One

Ibrahim will soon turn one—the same day my daughter celebrates her birthday. This makes my connection with Laila special. My daughter's celebration will be in very different circumstances to the one Laila dreams for Ibrahim. She wants to give him a birthday party with food, new clothes and toys—simple wishes we take for granted. For Laila, there are no guarantees, just hope that tomorrow will be another day to stay alive.

How You Can Help!

From now until September 14th: 30% of all sales from my website will go to @humanstobe.

Every purchase you make this week supports the children that Laila and her family help through Humans To Be. The fact that people make ANY contribution matters—it makes Palestinian families feel seen, because for too long they haven't existed for us. Their lives haven't mattered; nobody cared enough.

Crucial To Your Understanding

Laila's Humans To Be fundraising total may look substantial, but 50% is lost in fees to money changers—cash is king in Gaza. As supplies became increasingly scarce, prices reached astronomical proportions: a single tin of baby formula costs $50. Every dollar works incredibly hard, but doesn't stretch nearly as far as it would in our world.

The proceeds I hope to send aren't charity—they're solidarity. Recognition that a mother's love in Gaza is worth the same as a mother's love anywhere else.

Why Now?

Until October 7th, 2023, I had scant knowledge of Israel/Palestine's history. I watched with horror as events unfolded, profoundly shocked by the response when I tried to raise funds for the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund from people I'd shared history with—I can no longer call them old friends. The deafening silence around Gaza for 700-plus days left me feeling like I was screaming into a void.

Laila contacted me after I sent her a donation. We talked for ages on FaceTime as she shared her family's story. After the discouraging fundraising response, I felt completely helpless. But when we connected, I thought I could at least help one family. Through Laila, I joined a network of women spanning Ireland and Australia, diligently compiling spreadsheets of Palestinian families desperately needing help, connecting them with regular donors while carefully verifying each family. My cousin is part of @mothersagainstgenocide in Ireland and she and her husband took in an asylum seeker from Ramallah in the West Bank. They are busy designing T-shirt merchandise to raise funds for Gaza.

Recently I have noticed a shift. More people finally get it—they're listening, opening their eyes and hearts, speaking out, taking action. I was already late to the table, but being late is better than not being there at all. We can all see Israel has instigated a man-made famine. It is now official. We can no longer pretend this isn't ethnic cleansing unfolding, and in the absence of meaningful action from Western governments, I cannot stand by and do nothing, which is where you come in if you’re willing. I know there is a risk that some of you will take offence and decide to unsubscribe from my mailing list if you’re on it or unfollow my social media, but for me this is a risk worth taking. I’m hoping most of you will stick around.

Laila could be killed at any time on any day—she knows this. She's talked about her fears regarding her death and what will happen to her children if they survive and she doesn't. Her focus is nevertheless forward, building a legacy with @humanstobe that will grow and outlast her, meeting the psychological needs of Gaza's children who continue experiencing extreme trauma after witnessing unimaginable death and destruction.

The Bigger Picture

Laila's story isn't unique—it's one example among two million Palestinians facing the same impossible reality. I belong to a WhatsApp group where women have compiled a spreadsheet of over 70 families desperately needing donations to survive. Each family has been verified through video calls by @newy_watermelon_collective and @newcastlemumsforpalestine.

These families need people willing to donate regularly rather than one-off contributions. Regular donations—even £5 weekly—provide the reliability they desperately need when it's literally their only income. They don't want pity; they want to live with the dignity we all expect as human beings.

Your Impact

If you've read this far, my profound thanks!

As Greta Thunberg said: "There is no hope without action. The one thing we need more of is action. When we take action, hope is everywhere."

When you shop with us this week, you're:

Putting food in children's mouths, clothes on their backs, and providing play activities so they can be children again
Supporting a mother who refuses to let despair win
Giving them all hope

The Truth About Courage

Laila embodies courage I can barely comprehend. She studies while bombs fall, builds community while grieving family members, dreams while dodging death, loves fiercely while living through genocide.

The least we can do is shop with intention for seven days—not just with me, but with any purchases you make.

Shop from now until September 14th and 30% goes directly to @humanstobe

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