Hello Friends

We are The Sameer Project (@TheSameerProject): A donations based aid Palestinian-led initiative working to supply emergency funding to the displaced families in Gaza.

The “Sameer Abu Salim Tent Initiative” (named after one of our team member’s martyred father) was formed to secure, purchase, and distribute tents in Southern Gaza, with the hope of expanding very soon to the North as well.

The Sameer Project also supplies cash envelopes on an “as needed” basis to allow families the independence to secure the specific aid they require for themselves.

The vast majority of Gaza Strip has been bombed and destroyed which has lead to the death of over 40,000 people (including 15,000 children) and the displacement of around 2 million people.

Most of the people in Rafah (Southern Gaza) are sheltering in tents. However, the quality of these tents varies and the high-quality, portable and reusable tents (Emirati & Qatari), that were originally intended to be given out for free, end up on the secondary market sold for $800 a tent. This is due to war profiteering and people capitalizing on the desperation of people in Gaza. The benefits of purchasing these particular tents are listed below.

We have been securing tents for the last few months and managed, through your donations, to purchase 181 units and deliver them to families in need. However, with the looming Rafah invasion and the increase in bombardment, the demand is at an all time high. Our list has upwards of 250 families, so we need your help to purchase and distribute more! We work with an incredible team on the ground to source, purchase, store, and distribute to families, many of whom are currently without any type of shelter.

With your donation we can provide a degree of safety, shelter, and dignity for these families who are in desperate need of assistance.

Challenges people face with bad quality Nylon tents:

• Lack of privacy as it doesn't fully cover the family and breastfeeding women don't have their own space to breastfeed.

• Temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius/95 degrees Fahrenheit in the next few weeks causing overheating and suffocation of families and children.

• Insects and flies entering the nylon tents.

• Cramming in tents as groups take turns to sleep in tents with 10 people sleeping during the day and 10 other people sleeping during the night.

Cash aid uses for sustainability-projects and encourage self-sufficiency:

• Provide Free charging stations for phones using solar panels.

• 10-20 mud ovens so families can bake themselves with flour, no need to purchase bread in the future.

• Additional cash payment for goods being sold in market stalls (instead of paying the 200 shekel cost, we give 1,000 instead).

• Monetary aid for the construction of more private bathrooms, changing area for babies, mattress pads.

Non-monetary support:

• Our team that speaks directly to displaced families are Gazans themselves, with a clear understanding of everything happening on the ground in the moment.

• We offer emotional support to the families during this high stress and uncertain time.

• Some family members have medical needs and we are able to connect them with our vast personal network of doctors and aid organizations to assist them in finding appropriate treatment.

The Sameer Project alone has supplied tents to over 1% of the displaced population in Rafah. We assure 100% of your donations go towards this effort.

Thank you for your help and feel free to DM our team on instagram for any details or questions - @thesameerproject.