A consortium of Mombasa women’s groups has mobilized Sh10 million in under three weeks to support medical care for women and children of the war-ravaged Gaza.
The women urged other well-wishers to support the destitute people of Gaza as humanity transcends religion, race and regions.
Ahmed Shariff, Chairman of Voice for Palestine, said Gaza has been engulfed by deaths, destruction and grief, noting that more than 30,000 children have been orphaned and at least 165,000 people are nursing injuries.
“Most of the people are civilians; they need support in health, medical treatment, children have lost their parents, mothers have lost their husbands, and they are struggling to make ends meet,” explained Shariff.
“It is our responsibility as humans to stand for the rights of the weak who are being killed for no reason; let’s fundraise for them. We have raised funds for medical,” he said, urging well-wishers to come forth to support the cause.
Zamzam Nassir, a member of the Dhulhiya group, said they were touched by the sufferings of women and children in Gaza and decided to join hands with other groups to raise funds to support them.
“When we got the information, we stood firm as mothers. We feel the pain as mothers, we collaborate as Mombasa mothers to ensure we reach the target of Sh10 million to be wired to Gaza to assist suffering children and mothers,” said Nassir.
Abdulmalik Ali, a representative of SUPKEM, said the Gaza crisis shouldn’t be viewed through a religious lens, but humanity. He lauded Muslim and non-Muslim countries for condemning the atrocities against the people of Palestine and for staging protests.
“United Nations laws have been contravened, International Criminal Court (ICC) laws have been contravened, and all the international laws have been contravened. It is a must for all living human beings to raise their voice to denounce the atrocities,” stated Ali.
Jamila Ibrahim extolled women for raising Sh10 million in less than three weeks, a testament to the unity of purpose. She urged others to borrow a leaf from the initiative and assist the less fortunate in society.
“We won’t stop here, we will continue to stand with our brothers of Gaza and Sudan too. We will accomplish this through God’s mercy,” said Ibrahim, urging international communities to step in and end the suffering.
by Sadik Hassan
