I know you have all probably seen the esims for gaza posts circulating. Some of you have probably looked at them and thought maybe you should help out, but have weighed up the daunting process of signing up for something you're unfamiliar with vs. the gut-wrenching scale of the things people are going through on the ground right now, and you've put it off or questioned whether it will make enough of a difference vs. some other future kind of activism you could put that $6+ towards. I'm not calling you out or scolding you, it is natural to feel conflicted and ambivalent about the multiple calls for aid that you are seeing on social media.
but consider this: what would you do if you suddenly had to leave your home? how would you cope? how would you begin to plan where to go next, or figure out what to do to take care of yourself? most likely you would reach reflexively for your phone.
telecoms access is not a petty luxury in 2024. a loaded esim means the ability to call family members and find out where they are and whether they're safe, and whether they need anything you can provide for them. it means access to maps and regular updates on the situation unfolding around you. it means you can look up whether it's safe to drink rain water, or how to tie a type of knot you've never had to think about before, or how to treat an injury without medical supplies. it means the ability to tell people outside the situation what you are seeing, what you are feeling, what you are thinking. it is an absolutely crucial resource. and it starts at $6 for 7 days.
many many people have observed that internet access is changing the way the world understands genocide. internet access is life or death, and it is shaping modern history in front of you. and it starts at $6 for 7 days.
please, please visit gazaesims.com and spend 5 minutes and $6 to change the way this plays out for everyone.
I'm trying to prove something.
Since you guys liked Marcille as Kermit that much, it seems fitting to thank you for my 12k milestone with MORE Kercille. And this time, Miss Falin is also here.
Thank you so much again everybody! MWAH 💗
Reblog if you think trans women:
A. Are women
B. Can be lesbians
Amidst all the images coming out of palestine of death and destruction created by the zionist occupation, i think it is important that we take a moment to remember palestine as it was- seen and captured through the eyes of talented photographers like Shahed @shahednhall and remember exactly what was senselessly lost in the past few months.
This is Al-Azhar university, where Shahed used to study. She was an exemplary student, and used to get regularly invited by her teachers to give lectures.
Since the university was bombed and destroyed by the IOF, all she has left are these pictures. Even through all the violence and death around her though, she still makes sure to keep up with her studies through the university's online programme.
This is a shop Shahed had visited only some time before october. She told me it was run by an artist who painted these beautiful home items, and engraved them by hand with customers names. Shahed had photographed them because they were so eye-catching and beautiful, and had sent the woman her photos so she could use them to promote the shop.
Shahed has told me this shop isnt there any more. She is currently trying to get in touch with the woman who used to run this shop again, but shahed doesn't know if she is even alive or not.
Shahed has an eye for beauty in all things, and it shows in her work and in conversation. It has taken on a different meaning now when so much of everything she knows has been stolen by the occupation from her and other palestinians like her.
In her own words:
"As you know, I like to photograph a lot, everyone liked my photography. I was filming everything because a memory can never come back again. This sentence is not understood by many. I am happy because I photograph everything."
What had been a hobby of collecting moments for her has now become something of an archive of all the things in Palestine that have been lost to the zionist occupation.
Shahed's outlook on her photography tends to colour our conversation as well. She finds it is more productive to talk to me about her hope for a better future, rather than all the bleakness around her right now.
"Yes, because I see inside every picture of new hope, I feel a great motivation that I will survive to see that life is more beautiful than what I live at the moment. I seek to return to a life that is more beautiful than the one we live now, a very difficult life because it has turned black and white."
I don't know how anyone can look at her photos and think of anything but hope
The mainstream media in the west and elsewhere can lie all they like- but we will know always that palestine was and is a land full of beautiful people. Never forget that the death, illness and destruction in palestine today was something imposed upon them by the colonizers, and has been imposed upon them for decades.
Shahed doesn't like to share images of misery with me, but please remember that she and her family are suffering right now. The happy children in the pictures, her little sisters, are suffering from severe hepatitis and are no longer recieving treatment due to overcrowding at what hospitals are left in gaza. Shahed herself has been weak and ill for days, narrowly surviving multiple massacres in just the past few days while trying to get food for her family. They all got displaced just last week due to the intense bombing in khan younis, and in doing so have lost precious funds that could have gone into food and clean water. They are starving.
Shahed is only 21 years old but the responsibility of taking care of all 17 of her family members rests solely on her shoulders.
This gfm was verified and appears on hussein @/el-shab-hussein and nairuz @/nabulsi list of vetted fundraisers (#224) so please dont hesitate to donate whatever you can, and please keep sharing!!!
Take this as a call to action, please repost her her fundraiser in your discord servers, in your whatsapp groups. Repost her photgraphy and share her story on whatever social media you have reach, so that people can help because i really cant get her to her goal in time alone.
✅ Verified campaign – please check the end of the story 🔍📌
I'm Anas Basil, a recent high school graduate with dreams of pursuing a degree in e-business management and building a career. However, due to my family's financial hardships, I enrolled at Khan Younis Training College (KYTC), affiliated with UNRWA. Sadly, the war has turned the college, once a beacon of hope and education, into a shelter for displaced families, stripping it of its educational purpose.
I completed high school with a 93% average, filled with excitement about continuing my education and securing a job to support my family. But like so many others, the war has shattered those dreams.
My younger brother, Ahmad, is 14 years old and currently in the third grade of preparatory school. We’ve always called him "Doctor of the Future" because of his intelligence and natural talent in mathematics. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing war, he has been deprived of schooling for the second consecutive year. In addition to his academic abilities, Ahmad has a passion for football and used to win tournaments.
Our Life in Displacement: The war forced our family to flee to Rafah, where we lived in a tent for several months. Each day, my brother and I would wake up to fetch water, gather wood, and light a fire to prepare food. Survival became our daily task, but we never gave up hope. The conflict affected us deeply, but it did not extinguish our dreams of education and a better future.
We are seeking €29,000 to help Ahmed and me leave Gaza, continue our education. More importantly, it will allow us to support our family, who have been deeply affected by the harsh conditions and skyrocketing costs of living due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
We've outlined how your donations will make this possible. You can find all the details in the campaign link below.
Your contribution will not only help us escape the war-torn reality we live in but also give us the opportunity to rebuild our futures.
Every donation, no matter the amount, brings us one step closer to our goal.
With deepest gratitude, Anas & Ahmed
tagging for reach:
@90-ghost @heritageposts @gazavetters @neechees @butchniqabi @fluoresensitive @khanger @autisticmudkip @beserkerjewel @furiousfinnstan @xinakwans @batekush @appsa @nerdyqueerr @butchsunsetshimmer @biconicfinn @stopmotionguy @willgrahamscock @strangeauthor @bryoria @shesnake @legallybrunettedotcom @lautakwah @sovietunion @evillesbianvillain @antibioware @akajustmerry @dizzymoods @ree-duh @neptunerings @explosionshark @dlxxv-vetted-donations @vague-humanoid @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @sar-soor @northgazaupdates2 @feluka @dirhwangdaseul @jdon @ibtisams @sawasawako @memingursa @schoolhater @toesuckingoctober @waskuyecaozu @a-shade-of-blue @c-u-c-koo-4-40k
Here are the people who have reached out for support in my inbox this week. If you donate $10 to any of the campaigns linked, you can email me the receipt at frankenbug@proton.me with a sketch request. I am only sharing vetted campaigns. As much as I want to always trust everyone, the people verifying these fundraisers have put a LOT of hard work and labor into doing so.
Vetted campaigns:
Safaa's family: 26k/75k
Kawthar's family: 2k/50k VERY LOW FUNDS!
Hazem's family: 16k/50k
Mohammed's family: 12k/35k
Sondos' family: $797 / $30k VERY LOW FUNDS!
Lena's family: 5k/100k VERY LOW FUNDS!
Tahseen's family: 15k/30k
Sketch sample:
Remember that I can draw for you if you donate: x
I will post updates on the campaign when I can.
Currently at:
Still not 1/10 of the total
tags under the cut (dm to remove tag):
@vakarians-babe @sar-soor @plomegranate @nabulsi @sayruq
@palipunk-blog @communistkenobi @queerstudiesnatural @bluebellsinthedells @rizzyluke
@kordeliiius @self-hating-zionist @raelyn-dreams @unfortunatelyuncreative @licencetokrill-blog
@jezebelgoldstone @ramelcandy @labutansa @sammywo @autistwizard
@tortiefrancis @sparklinpixiedust @revcuse @golvio @leftismsideblog
@star-and-space-ace @rainbowywitch @marscodes @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @boyvander the-bastard-king
@ammonitetheseaserpent @girlinafairytale @timetravellingkitty @appsa @applejupiter
@brutaliakhoa @malcriada @retvolution @deansmultitudes @devilofthepit
@heritageposts @wellwaterhysteria @dykesbat @gorbling @half-empty-orbitals
@seasnipper @90-ghost @el-shab-hussein @fairuzfan @neptunerings
@marnota @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisection-gf
@belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @animentality @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish
@violetlyra @the-bastard-king @tamaytka @northgazaupdates2 @skatehan
@awetistic-things @nightowlssleep @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @friendshapedplant
@mangocheesecakes @commissions4aid-international @rwuffles @mogai-sunflowers
@a-shade-of-blue @ibtisams @paper-mario-wiki @dlxxv-vetted-donations @writerqueenofjewels
@the-ballerina-battle @khanger @maoistyuri @acepumpkinpatrick @thetownwecallhome
@aria-ashryver @bat-luun @staretes @yokohama-crackhouse @omiteo777
@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @transmutationist @sawasawako
@aristotels @watermotif @stuckinapril @mavigator @lacecap
@deepspaceboytoy @kibumkim @socalchops @chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli
@swagvo1d @himejoshikaoru @rooh-tawaka-blog @deathlonging @briarhips
@mahoushojoe @mazzikah @bixlasagna @anetteva @timetravellingkitty
@battleofthegarys @nillabean @fromjannah @ankle-beez @spindlesx
@squidie-tittie @shiskabubble @oursapphirestars @fitzfunnymoments @jonpertwee
@buttercuparry @bloglikeanegyptian @visoremi @olovelymoon-read-pinned-post @pinkhit-s
@purple-splattered-soul @papasmoke @one-time-i-dreamt @operationladybug @undertastic-dork
@imjustheretotrytohelp @isa-ah @yesterdaysprint @tamarrud @themazziah
@resourcesmasterposts @raccoon-in-a-hoodie @ezrazone @emathyst9 @wolfythewitch
@queerdocumentary-blog @quecksilvereyes @anneemay @angelslough @averagenotnormal
@sleevesareforlosers @sinnamontrash @determinate-negation @dormimi-zzz
@fuckyeahanarchistposters @gerbildine @generallyjl @good-old-gossip @heydreamchild
@jezior0 @komsomolka @lesbianmaxevans
whoever reads this I hope you feel whimsical and happy within the next hour