You heal a kid , You heal a future :)

Kids these days suffer from having to adapt and put up with many challenges, especially in our area, the Middle East. It's of all communities' duty to secure younger generations their needs of shelter, nutrition, education, health and wellness. As by that we secure our prosperity and development.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that kids are human beings with a distinct set of rights, and not just passive objects of care and charity. It's as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, and also in its articles you find:

Article 24

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.

Hence kids protection, health and wellness is an international moral commitment and an indicator of states commitment towards its people. I advocate for kids rights to guarantee a healthy physical and mental environment for their growth, and the Palestine's Children relief Fund (PCRF) has already done a lot in this regard, not only towards kids, but also towards humanity by not only covering Palestinian kids, but also extending the help to Syrian and Iraqi kids who suffer the same.. The fact that you have the ability to spare a kid that pain that we- adults- can barely take or even understand, is so empowering..

PCRF is a foundation that depends mainly on volunteering and coordination. From finding host families, to volunteering physicians, to incubating hospitals, to flying these kids were their surgeries take place is indeed a blessed effort on all levels and merits to be supported along the way with a hand, a penny, a prayer and a word of mouth ;)

#Climb4PCRF

Many kids in the Middle East have no access to quality health care. If those kids have the strength to overcome their challenges while they don't have a choice, then I can overcome mine when I have the choice. I'm climbing Kilimanjaro to challenge my limits, get more people to know about PCRF and raise funds for this cause.

When Ghalia told me about the trip to Kilimanjaro, I did not need to think twice and I said: yes, I’m in (then I realized how much it costs ...OUCH!)  but hey, it’s the Palestinian and Syrian kids who we are doing this for and this is the least we can do. As an Arab women, it wasn't easy to break the news to my family! My dad was the first supporter and of course I had to go through negotiations with my mama, which were actually harder than global peace negotiations! O_O

My mom ended up contributing, and the ball kept rolling as you can see down here!!

Why $15?

• I want people to know that big things can be achieved from very small ones.
• It’s not the amount that matters; it’s the gesture and the sustainability of the contribution.
• I want to use my network power (and my network's network) to find 1,000 persons who are willing to do so before I climb Kilimanjaro, and… BOOM the PCRF has the $15,000 in its account.

So I would be very grateful if you contribute with $15 and tell 10 of your friends about PCRF www.pcrf.net and the $15 campaign, if you are willing to contribute with another $15 , please do so in the memory of your loved ones (like my mama did) or to the campaign of one of my friends who are on this climb as this is also a team work for all of us.

Here are some quick, random facts about me:

• I’m so “GOing GREEN” (my way): I love to wear GREEN, eat GREEN, drink GREEN ”tea” and ride GREEN “my car” !
• I’ve taken some strange decisions in my life; I’ve never thought I would ever do it. The greatest of which is “Never Look Back” except to learn the lesson.
• Indian actresses make me feel so helpless and out of hope. Unbelievable beauty!!
• Fairouz is all what I need to hear, to clean my ears from today’s acoustic pollution, the so called “ Singing”!
• If you ever thought that I’m being harsh when I talk, then DON’T, I’m just not good in Graph-Designing my speech.
• Truth, is the only thing I‘ll always want to see “NAKED”
• Chocolate cake is my endless LOVE, and when I say cake I mean the spongy structure, people, not the cream, fruit, pudding, syrup, biscuits and other strange stuff tucked into it!
• Two of the greatest stress relief things I do are: Taekwondo and Potato Chips Crushing !!
• One day, I’m so gonna go to South Africa and stay in a wooden hostel in the middle of the WILD, when that happens, you should know that the next thing I’ll do is running in the Green Fields of North India with my SARI on!
•  I wore Hijab to cover my HEAD not my BRAIN, feeling sorry for those who don’t realize it.
• I’m not a big fan of smug and double face people.
• I love “Sunrise”.
• When I visit other countries, I don’t stay/spend my time at 5-star hotels, I always rather to get to the town and experience: how people actually live there.
• I’m bad in returning calls, emails, FB posts and anything that has any connection to “Modern Technology”, I don’t understand why did we gave up on doves?
• Sometimes I literally reach my deepest humanitarian depression and it’s amazing how every time I discover that I was still at the TOP!
• Be slow in choosing a friend, and be slower in loosing one.
• GARFIELD - the cat- is my life coach, he is just super cool and doesn't give a dam and I love him for that.
• The greatest gift that anyone can give is to be there for the people who needs him/her and get their backs, even if they don’t know it.
• I left the job that I’ve been doing for 11 years and joined another that I’m passionate about.
•  My dream that will come true is to: Live in Palestine and invite my friends over to have lunch in Jenin, Knaffeh in Nablus, have a walk on Haifa beach, pray the “Maghreb” at al Quds and spend the evening with another friend o in Rammallah :) Long Live Palestine

I'm at 43% of my target , but the challenge goes on! When you click on Donate (and thank you for doing so!) please raise Doa’a (a prayer) to: Huda Al Masry, late wife of Steve Sossebee and the beautiful mind behind the PCRF www.pcrf.net & Marwa Al Fayed, a beautiful soul and late wife of Omar Samra, the guy behind the Wild Gunabana company who we are climbing mount Kilimanjaro with. www.wildguanabana.com

Wish us luck!

Shukran, Shukran , Shukran :))

Climb4PCRF: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund!

Who are we? Why do we do this?
This is a trip organized by volunteers of the PCRF. We love to take on challenges and explore the world. With the exciting story of climbing Kilimanjaro, we want to spread awareness about PCRF’s initiatives, support its work through fundraising and contribute to helping injured and affected children in Palestine and Syria. 

How can I participate?
The trip is open to all who want to participate in this challenge and fundraising campaign. Each climber will have to commit to raising $15,000 before 24th December 2014, the day we start our adventure!  If you cannot make it on the trip but would like to fundraise for the campaign or help a friend reach their goal, you can do that by clicking on "Become a fundraiser".  All funds raised will be used to support the PCRF’s medical missions, treatment abroad programs and humanitarian projects. 

Why Kilimanjaro?
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea level. This fact makes Mount Kilimanjaro one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa and part of the 7 summits challenge; the feat of climbing the highest mountain on every continent. Kilimanjaro has five distinct climate zones each occupying a range of approximately 1000m of altitude. This will be an extraordinary journey, it is “in some way like traveling from the equator to the pole, with increasing altitude providing a very distinct range of climate zones, from tropical rainforest to moorland, alpine desert and finally to the polar conditions of the summit.” We were inspired by the PCRF amputee children who participated in the Climb Of Hope last year. We want to start a trend of summiting heights and rough terrains as a reminder of the challenges that our children in Palestine and Syria face every day. 

More information?
http://climb4pcrf.wordpress.com
email us here climb4PCRF@gmail.com, or tweet us here @PCRF_Qatar