We're building a house for a family in Gaza who have been rendered homeless since the war in December 2008
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A few weeks ago I was invited to a charity event hosted by Islamic Relief raising money to help the people in Gaza. Always happy to give to charitable causes I went there with the intention of donating £100 - no more, but no less.
The first auction that came up was to built a house for a Palestinian family who have been made homeless by the recent conflict. The audience was asked to guess the average price of a house in the UK, the correct answer was £250,000. We were then asked to guess the cost of building a house from scratch in Palestine. There were lots of guesses, the lowest guess was £25,000. I suppose we were all surprised to find out the actual amount to build a house in Gaza is only £4,500!
Thinking about how quickly and easily I have spent that kind of money in the past, and then realising how warm and comfortable my own home is and how I could provide that, just as quickly and easily, to a family that have lost theirs - I wanted to put my hand up straight away!!
The only thing that kept my hand from going up was my fear of not being able to deliver on my promise that I would make that evening. So, I sat at my table for a few more seconds trying to think of all the resources that I have that could help me raise this money.
Then I had a breakthrough - I suddenly understood that just because I can't think of all the resources I have at that moment, did not mean I didn't have them.
The only resources I need are my friends! Thank you for your support, your generosity and your absolute commitment to making this possible.
Smile - we're building a homeless family a beautiful home.
It's important for us to also understand that not only are we giving to the less fortunate, we are also directly contributing to the development of a nation. This is an absolutely great thing to do for any nation. Thank you all.
Although the target amount of the funds will go towards the building of a house in Gaza, any surplus funds can be used towards any of the below items (costs included):
Emergency First Aid Kit - £150
Family Food Parcel - £50
Water Sterilization & Hygiene Kit - £20
Temporary Shelter - £350
Hospital Bed - £1,000
Baby Incubator - £8,500
Ambulance - £28,000
ICU Ambulance - £50,000
Islamic Relief are known for their effectiveness at ground zero with minimum administration costs or 'red tape'. To find out more about Islamic Relief, please visit http://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/
If anyone is interested in joining us for the 59-mile London to Cambridge bicyle run on Sunday 26 July 2009, please get in touch. The more the merrier! Thanks.
Find out more at http://www.bike-events.co.uk/Ride.aspx?id=196
