1. HOW CAN YOU RUN A CHARITY WITH A 100% DONATION POLICY?
No charity can run cost-free. Someone has to pay for bank/cash transfers, transport, drivers, website, photos, videos, banners for donor reporting, accounting and auditing. It all cost real money. Also to ensure aid is being properly spent, volunteers on the ground need to be paid – or typically 7.1% of what we raise in donations. We however do not deduct a single cent from what we receive. For example, when you donate $100 online, we typically receive only $96. Our pledge is to spend the full $96 on Gaza. All expenses stated above is paid for, from our own pocket, out of our own expenses fund, funded by the founder and a small group of regular donors, as clearly disclosed online (click here) annually. Our constant goal is to keep our expenses low and transparent.
Donors are urged to not only donate to Gaza but also help us with our expenses too.
2.WHAT ARE THE OBJECTS OF THE GAZA FUND?
Our charity work is focused on up to 8 key areas. Given our manpower and funding limitations, we are active in up to 6 areas and work on a project-by-project basis, and on a needs-basis.
| Support of Women | Orphans Sponsorship/Welfare |
| Water Security | Sickness Relief |
| Hunger Relief | Education |
| Economic Empowerment | Poverty Relief |
3. DO YOU HAVE PROJECTS HELPING WOMEN?
Women hold up half the sky and can have a huge multi-generational impact on the next generation of children. Therefore, it is imperative for The Gaza Fund to actively push for, and develop specific projects for women and girls including:
| General Health Needs | Menopause |
| Pregnancy | The need for marriage |
| Child-rearing/Support | Employment |
To this end, we are in the midst of identifying a female trustee in Gaza, let alone local female volunteers that can help guide us on how best to help.
Note: Since 7 October 2023, these projects are on hold or under review, and urgent projects being re-prioritised.
4. WITH SO MANY RESTRICTIONS ON SENDING MONEY INTO GAZA, HOW DO YOU MANAGE?
Sending aid money (towards food, water, aid, medicine and education) into Gaza is not easy and can be very expensive. We minimise our problems by (A) declaring the purpose of the payment; (B) documenting everything using photographs, videos, receipts, etc.,; (C) disclosing every single expenditure clearly on our website in a timely manner; and; (D) ensuring the end-recipient in Gaza is an apolitical Palestinian charity volunteer, not linked to any banned group.The key is to be 100% transparent.
The key decision is whether to help those who need our help the most (and closely track how every dollar gets spent on aid) or fall for the scare tactics in the arsenal of the oppressors.
5. WHY NOT DONATE TO OTHER LARGER CHARITIES IN GAZA?
Sure! We encourage everyone to donate to these larger charities. In fact, for a partial list of over 70+ active reputable charities in Gaza that are doing plenty of good work the best they can, please click here.
The four largest charities in Gaza are UNHCR (#11), ANERA (#15), Palestinian Red Crescent (#55) & Islamic Relief (#26)
6. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE GAZA FUND?
- We have a 100% donation policy and are 100% transparent.
- All expenses are paid for, out of our own pockets, and from the support of donors who donate to our expenses fund.
- Unlike most charities and large NGOs, we provide financial updates every 6 months to a year, and disclose everything possible (detail projects, photos and videos as proof) on our website, once every month.
7. HOW TO ENSURE THE MONEY DOES NOT FALL INTO THE HANDS OF BANNED GROUPS?
Our aim is to deliver aid, alleviate poverty, and bring ease to those in need.
The key for us, is to identify a reliable Palestinian person living overseas. The person must not have any direct or indirect links to any banned groups. He or she must also be committed to the idea of helping the people of Gaza.
Every expense needs to be documented and an official receipt issued. Local volunteers are needed to handle procurement and negotiate rates with local shops and suppliers and getting the best deal possible.
At present, the best option is to invest in food aid packets (ongoing), cooked meals (ongoing) and medications (suspended), items that can be tracked i.e., photos taken and receipts issued. The key for us, is transparency and timely disclosure.
8. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO DONATE
It is not about the amount. We have individual donors who have donated anywhere from US$1 to over US$13,000 each. They are all important to us.
Also, donation can also mean volunteering one’s time to raise funds, spreading the word among friends and family or negotiating prices with local suppliers in Gaza, etc., There are many ways of donating.
9. HOW CAN I VOLUNTEER TO HELP?
The Gaza Fund is open to all individuals and groups who can help in any way possible. We are funded by the founder and other private citizens. We are not funded by, nor have any direct (or indirect) links to any political party, foreign government or armed resistance group. For details, please refer to our Regulatory Policies, which we strictly adhere to. To volunteer, please click here.
The Rafah border is six hours from Cairo by car however at present, it is 100% sealed and controlled by Israel.
10. DO YOU ACCEPT BITCOIN AND CRYPTO CURRENCIES?
No, we do not and will not accept bitcoin or crypto currencies until robust regulations and financial oversight over the identity of the sender(s) and recipient(s) are in place . The Gaza Fund also has its own Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing Policies. Also, bitcoin or crypto currencies is not going to help our risk profile. Click here for details.
11. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ZAKAH & SADAQAH?
We make every effort to classify all donations received under either Zakah, Sadaqah, Regular Donations or Qurban, for ease of reference for all our donors.
Zakah is Restricted Income meaning cash handouts only to the extreme poor, needy and vulnerable (widows, single parents, disabled, orphans, etc.,)
Sadaqah is Unrestricted Income meaning far more flexibility including cash handouts, medication, food, shelter repair, heating, clothes, blankets, education, rent, etc.,
The key therefore, is to assess, determine, deliver, and monitor all payments made and where possible focus on large, scalable and trackable projects.
12. DO YOU HAVE PROJECTS IN THE WEST BANK?
Our core focus is Gaza, and Gaza alone. The situation in the West Bank or the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OpT) is bad, but the challenges and potential solutions are quite different from what is needed in Gaza. We therefore cannot afford to spread ourselves thin and instead need to focus on Gaza, and Gaza alone. However to support Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem or OpT, there are a number of active charities with an established presence. For details, please click here.
13. MORE PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN YEMEN, SYRIA AND IRAQ. WHY GAZA?
The occupying power and its supporters would love for us to take the spotlight off Gaza and focus on other hard-hit disaster zones. Fortunately, there are already a number of charities active in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Somalia, etc., Is it enough? Absolutely not but if everyone gravitated towards other severely hard-hit disaster zones, who will highlight the hardships in Gaza?
14. WHAT IS THE GAZA FUND’S PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE ISSUE?
The key to achieving peace is to listen to people who are most affected by the situation, rather than imposing our own views from afar. For the Civil Society/NGO Peace Plan, please click here.
15.IS THE GAZA FUND OPTIMISTIC PALESTINE WILL BE FREE?
Indonesia was colonised by Holland for 350 years. Bangladesh was under British control for 247 years. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan were all collectively controlled by Russia for 170+ years. Algeria was colonised by the French for 132 years. Malaysia was colonised by Britain for 131 years. India was under British colonial control for 89+ years. Egypt too, was colonised by England for 74 years. Morocco meanwhile was colonised by the French for 44 years while Libya was colonised by the Italians for 32 years. There are many such examples across Africa, Asia and Latin America of colonial powers leaving or were eventually expelled.
While it has been 77 years+ since Zionist Europeans invaded Palestine and became an illegal occupying force, history is replete with countless examples how Israel will iA, meet the same fate.