Help me complete my mission to return to Gaza
I am Saoirse, 20 years old, , From Ireland, Dublin
I support Palestine because I am from Ireland and six counties are still occupied till this day by foreign forces, when i first became aware of the brutal occupation in Palestine i felt connected, My initial awareness came from the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara humanitarian ship back in 2010 when they attempted to break the siege on Gaza. I immediately became active in the Palestinian cause, I traveled to Gaza by small aid convoy, I stayed in Cairo, in both places i met friends and revolutionaries, The experience changed everything for me, i vowed to myself to give my time to support and show solidarity with Palestine, I left a piece of my Heart in Gaza, and a piece of my soul in Tahrir
Above pictured myself and activsits involved in The international Egyptian convoy, with Prime minister of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, September 2011
I have protested back in 2010 with Act for Palestine weekly demos outside the Israeli embassy for a whole year in solidarity with Westbank, Billin weekly demos
Involved in Boycotting Israeli goods
If you help contribute to funding my travels to Gaza, this will help me stay a longer period 1-2 months of volunteering, in the buffer zones (No go zone) were it borders Israel and reduces the agricultural lands effecting Palestinian farmers tending their lands, hoping without fear of being shot at by IDF (Israeli Defence Force), and on the fisher boats with internationals, Gaza's no go zones, the sea in Gaza has a limit of 6 miles before the fishermen receive shootings from the Israeli Navy forces, with many reports of kidnapping the fishermen
"from experience that if it is allowed to go out six miles, the Israeli navy keeps them within five miles, and when they were officially allowed to go only three miles, it was in reality only two." -Joe Catron International living in Gaza Interviewing Gaza's only woman fisherman
Volunteering in The buffer zones, and the fisher boats you act as a human shield when the Israeli forces try to open fire, what you do is give the workers like fishermen, and farmers the right to tend their work desperately needed to survive, and break the Israeli restrictions upon them without fear
what i will will do is photograph and report to people online, and to people back at home of the daily horrific life the Palestinians conjure everyday
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Little faces of Palestine, Kahn younis refugee camp, Photograph- (Saoirse Bennett)
Your help sponsoring me to travel to Gaza
With your kind generosity sponsoring me to travel to Gaza and volunteer, your funding with be put to the expenses of
- Flights to Cairo, from Ireland Return Costs 413 - 500 Euro
- Taxi to Rafah crossing from Cairo city, is six hours travel, costs 60 Euro there and back equals to 120 Euro total
- Visas - Avg 50 euros, Egyptian and Palestinian visas
- Accommodation costs 400 p/m, extra costs staying in Cairo for one or two nights prior and leaving is 15 euro per night
- Extra costs will be small donations i can bring to Gaza
Sponsoring to volunteer in Gaza
Since i have visited Gaza in 2011, with The international Egyptian convoy we brought much needed medicine and aid with the help of the red cross entering in trough Rafah border, my week (short) stay brought me to promise many people i will return to stay for a longer period the next time, and instead of bringing aid, the use of me volunteering as an international will bring me such an achievement to help the Palestinians, physically, mentally and learn how they live there daily lives, so i can learn from them in life, to bring back what the mainstream media doesn't show, an eyewitness account, documents, such as photographs, videos, reports of the Apartheid imposed on them
"This has to stop. I think it's a good idea for all of us to drop everything and devote our lives to making it stop." -Rachel Corrie
Other ways to contribute
Share on Facebook, social networks, Twitter
tell your friends
any way you can help, would be much appreciated
Much Love
Saoirse Bennett