Friends,

I want to give you an update on Rahaf, our Musical Ambassador from Gaza. I’ve been in touch with her almost daily since the war began.

For several months our conversations usually started with, “Rahaf, are you still alive?” To which she would often respond, “Yes, habibti, still alive.” Other times she would respond with, “I feel like i want to die. The life is very hard. I cant wallah!” 

I’ve never been in such close contact with someone who was living inside a war-zone. It was heart-wrenching, and I often didn’t know what to say to her. But I tried to remind her that she was strong and that she was loved.

She and her family had fled Gaza City early in the war and moved to Kahn Younis. Then they were forced to evacuate to Rafah. In February she was joined in Rafah by the other members of her band and they began doing music events for children in the refugee camps and tent cities. This brought her some joy and a sense of purpose. Her spirits began to lift. 

She sent me some videos of those sessions. I am delighted to be able to share them with you.

In early April she was able to escape to Egypt and is now working on getting her family out of Gaza. It broke her heart to leave her family and her homeland behind, but it was necessary.

She and her band are currently in Qatar raising awareness for the Palestinian people. They performed at The Palestinian Cultural Heritage Festival and spoke at Education Above All’s annual conference where they shared their message with students from different nationalities.

With your help, Musical Ambassadors Of Peace has continued to support Rahaf during this terrible time. We believe in her and her commitment to bringing joy and strength to her people with music. We have no idea what will happen next, but we know that wherever she ends up, she and her band will be a force for good in the world. 

Thank you for reading, and for your continued support!

With Gratitude,

Patricia Irby
Executive Director
Musical Ambassadors Of Peace

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