Thaira, 34 years old
I connected with Thaira after she reached out via direct message asking for support for her family. We’re now two years into this escalation, and about eight months into my being aware of it (I know – I’m still embarrassed that it took me that long to be aware) and I still can’t imagine having my full-time job be asking for donations from strangers online in order to feed my family and keep us afloat. I can’t imagine hoping each day for donations so I can go to the market, if there is even anything at the market available to buy.
So when I saw her message, I was very clear about my abilities and limitations to help her, and asked her if she wanted to be a part of We Were, We Are. She agreed and was even grateful for this voice for her people. So without further ado, let me tell you all about my dear friend, Thaira.
Her Before
Thaira is highly educated, she earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and a master’s in education. Her husband worked in law.
She had aspirations to work at a university in Gaza, she loved writing poetry and reading dreamy, romantic novels that resembled the life she dreamed of.
We had a beautiful life and a lovely, warm home.
Her Design
Thaira is my first connection in Gaza to take an active role in choosing and designing her own quilt square and I am SO here for it!
She says she misses how life felt before the war.
“Before the war, I felt like a beautiful rose full of love and joy, with my children around me like butterflies. But the war stole everything from us 😭❤️🩹”
-Thaira
So of course, that became the foundation for her quilt square.
I chose a dark green traditional square background to represent a lush garden and popping out of the garden you can find Thaira’s flower and her three children represented as butterflies.
For her, I chose an elegant rose color to represent the power but also the nurturing strength of motherhood. And for her children (butterfly design by The Caffeinated Snail), I chose vibrant shades to represent the brightness of a childhood that famine, genocide, and airstrikes are stealing from them.
Her Now
No spoilers here: the war came and prevented her from achieving her dream to work at a university. Neither her nor her husband have been able to find any work in the collapsed economy of Gaza.
The war came while I was pregnant with my little girl, Basma. It was the hardest time of my life. How would I preserve this soul that dwells within me? How would I protect it? I was crying because I wasn’t sure I would stay strong and protect my baby.
The war has stolen from me the warmth, happiness, and joy I once experienced. I have lost my passion for everything I loved, and my only concern now is how to keep my children safe and sound.
I love my family and children, and I hope they live a beautiful life that reflects their innocence. I want them to live a dignified life, free from oppression, humiliation, and degradation.
-Thaira
As a mother myself, I can’t imagine the fear of being pregnant during a genocide. The fear of pregnancy when there is such scarcity – of healthcare, safety, and even food and drinkable water. The fear of childbirth. And then of course the fear of keeping my children alive and well.
Thaira and the women of Gaza deserve so much more than this. Feminists and advocates for children across the world should be ashamed of ourselves.
Her children suffer from skin diseases due to the poor sanitation conditions. And now as we enter winter, their tent keeps flooding and they need blankets and winter clothes to keep from getting sick.
Donate here to support Thaira and her family >>
Why it matters
My goal with this project is to remember who these people were before the war took away every sense of peace and every priority and focus beyond basic survival.
But just as I refuse to tell their stories as one-dimensional ones of victimhood, focusing on their loss, I also refuse to romanticize their past without also highlighting the fact that these people are still here, trying to survive. They are still alive and in need of support!
They were people before they became statistics. Before they became a headline.
Many people have seen Thaira’s direct message pleas for help for her children. Maybe you have one in your inbox as we speak. But her life wasn’t always filled with loss, and it won’t always be grief either.
Help Thaira and her family by donating here >>
Though we remain hopeful for a brighter tomorrow, especially with some attempts at a ceasefire, for today, Thaira and her husband Samer, along with their children Basma, Saad, and Muhammad remain in Gaza under severe rain and flooding, bombings, tanks and shortages of food and medical resources.
Despite losing their livelihood and home, Thaira and her family remain alive and fighting to survive. They deserve dignity, respect, and our support.
Help keep this project alive
If you know a story that deserves to be commemorated in We Were, We Are, you can share it with me, knowing that I will treat your loved ones with the utmost love, honor, and respect.
This memorial quilt is not only to remember the lives lost, but also to highlight the resilience of those still living despite all odds.
