Description: Kuffiyehs sold in the fundraiser Source: Jena Kanaan
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) sold kuffiyehs to raise funds for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. The fundraiser sold out in three days.
SJP originally posted the fundraiser’s form to their Instagram on Feb. 2, and by Feb. 5 they had posted on their story that they had sold out of kuffiyehs.
SJP President Jena Kanaan expressed that a kuffiyeh “is a traditional Arab headdress that has become a strong symbol of solidarity for the Palestinian liberation movement. It is more than a garment, it is a visual expression of support for the struggle of Palestinians for liberation.”
The kuffiyehs were sold at twenty dollars each, resulting in SJP raising $1,203 through the sale of almost 100 kuffiyehs voiced Kanaan.
There were both pick-up and delivery options for the fundraiser. The kuffiyehs ordered by people unable to pick them up were shipped directly to them, and Kanaan met with those who lived on or near campus to deliver their kuffiyehs.
All of the funds raised by SJP were for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a nonprofit started in order to provide humanitarian relief for the children of Gaza who do not have access to the medical care they require.
Kanaan stated that the organization was chosen because it “has been an organization known to help the children of Palestine since the beginning of Israeli aggression on Palestine. The number of wounded persons in Gaza has exceeded 60,000, many of which are children.”
“Children are left limbless and orphans. PCRF works to provide humanitarian aid to these children that have no medical care” she continued.
According to their website, the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund serves as a way to support long-term recovery efforts in Gaza and address the urgent humanitarian needs, through their “Gaza Relief and Recovery” campaign.
The “Gaza Relief and Recovery” campaign also includes the rebuilding of healthcare facilities as well as programs and projects designed to support the needs of both the children of Gaza and the health sector.
As of Feb. 10, the death toll in Gaza had risen to 28,064 deaths since Oct. 7, with 67,611 people wounded, according to Al Jazeera.
On the evening of Feb. 11, 67 Palestinians were killed in the bombing of Rafah and dozens were wounded.
Rafah held nearly half of Gaza’s population prior to the bombing, “people have been fleeing to Rafah following Israeli evacuation orders. Families have already evacuated up to 10 times,” stated Nebal Farsakh, the spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
The PRCS is a humanitarian organization located in Palestine, it belongs to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Edward Chu, MD, via Doctors Without Borders, stated “what’s happening in Gaza is a humanitarian emergency like I have never seen before—the sheer amount of shelling; the constraints of providing medical humanitarian aid because of indiscriminate attacks and the lack of respect for health care staff and facilities.”
“The intensity of the attacks in Gaza, which measures just 12 kilometers [about 7.5 miles] at its widest point, makes it especially dangerous,” continued Chu.
Chu was a part of the Doctors Without Borders staff who went to Gaza in Dec. 2023 in order to provide urgent medical support.
“We cannot allow the Palestinians suffering right now in Gaza to be left anonymous. They cannot be reduced to numbers” emphasized Chu.
Kanaan expressed that SJP hosted the fundraiser for a list of reasons. “For one, the children of Gaza are left helpless. They are left without limbs. They are left without parents. They are left robbed of their childhoods.”
She continued that “whatever little we could do, we did. This fundraiser is just a mere fraction of the work that we have and will continue to put forth for our people.”
SJP is set to host more events this semester, such as a tatreez workshop “to learn the art of the tradition of Palestinian embroidery” declared Kanaan.
The organization also has an art exhibit in the university’s Visual Arts Center that features art pieces covering topics such as family history in Palestine, to media coverage, and to the Palestinian community.
Kanaan urged those interested to follow SJP’s Instagram account, @sjpsxu_, for more information.
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