Changing Narratives: Advocacy & Aid Efforts in Gaza Explored

On January 31, 2024, an important meeting took place with several activists, professionals, and organizations at the forefront of advocacy and aid efforts in Gaza. The meeting discussed a number of key initiatives, strategies, and actions to change the narrative and help the people on the ground in Gaza.

Direct Aid to Families in Gaza

Ali, a Canadian-Lebanese businessman and IT professional, has been making efforts to send direct aid to people in Gaza. Bassem’s approach is personal, helping two extended families in Gaza by sending funds and money directly to them. He remains connected with journalists and local people in Gaza, ensuring first-hand information about the situations and needs on the ground. <a href=’Here”>https://gofund.me/fbb675d2′>Here you can learn more about the people he is helping.

Attracting Big Donors

Attracting major donors to support the cause was another topic of discussion. Sarah suggested the idea of reaching out to big donors, like Ben and Jerry’s, with a question: How do we get them to support our cause? More about this initiative can be found <a href=’here”>https://gofund.me/70b35183′>here.

Food Aid and its Distribution

Ghazwa highlighted an interesting aspect of aid distribution. He noted that some people may sell a portion of their food and other aid to barter other things, like construction materials. This shows the complexity of the situation on the ground, where aid is trickling in but not reaching enough people.

Challenging Western Media Bias

Sunjeev Bery, Director at Freedom Forward, is focused on challenging Western media bias. Freedom Forward, founded after Amnesty, has launched a campaign to document and challenge this bias. The campaign targets Western media as business entities and considers their reputation. It involves various action items, including targeting board members, subscribers, advertisers, and placement editors. Sunjeev’s <a href=’campaign”>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8nxf8BzXvQwk_d-wdMcbCCGBAoMx5afnxls75IOh2k/edit’>campaign proposal provides more details.

Changing the Narrative

Sarah and Heer have organized campaigns to collectively create posts and then post them. An example given was the ‘Fact a day’ campaign. The focus is to change the narrative and put things into perspective. The campaign will launch on February 7, and they are looking for support in posting, reposting, and making original posts.

Global Shapers and the Role of Corporations

Saif, part of Global Shapers, is trying to change the narrative through the program. He’s also pushing Accenture to have a conversation about Zionism, and if they refuse, make their refusal public. Saif is looking to find allies in media/journalists to push their stories and is looking for any leads and guidance on how to do that.

Next Steps

These discussions offer a crucial glimpse into the ongoing efforts of changing narratives and bringing aid to the people in Gaza. From direct aid to challenging media bias, there’s much work to be done. If you’d like to support these efforts, consider engaging with the campaigns, sharing the posts, or donating to the causes.

Freedom Advocacy Network

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