Applied Poetry 101: Making Dreams Reality In Gaza

“When you’re going to sleep, counting the planets, think of others,” says Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. “There are some who don’t even have space to dream.” To put his poem into practice, the “Think of Others” campaign encourages donors to remember “the faraway others” in Gaza—those living in cemeteries, in partially destroyed houses and tiny, overcrowded shelters.

For such families in the Zeitoun neighborhood, the campaign has built, in cooperation with the Aman Malaysia Palestine Foundation, five houses, three kitchens, and two bathrooms, and equipped them with all basic necessities.

“To live in a more magnificent world, we should think of others, not ourselves,” says campaign director and Goodwill Ambassador Kaml Al-Heiqy. Indeed, the group’s Facebook page spotlights those most vulnerable to neglect, with regular postings detailing their needs.

Material aid goes hand-in-hand with warm emotional support through home visits and care services for the elderly and field trips for orphans. On February 7, members brought 100 orphans from the Hope Institute to a clown show; this weekend, children with disabilities will attend.

For more info – Think of Others Facebook page