Dispatches from Gaza - a Mutual Aid project

Crowdfunding to support writers in Gaza, and share their stories

Palestine flags flying at a demonstration in Christchurch

Like so many people I’ve watched the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and like so many of you my social media inboxes have filled up with pleas for help from Palestinian families who have started crowdfunding campaigns with the goal of either crossing the border into safety in Egypt (which costs at least US$5,000 per person) or simply surviving in a place where housing and infrastructure has been destroyed inflation is between 300 and 2,000 percent for some goods following the destruction of crops and livestock, combined with an inadequate amount of aid being able to reach the territory- a situation that may worsen.

In addition to the tens of thousands of confirmed deaths, almost the entire population of Gaza have been displaced, the health care system is in a critical condition and 96% of children feel their death is imminent. As an individual, it’s impossible to help everyone. Many people in Gaza have seen their donations stagnate. This project has come out of discussions on how we can do more.

Feijoa Dispatch and FightBack will commission articles from people in Gaza, and people who have recently managed to leave and seek refuge in other countries, paying NZ$250 per article (approximately US$140) for 1000 to 1500 words. To do this, NZ$1,000 will be raised through this crowdfunding campaign. Those donations will be matched by both Feijoa Dispatch and FightBack, meaning for every dollar you donate, $3 will go to help people in Gaza.

Each month of 2025 an article will be published on both websites, without a paywall. Articles will be under a creative commons license that allows them to be published elsewhere, and the crowdfunding campaigns of each writer will be linked in their articles, so that their writing can be used to further promote their campaigns.

Writers do not have to be journalists. Editing and other writing assistance will be provided when required. Articles can be about life before and/or during the genocide, and can include peoples hopes for the future. This project will mean more first-hand accounts of the situation in Gaza will be published, and crucially, the people writing those accounts will be paid for their work.

Due to the difficulty of transferring money from New Zealand to Palestine, the commissions for these articles will be paid via donations to the crowdfunding campaigns of Palestinians.

Contribute to the crowdfunding campaign for this project via ko-fi.