Cardiff based Madeleine McGivern, who was born in North Wales and now lives in Cardiff with her son and husband, has set up an initiative to offer support to the mums and dads of Palestine.
Children Across Borders – a website where people can post messages to the parents and
grandparents of Gaza – has already seen over 100 people writing messages of kindness and
support to people in Palestine, having launched earlier this week.
Madeleine, who has worked in Israel and Palestine as a Human Rights Monitor including
alongside Palestinian and Israeli peace groups, and who visited Gaza on a number of occasions, say the idea behind Children Across Borders is very simple.
“We are all human beings and my two year old son is the most precious thing to me, as I’m sure any parent or grandparent would feel, all over the world. I cannot imagine what it must feel like for parents there, knowing they cannot keep their children safe right now. I have seen pictures and videos from Gaza showing children injured or killed, but also kids proudly displaying their pet fishes that they managed to save from the rubble of their home, saying they want to become doctors to help people, and splashing in a tin bath surrounded by destruction but still laughing.
We all have children we know and love in our lives – this website is a way of telling parents,
grandparents and other relatives in Gaza that their children have not been forgotten.”
The violence in Palestine and Israel has meant that as of 19th May at Midday, 228 people
have been killed in Gaza, including 63 children and 37 women, and 12 people in Israel
including 2 children (Source: UN). Inspired her son and numerous visits to the region,
Madeleine says she has “had enough of watching the news and feeling sad, angry, and helpless, so I’ve decided to do what I can. It won’t be enough, but something is better than nothing. I would invite anyone and everyone to join me in sending messages of support to people who feel completely forgotten.”
You can send a message of support through Children Across Borders here
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