Some stories are harder to tell than others. Not because there are no words for them, but because the words feel too small for what they are describing.

Ali Muhammad Al-Assar is 3 years old. He lives in a tent in Mawasi, Khan Yunis, in the south of Gaza. His sister Aseel is 5. They share that tent with their mother Fatima, who has been holding their small family together since the 27th of February 2024 – the day their father was martyred.

Two children. One parent. A tent where there used to be a home.

What Ali and Aseel’s lives look like right now

Khan Yunis has been one of the most heavily affected areas throughout the conflict in Gaza. Mawasi – the coastal strip where Ali and Aseel are living – became a designated humanitarian zone, but the conditions there have been described by aid workers and journalists as deeply inadequate. Tents without proper sanitation. Limited access to clean water. Food that arrives inconsistently and runs out quickly.

Ali is 3. He is at the age where children are just beginning to understand the world around them, learning to talk, to run, to ask endless questions. He does not fully grasp what has happened to his family. That may be a mercy right now.

Aseel is 5. She is at the age where children start to understand more. She knows her father is not coming back. She watches her mother. She helps in the ways a 5-year-old can.

Their mother Fatima Saeed Hamdan is doing what mothers do – everything she possibly can, with whatever she has.

Why we are asking for two sponsors, not one

It would be easy to sponsor one of these children and feel that the family is covered. But each child in Aid For Mankind’s orphan sponsorship programme is registered individually, and each sponsorship goes directly to supporting that specific child’s needs.

Ali needs his own sponsor. Aseel needs her own sponsor.

If you sponsor Ali, your £60 a month provides food, clothing, healthcare and educational support for Ali. If you sponsor Aseel, the same goes to Aseel. The two sponsorships together give Fatima the knowledge that both her children are supported – that two people, somewhere in the world, have looked at her family and decided to help.

For a mother raising two children alone in a tent in Khan Yunis, that knowledge is not nothing. It is everything.

What your £2 a day provides

The monthly sponsorship cost for each child is £60 – £2 a day. This covers:

Food provision to ensure the child is not going hungry in a region where food insecurity is severe and ongoing.

Clothing appropriate to the child’s age and the conditions they are living in.

Healthcare access including basic medical needs, hygiene supplies, and health monitoring.

Educational support so that these children do not lose years of schooling on top of everything else they have lost.

100% of your donation reaches the child. Aid For Mankind’s operational costs are funded separately through our charity’s own fundraising, meaning nothing is deducted from what you give.

Sponsoring Ali or Aseel as Zakat or Sadaqah

Many of our UK donors choose to direct their annual Zakat payment towards orphan sponsorship. Orphan sponsorship through Aid For Mankind qualifies as a valid use of both Zakat and Sadaqah, and our scholars and advisors are available to answer any questions about eligibility.

Sponsoring an orphan is also one of the most widely recommended forms of Sadaqah Jariyah – ongoing charity that continues to benefit the giver even after the act of giving. Each month that passes, each meal that reaches Ali or Aseel because of your contribution, is a continuation of that reward.

UK donors who are taxpayers can also add Gift Aid to their donation, allowing Aid For Mankind to reclaim an additional 25% from the government at no cost to you.

How to sponsor Ali or Aseel today

Use the sponsorship form on this page to select Ali or Aseel – or both. Choose your sponsorship duration and complete your donation. You will receive a confirmation from Aid For Mankind and we will keep you updated on the children’s welfare as information reaches us from our ground team in Gaza.

If you have any questions about the sponsorship programme, contact us directly at info@aidformankind.com or call 07946 521 158.

Ali is 3. Aseel is 5. They are waiting.

Aid For Mankind – UK Registered Charity No. 1202015