Abwab Elkheir: The Charity Aiding Palestinians Stranded in Egypt

In the wake of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, Egyptian charity foundation Abwab El Kheir has extended a lifeline to Palestinians who are facing dire financial straits while living in Egypt. The organization's initiative prioritizes assisting Gazan students struggling to afford tuition fees due to the war's economic repercussions.

“There are currently 6,000 Palestinian students living in Egypt, 4,000 of whom are from Gaza,” Haitham El-Tabei, CEO of Abwab Elkheir, tells CairoScene. With no chance to return to Gaza and their academic futures on the line, many Palestinian students studying in Egypt have begun preparing themselves for some difficult contingencies.

“One student we helped out in October wasn’t aware we would be supporting him into the next month,” El-Tabei explains. “He was getting ready to sell his laptop to make ends meet.”

To date, the foundation has allocated an average of EGP 3,500 to each of the students they have been able to reach, totaling well over EGP 175,000 in the last three weeks of October alone.

Abwab Elkheir, which has been operating since 2018, also provides assistance to Palestinian families within Egypt who can’t return to war-torn Gaza and require assistance to pay rent. They predict that they will be working with 35 new cases by the end of November, extending a total of EGP 122,000 to those individuals and families.

Determined to continue their support, Abwab Elkheir has declared their intention to extend their efforts through the end of the year, with no imminent plans to cease their operations. They project a total allocation of EGP 875,000 to be distributed among 250 new cases throughout the month of December.

When asked how people could support their efforts, El-Tabei said, “Anyone can contribute to the best of their ability.” Abwab Elkheir accepts donations through their website via InstaPay, Fawry, or bank transfers.