Othman Al-Zaq
Founder & Coordinator of United for Gaza Charity
Professional Translator | Freelance & Netflix Projects
What I’m Raising Funds For
My name is Othman Al-Zaq, born and raised in the Shujaiya neighborhood, from the Gaza Strip in Palestine. I am currently 25 years old, but I was 23 years old when we were first displaced on October 13, 2023. Like others, I have been displaced several times, going as far as the central Gaza Strip. When there were calls for a ceasefire, I rejoiced at the news and made the journey back to my home in North Gaza.
It was in the earliest months of the genocide, when I took on the greatest challenges and responsibilities of helping my people in different camps across Gaza. In Gaza, each day begins with urgent needs: food, water, clothing, shelter. Families live among rubble, in makeshift tents, with limited access to the most essential. Since then, I, along with my team, have risen to meet these needs by delivering clean water, fresh meals, and essential vegetable parcels. When winter hit, we brought warmth by distributing winter coats, shoes, and blankets for children and families. We cleared rubble, installed water motors, and rebuilt what could be saved.
By doing so, I had become a humanitarian activist, founder, and general coordinator of a charity initiative called United for Gaza. I lead a global team providing urgent relief for vulnerable, displaced families in Gaza. Every single donation goes directly to the projects, and God is my witness that 100% of the donations go to those in need. The list of projects is too long to count, and a lot has been accomplished thanks to the unwavering generosity of our donors. The work continues. Every day, we are on the ground, supporting, uplifting, and rebuilding lives.
Goal One: Buy a Work Laptop
I attended Al-Azhar University where I majored in English Literature. I did well in my studies and graduated in 2022. During my time in school and after my graduation, I had used my degree to work in different opportunities as a freelancer in English-Arabic translator and subtitler. However, before the genocide, I worked remotely as a translator with a foreign company and had worked as a video editor to support my family. But, I lost all my equipment in the war. To return to work and rebuild my future, I need to purchase a high-performance laptop worth $3,800 – a vital tool that will allow me to:
Goal Two: Rebuilding Our Home
My family and I have endured 14 forced displacements since October 2023. After months of instability and sheltering in temporary locations, we finally returned to our hometown in Shujaiya, North Gaza. But by then, the damage was overwhelming.
Out of our family’s multiple apartments, three were completely destroyed—including mine—one was burned to ground, and only two remain standing, though badly damaged.
Despite this, we continued our humanitarian efforts in the neighborhood, offering water and other essential aid to the community. But just one month later, we were forcibly displaced again, this time for the 14th time, to a fragile apartment in Al-Rimal, which too was bombed and destroyed within two weeks.
Now, my family of 11 has no home left. We have no shelter, no belongings, and no space to rebuild our lives.
My extended family and I urgently need temporary safe shelters until we can rebuild our home. The IOF had detonated my house along with others so that all was left was smoke and rubble. Living conditions are unbearable, and this is the first step toward restoring dignity and stability. Reconstructing our destroyed home is a long journey, but we are determined to start. Your support will go toward building a safe and simple space where we can feel secure again.
Goal Three: Launching a Family Business
Before the war, our family relied on a small farm—it was our only source of income. Sadly, the IOF destroyed it completely. My older brother’s library and printing press project were obliterated. His engineering office, which had all his tools, machinery, and furniture, was completely destroyed. Our father’s workshop—the source of our family’s financial stability—was burned to the ground. Everything we built over the years vanished in moments.
We hope to start a small family business that can generate sustainable income and free us from dependence on aid. With your help, we can start over with dignity and self-reliance.
We are not asking for charity. We are asking for a chance to stand on our feet again. Every contribution – no matter how big or small – is a seed of hope that will grow into something life-changing.
How My Charity Initiative, United for Gaza, Began
Since settling in Al-Zawaida, we have been displaced 13 more times. Each displacement has left deeper scars. However, amidst the chaos, a small light emerged. Colleagues of mine from Egypt reached out to me directly to deliver donations to Gaza. Previously, they had sent aid through institutions but received no confirmation or transparency. They trusted me instead, and Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), I was able to deliver every donation with full transparency and documentation.
It began with water delivery using a donkey cart. From there, we built momentum and eventually began distributing five to six water trucks per day, a reflection of the deep trust donors placed in me. That trust has never been broken. Every donation has been delivered directly to the people of Gaza, and by the grace of Allah, we’ve executed countless humanitarian projects like water, bread, flour, chicken, egg, and sweets. We also ran a dedicated Ramadan campaign distributing Iftar meals and vegetables, and other aid. Additionally, we made Eids special for the displaced families, especially children, by gifting them new clothes, toys, and Eidiya. The list is too long, but our projects have a real impact on these suffering families.
One notable project was implemented in the winter of 2024: a large-scale tarp distribution initiative to protect families living in tents from the rain and harsh cold. With strong support and trust from our donors, we secured the necessary funding and distributed protective covers to over 250 displaced families in Al-Zawaida, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis.
