The Israel and Palestine war in the Middle East has caused havoc and stress all around the world. The impact of this war has rippled to every corner of the seven continents, including Bethesda. With this war being one of the most covered wars ever by the media, students have seen the horrors taking place in the Gaza Strip and have felt the weight of the war.
As students have been watching these events, a handful of clubs decided to make an effort to help refugees in Gaza. Participating clubs included the Muslim Student Association (MSA), Multicultural Club (MCC), Persian Club, South Asian Student Union (SASU) and Middle East and North Africa Club (MENA).
“We felt like there was a lot of humanitarian need in Gaza and we wanted to help out anyway we could,” MENA co-president Ava Heydarian said.
The clubs united to form a bake sale and draw henna hand designs to raise money for aid to refugees in the Gaza Strip through the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), a United Nations organization aimed at providing humanitarian aid for underprivileged kids around the world. The sale went on to raise over $3,800 for UNICEF and its cause.
“We wanted to help the children of Gaza, which is why we chose UNICEF. We want to make sure the children are not left behind, that they can get medical care, food and water and the basic necessities,” Heydarian said.
The war means a lot of different things to many different people, and every club had a different pathway and reason to be there.
“One of our members told us that she thought it would be great if we supported [it] and it meant a lot to her and other members,” MCC president Erinelle Dobbs said.
The war has also led to great divisions in the world. The five clubs aimed to rise above those differences.
“I think it’s important to help the people in Gaza because I feel like there’s a narrative that they [the people of Gaza] are kind of the enemy and I feel like the world is forgetting about them when they’re people just like anyone else,” sophomore Marie-Isabelle Nachega said.
Although the sale was successful, it didn’t come without its challenges.
“There was someone who walked by and said ‘you guys aren’t for peace,’” Nachega said.
The clubs continued to pursue in spite of this, keeping focus on their goal.
“Supporting something that you believe in is important, no matter what side your on. If something like this is very meaningful to someone, they should try to support it because things won’t change without support,” Dobbs said.
No matter how students may feel about this war and how divided the world can get from this war, there are important things to remember as the war rages on and the division continues to grow.
“People are people and no matter what side you are on, they should all be caring and considerate of each other,” Nachega said.
