One of the privileges of organising The Vegan Compassion Group has been developing ties with courageous and committed groups in less affluent countries who work tirelessly and selflessly to help those most in need. Sometimes they even put their own safety at risk – young people feeding those displaced by war in Ukraine or defying lockdowns and the risk of Covid to feed starving street dogs in Nepal. One individual who particularly fits the bill right now is Anas Arafat, who lives in Gaza City.
We first came across Anas in 2022 after learning about a vegan charitable organisation named Plant The Land, Gaza. Since Gaza has long been recognised as one of the most economically deprived areas in the world, we explored the possibility of funding a project that would highlight our shared vegan values. We came up with a programme to donate funds for 130 olive trees to be planted on public land in Gaza, along with some potatoes and other vegetables. Laura Schleifer, the US based co-founder of Plant the Land described the initiative as a celebration of planting the seeds of peace, solidarity, indigenous land reclamation, and kindness to all living beings - all of which are messages the world needs right now more than ever.
Although all our discussions took place with the US branch of the organisation, it was clear from the start that Anas, supported by a small team, was the person who made things happen on the ground. It was remarkable how quickly he managed to purchase and plant our trees once he had received the funds, spurred on by his desire to time the planting to coincide with Palestinian Land Day on 30 March. As he explained:
On Land Day, which means a lot to the Palestinians, Plant the Land team was able to plant 130 olive trees on public land in Gaza, thanks to the generous donation from Vegan Compassion Group.
On this day, we stress that the Israeli occupation must end, and celebrate our connection to this land by planting trees, especially olive trees, which are considered central to the Palestinian heritage and express the steadfastness of the Palestinians against the occupation. The olive trees represent the history of the Palestinian people. It was a wonderful feeling to plant these trees, as planting them means that we have a new baby and that these trees must be taken care of as we care for our children, as we wait for these trees to grow to reap their fruits. These trees will live on average anywhere from 100-150 years, providing food for generations to come... This project will help poor families and farmers, as the poor families will get olives and olive oil. It will also improve the farmers' income through providing olive oil, which is an important ingredient in general cooking. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this project.
While we have not been directly involved with Plant The Land since 2022, we have followed their work with admiration. This has mostly consisted of providing food parcels for families in need.
Then came October 7, 2023 and the sadistically brutal Hamas attack that left 1200 Israeli citizens dead, followed by the systematic mass terror and slaughter perpetuated in response and revenge. The death toll from that is now approaching 30,000, with much of Gaza destroyed and its population displaced.
As the Israeli bombing intensified, we naturally started to fear for Anas and others and also to wonder whether our olive trees would survive. We also despaired at the fate of the almost entirely ignored non-human animal population – traumatised, injured or killed.
It wasn't until January that news of the trees reached us. It turned out that on October 6 – only a day before the Hamas atrocity – Anas had sent a message to Laura Schleifer in the US, happily reporting that they were thriving – a message that had not got through to us in the chaos and crisis that ensued.
There the good news ends, I'm afraid. We have been told that Israeli bombs destroyed our trees and crops, along with so much of Gaza, only a few days after its assault was launched.
As for Anas, thank goodness he has so far survived. In December came word that his wife had somehow managed to give birth safely to their third child. Like many other Gazan women, she hasn't been able to produce breast milk because of extreme stress and hunger. Anas is a Type 1 diabetic and has been unable to access insulin, nor the eye medication he needs for the macular degeneration caused by previous insulin shortages resulting from the ongoing Israeli economic blockade on Gaza. At times there has been a severe lack of food, so much so that his family have not even had flour to make bread. Occasionally he expresses despair. A Facebook post on 30 January was particularly chilling:
To keep you all updated
Situation in Gaza too bad
We are freezing and life be worse more and more I don't know what this world want to people in Gaza to stand with us we are dying.
Yet throughout the horror he has continued to help others. A week after the quoted Facebook entry he was back to his usual irrepressible self, posting a photo of himself with his newly born son and a message that we are okay and I am still trying to help families in Gaza.
The latest from Laura in the US (two weeks ago) is that Anas believed that he could well be the only person able to provide humanitarian aid to the northern part of Gaza, since the bigger charities are only able to get into the south, over the border from Egypt. Travel to the north is impossible because Israeli soldiers in tanks will not permit it and the roads have been destroyed. Anas has remained in Gaza City and despite the apocalyptic conditions has managed to source, purchase and deliver some canned and dried goods such as flour, rice, beans and pasta, plus basic necessities like warm winter clothes, blankets and Pampers. Prices are astronomical because while there are still some stocks to be found, they are limited and probably irreplaceable.
After a long period in which the usual methods of sending funds to Gaza were blocked, Plant the Land recently found a way to transfer funds to Anas that he is able to access directly in order to buy goods. While we at the VCG always like to take meticulous care to ensure that every penny we send to our projects is accounted for, we decided that the situation in Gaza is so dire that we would donate whatever funds we could raise and send them for him to do whatever he can. Clearly, it is impossible to get receipts and account for every purchase he makes.
Unfortunately, however, we have now had to cancel a fundraising vegan lunch and information stall we had planned in March. Restrictions placed by the Charity Commission on the use of charity funds in Gaza make it extremely difficult for small charities like ours to become involved. We are advised that professional (i.e. legal) help should be sought before making any move and that would almost certainly cost more than we could ever raise. We would be risking the future of The Vegan Compassion Group.
If individuals should wish to help Anas in his humanitarian mission, they can do so via a Plant the Land fundraiser at: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/92uklCGsvi
I have to end by stating that this blog post is written in good faith, based on information supplied to us by fellow vegan organisation Plant the Land, Gaza. Obviously, it is impossible for us to verify.
The Vegan Compassion Group (VCG) has recently begun sending regular monthly donations to vegan organisations in Ukraine. Initially, we funded meals for refugees fleeing west from the war zone to Lviv. Next, we donated towards food parcels for the military and later for those still living in the heavily bombed city of Kherson. More recently, our sponsorship has centred on refugee centres in the cities of Kolky and Dnipro respectively. In all, upwards of 2000 nutritious meals have been provided.
In some ways this focus on Ukraine goes against the charity's primary aims, because our preference is to support longer-term projects that offer the prospect of alleviating economic poverty, enhancing educational opportunities and improving local environments. Our school feeding programme in rural Ethiopia is a prime example. For several years, we have enabled more than 100 struggling families (currently 124) to receive nutritionally balanced monthly food parcels containing locally grown grains. Each parcel contains enough to help whole families, though the emphasis is on providing for students. As a consequence, school attendance and achievement have both improved, enabling better educational prospects and a reduction in stunting – a common health problem in economically poor countries such as Ethiopia. All the food for this programme is purchased locally, creating a stable and guaranteed market for local farmers and providing employment for two women who make up and distribute the parcels. So it is an initiative with advantages beyond benefitting students in the present (and potentially in the future too).
Sometimes, however, in times of emergency, forward planning and policy preferences just have to be put on hold. The war in Ukraine is an obvious example where help is needed here and now. While there may be countries even worse hit by war and disaster (there are plenty to choose from and comparisons are pointless), it is the one that currently feels most pressing to most of us living in Europe, seeming as it does so near and immediate. The desire to help in some small way runs deep. For this reason, we have been delighted to assist two groups involved in vegan humanitarian work in recent months.
After we helped to fund vegan meals at a centre for displaced people in Dnipro in March, our brave partners in Ukraine sent us some photos of the distribution and what they described as a 'heart-warming' thank you video. Little more than a minute long, it featured several elderly Ukrainian woman at the dinner table, wrapped in warm clothes and with empty plates in front of them. It was obvious that they were saying 'thanks', but as they spoke only in Ukrainian that was as far as our understanding stretched! To solve the problem my partner and I asked Victoria – one of the refugees who now lives in our small seaside town – to translate. She explained that in addition to voicing gratitude for the food, the women were saying how good it was to receive a nourishing meal. They described the food as unusual but very healthy. They added their appreciation for the volunteers who had fed them and had been so friendly.
Victoria herself seemed visibly moved and thanked our charity warmly on behalf of her country.
'What about you?' I responded. 'How are you settling down and do you have your family with you?'
'I have my daughter with me and at least it is safe here', she said. 'My husband was killed in August'.
'Fighting in the war?'
'Yes'.
Now it was our turn to feel emotional. It brought both the horror and the desire to help sharply into focus.
On Saturday 23rd April, the vegan community in Ukraine is planning to hold a festival. Similar to vegan festivals here, it will combine entertainment – comedy and music – with food stalls and tastings and talks (though unlike here, one of the main subjects under discussion is women's experience of serving in the military).
When we first discussed the possibility of funding this event, I was sceptical about the VCG's involvement. While I could appreciate the value of such a gathering, it didn't seem like the sort of direct humanitarian aid we specialise in. Strong as our commitment to veganism is, we do not exist simply to improve life for vegans.
Yet the further my fellow trustees and I looked into it, the more we began to see the logic of becoming a festival sponsor. For one thing the event is partly a fundraiser: any donation we give is expected to provide considerably more funds than our original investment. All money raised will supply vegan women soldiers with food parcels and animal-free clothing. Additionally, we wanted to recognise the triumph of spirit behind the festival – brave young people prepared to promote and celebrate their non-violent values amongst carnage and destruction. Nor could we put a price on the expecting benefits to mental health and morale for attendees, particularly but not exclusively amongst the vegan community.
While the US-based Vegfund has given a grant for roughly two thirds of the organising costs, funds were still needed to ensure the Vegan Weekend takes place as planned. We are therefore delighted to have become co-sponsors, supporting the irrepressible organisers in their mission to promote kindness and compassion in these dark days for their country.
Mark Gold, VCG Founder, April 2023