Manal Ghorab, 33, Gaza, Palestine, “is a homeland for a people who love life, possess a rich culture and history, and hold simple dreams of living in dignity and freedom.”

“Palestine is not just a conflict zone on television screens,” Manal Mahmoud Mohammed Ghorab, 33, told me a short time ago after we connected through social media from Gaza, Palestine, “it is a homeland for a people who love life, possess a rich culture and history, and hold simple dreams of living in dignity and freedom.”

Manal has utilized the platform well to share about the struggles through which she and her family are enduring the loss of loved ones, displacement, and enforced scarcity on food and water in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

“We hope that real voices from the ground reach you, free from media distortion,” she told me about her approach to storytelling through the images, video, and words she shares.

“I began documenting my story to convey our reality as we live it,” Manal said when I asked about what prompted her to share her images and words publicly, “so that our lives and dreams are not reduced to mere numbers and statistics on the news, but so our voices can be heard as human beings with dreams, families, and histories.”

Of her family, Manal told me, “We are an ambitious family that loves life and learning. Our children deserve to live a safe childhood, to learn, and to play without fear just like any other children anywhere else in this world.”

Manal started her GoFundMe campaign as a way to meet the pressing gaps in baseline necessities for her and her family, which is linked here for anyone with the means of support to re-share or donate in order to bring, “clean drinking water, regular food, proper healthcare, and a safe environment for my family and children.”

Manal’s solution-based approach echoes her background as a mathematics teacher as well, a calling that, in her words, “stemmed from my belief that education is the most powerful way to build human potential and transform society.

“To me, mathematics was never just about numbers; it was a mindset and a logic that helps students solve problems.”

Perspective like this lends itself to considering the frames around which different stories are put forward and received.

In this way, Manal emphasized the importance of recognizing the different contexts around what our views might be of Palestine, especially around the sheer volume of tragic stories that come with the ongoing genocide, and how each must be taken with a strong sense of coming from unique human beings, all of whom are important and deserving of dignity, support, and love.

“Most importantly, please do not become desensitized to what is happening,” Manal said. “Behind every photo or video clip you see, there are grueling daily struggles just to live and endure.

“Every voice raised and every bit of support offered makes a real difference in our lives.”