In Memorium
Riad Elsohl Hamad, 1952-2008
Riad Hamad died on April 14, 2008 in Austin, Texas, a victim of drowning in Lady Bird Lake. He was a tireless advocate for Palestinians, and especially women and children living in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. He created the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund and raised millions of dollars through this organization for schools, charitable organizations, and hospitals.
We cannot begin to express our sorrow at the death of this fine man who has helped so many and asked for so little. Many of you have written to tell us how much he has done and how much he will be missed. We are grateful for the outpouring of affection, and we want to assure everyone who has been a part of PCWF that its mission will continue.
One of you wrote of Riad: As beautiful a human being as I have ever met...His charisma, energy, and positive outlook were contagious. He loved the children of Palestine and worked tirelessly on their behalf...He would rather sleep in his car than pay for a hotel room so that he could save the money and send it to the children of Palestine...It was never about him, only the children of Palestine.
Please help us continue his work in his honor and in his memory at PCWF. Tax exempt donations may be made to:
Palestine Children's Welfare Fund
405 Vista Heights Rd.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-236-5338
or click on this link to donate at PayPal
(Donation Amount can be increased by increasing the quantity)
Thank you, Riad, you will never be forgotten.
The volunteers at PCWF, Husam, Paul, Greta, Mike and Nedal.
The
Palestine Children's Welfare Fund is an enterprise
that was established by a group of individuals whose
goals are to improve the living standards of the children
of Palestine in the refugee camps inside Palestine.
The group aims to provide the children of the refugee
camps with better educational opportunities, health
facilities and a bright future without violence, hatred
and discrimination. The organization has branches and
volunteers in more than ten countries and is not connected
with any militant or political association of any kind.
PCWF works throughout Europe, Canada and the United
States and operates its financial and social work from
Palestine to ensure that our work is based in the place
where it is needed the most to reach the children of
Palestine.
The group works with various
civic and social societies and other Palestinian cities to locate
and provide sponsors for needy children in the refugee
camps of the West Bank and Gaza. The goal is
to provide the children with their basic needs such
as food, clothing, educational tools and health care
regardless or religious affiliation.
The group is a non-political, non-religious enterprise
whose aspirations are purely humanitarian and for the
purpose of emancipating the children of Palestine and
the human rights of the people and children of Palestine.
Any and all individuals are welcome to join us and provide
a helping hand to the children of Palestine and to give
them a hope for a bright future full of promise and
opportunities. Our donors and volunteers come from all
walks of life and various faiths with the single goal
of helping the innocent children of Palestine. Most
of our donations come from secular peace groups but
we have a large number of Muslim, Christian
and Jewish donors and supporters who believe in the
just cause of the people of Palestine and the right
of the children to live in peace and with dignity.
One hundred percent of the donations and proceeds
from the profits of our sales of the items sold on this
site go to the children and to the Union of Health Workers
Committees in Gaza and other children that we sponsor
throughout Palestine. We do not have administrative
costs due to the fact that our staff is made up of all
volunteers who work out of or our homes or businesses.
All the fees for the transfers of the money to Palestine,
the credit card charges and other expenses are paid
for by private donors who want to ensure that the full
amount of donations reach the children. All
donations are tax deductible and donors will
receive a receipt from one of our affiliate organizations.
For more information you can contact Riad Hamad at info@pcwf.org
and he will be glad to provide you with any further
assistance that you might require.
Our group is a member of the Congress of Arab American
Organizations and was recommended by the Arab American
Institute for being one of two groups with "good cause"
to be supported by its members during the holiday season
of 2002.
Palestine Children's Welfare Fund is also a " Fair Trade"
business that operates and promotes fair trade for the
farmers, women's groups and wood crafts artisans in
Palestine.
If you wish to sponsor a child on a regular basis, we
can now subscribe you to an automatic monthly billing
system. Read more here
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