We Can Do Hard Things

Let’s Help Care for Gaza’s Orphans w/ Our Friend Akram Ibrahim

October 30, 2025

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  • The episode launches a fundraising effort, supported by Glennon and Abby matching the first $100,000, specifically to care for Wounded Children with No Surviving Parents (WCNSP) in Gaza through the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). 
  • Akram Ibrahim emphasizes that the current ceasefire is the beginning, not the end, of the necessary humanitarian work, stressing that the struggle encompasses all Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, not just the recent conflict. 
  • Akram highlights the strategic importance of affirming Palestine as a physical place with deep roots, countering efforts to erase its existence by framing Palestinians as a people who can belong anywhere else. 
  • The primary focus of the relief effort, even with a ceasefire, remains providing essential support—medical, nutritional, and psychological—to thousands of orphaned and injured children in Gaza, ensuring they can remain in Palestine. 
  • The term 'WCNSF' (Wounded Child No Surviving Family) has emerged from organizations like Doctors Without Borders to describe the unprecedented scale of children orphaned and injured in Gaza, highlighting a crisis where traditional extended family support structures are overwhelmed. 
  • Supporting Palestinian causes requires sustained effort beyond immediate crises, including elevating Palestinian voices, businesses, and cultural exports like olive oil, to build a lasting foundation for the community. 

Segments

Community History and Giving
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(00:00:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The We Can Do Hard Things community has a 20-year history of collective action, raising $56 million for global causes based on the belief that “there is no such thing as other people’s children.”
  • Summary: This community has repeatedly shown up for others, raising $56 million over two decades, with every penny invested in human beings in need. Previous efforts, like the episode with Dr. Ahmad, raised substantial funds, demonstrating the community’s capacity for immediate, large-scale support. The current focus is channeling heartbreak into action for Gaza’s orphaned children.
Introducing Akram Ibrahim and PCRF
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(00:01:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Akram Ibrahim, a Palestinian American volunteer, is introduced as a representative of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), an organization with over 30 years of service specializing in medical care for Palestinian children.
  • Summary: PCRF is a highly-rated organization (four stars on Charity Navigator) that focuses on medical care for wounded Palestinian children, including amputees. They run programs like Camp Ability and facilitate medical treatment abroad for children needing specialized care. PCRF has maintained its delivery of healing work through decades of conflict and ceasefires.
Focus on Wounded Orphaned Children
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(00:03:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode’s primary fundraising goal is to support Wounded Children with No Surviving Parents (WCNSP), a designation created by organizations like Doctors Without Borders for children wounded by bombs who have no remaining family structure.
  • Summary: The WCNSP designation identifies children severely impacted by bombardment who lack any surviving family to care for them, a situation exacerbated by the decimation of extended family networks. Donations will be sent directly to Palestinians to provide localized support for these children within their communities, rather than removing them from Palestine. Glennon and Abby will match the first $100,000 donated to this cause.
Akram’s Personal Context and Ceasefire Meaning
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(00:06:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Akram, serving as the PCRF chapter president for LAOCIE, emphasizes that the current ceasefire offers relief but signifies the beginning of ongoing work, as the Palestinian struggle extends beyond Gaza to the West Bank.
  • Summary: Akram speaks as a volunteer and Palestinian American, offering his perspective on the current situation. He stresses that Palestinians in the West Bank have also endured hardship for years, and the community must remain engaged regardless of the ceasefire’s status. He cautions that separating Gaza from the West Bank ignores the unified Palestinian experience.
History of the Conflict and Activism
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(00:12:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Akram urges listeners to recognize that the current crisis did not begin on October 7th, citing his own activism starting in the early 2000s as evidence of decades of ongoing struggle, including displacement and restricted movement.
  • Summary: Akram’s activism began around 2000-2001, involving protests against the occupation and experiencing checkpoints firsthand during a stay in Palestine in 2002. He uses the phrase, “pay attention when you started paying attention,” to frame the current awareness against a backdrop of 80+ years of Palestinian history. He notes that the goal is to eventually focus solely on sharing Palestinian culture, rather than humanitarian crises.
The Importance of Palestine as a Place
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(00:30:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Claiming Palestine as a physical place, rather than just an adjective describing people (e.g., Palestinian American), is a crucial act against strategic gaslighting aimed at normalizing the removal of people from their land.
  • Summary: Akram stresses that maintaining the connection to the land ensures future generations can claim direct lineage to a specific place, preventing Palestinians from becoming a people without roots. Separating the people from the place is a strategic move to justify displacement, as evidenced by the historical context of the West Bank being referred to as Jordanian territory in schools. Home is where people want to return, regardless of opportunities elsewhere.
Palestinian Culture and Hospitality
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(00:35:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The core beauty of Palestinian culture lies in its deep-seated nature of hospitality, community gathering, and mutual support, exemplified by spontaneous acts of generosity like guiding a stranger to the highway.
  • Summary: Palestinians are inherently hospitable, valuing simple gatherings involving coffee, conversation, and hosting. Akram shared an anecdote where a stranger on a motorcycle spent 13 minutes guiding his family through Nablus to the highway exit without expecting anything in return. This strong community aspect, where family networks are vast and supportive, is what activists strive to preserve and share.
PCRF Family Involvement and Mission
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(00:42:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The PCRF has become a multi-generational family commitment for Akram’s family, evolving from moving chairs at events to leading chapters and fundraising for specific, high-impact projects like the Gaza amputee program.
  • Summary: Akram’s mother and aunt have served as chapter presidents, instilling the value of generosity and connection to culture through volunteerism in their children. PCRF, founded in 1991, not only brings children to the US for treatment but also builds infrastructure, such as pediatric cancer units in Gaza and Bethlehem. The Chicago Marathon fundraising effort specifically supported the Gaza amputee project, raising over $161,000 this year.
Ambassadorship and Responsibility
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(00:49:32)
  • Key Takeaway: As a representative of his culture, Akram takes seriously the responsibility that his actions reflect not only on himself but also on his family, religion, and Palestinian identity, necessitating positive community engagement.
  • Summary: Akram learned from a young age that his behavior at public events reflects on his entire community, requiring him to act as an ambassador for Palestinians and Muslims. This responsibility drives him to stay involved, encouraging others to contribute time, money, or expertise to the cause. The community’s support is vital because, historically, Palestinian causes have often been ignored or ‘wiped under the rug’ without external backing.
Post-Ceasefire Operations and Resilience
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(00:56:07)
  • Key Takeaway: PCRF’s operational goals continue regardless of ceasefire status, focusing on restoring pediatric care, treating malnutrition, and prioritizing psychological support for traumatized children.
  • Summary: The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) welcomes the ceasefire but maintains focus on essential services like restoring hospitals and pediatric initiatives. Psychological support is highlighted as crucial for children who have experienced multiple wars. The organization aims to help children adjust to their ’new normal’ after loss or injury.
Scale of Orphan Crisis in Gaza
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(00:58:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Specific, heartbreaking statistics reveal that over 32,000 children lost fathers, over 4,400 lost mothers, and nearly 2,000 lost both parents in the last two years, with current estimates being much higher.
  • Summary: The sheer number of children affected by parental loss is staggering, with figures provided from late last year already surpassed. PCRF is currently supporting at least 7,000 orphaned children on the ground in Gaza. The cost to support each child has also increased due to scarcity.
Defining the Wounded Child Crisis
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(00:59:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The international community, including Doctors Without Borders, is now using the term ‘WCNSF’ (Wounded Child No Surviving Family) to describe the severity of the crisis.
  • Summary: This new term signifies a level of devastation where traditional family support networks are completely absent for injured children. PCRF emphasizes that their support funds local Palestinian communities and doctors to care for these children within Gaza, not to relocate them. The desire is for Palestinians to remain in Palestine, making relocation counterproductive to long-term stability.
Impact of Family Structure Collapse
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(01:02:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Historically, large Palestinian families absorbed orphans, but the current scale of loss means entire bloodlines are gone, leaving communities unable to find relatives for many children.
  • Summary: In the past, adoption was uncommon as extended family would immediately take in orphans, maintaining their identity and last name. Now, the crisis is so severe that even in large families, relatives cannot be located for many injured children. PCRF supports the communities caring for these orphans with resources like food, medication, and mental health support.
Sustaining Effort Beyond Ceasefire
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(01:09:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The ceasefire is a welcome reprieve but does not end the need for sustained humanitarian effort, as PCRF operations will continue regardless of political status to rebuild and support communities.
  • Summary: The speaker views the ceasefire as merely a point on a continuing timeline, meaning relief work must persist whether access improves or not. Palestinians are noted for their resilience, often ‘MacGyvering’ solutions when resources are scarce. The effort must continue because needs exist beyond Gaza, including in the West Bank.
Combating Apathy and Encouraging Action
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(01:17:07)
  • Key Takeaway: There is a concerning talking point suggesting donations won’t matter, which is suspected to be a tactic to create apathy and prevent people from supporting difficult, high-need areas.
  • Summary: Every contribution, whether $5 or $500, matters because it increases the organization’s range and brings more people into the network of support. The speaker worries that a ceasefire will cause people to believe their part is done, when in reality, the long-term work of rebuilding and education must continue. Supporting PCRF ensures people stay involved beyond the immediate crisis.
Supporting Palestinian Economy and Culture
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(01:25:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners are encouraged to support Palestinian culture and economy by purchasing Palestinian exports, such as olive oil, and supporting Palestinian-owned businesses and creators.
  • Summary: Palestinian olive oil is deeply rooted in culture, symbolizing the people’s connection to the land, as olive trees are never uprooted by Palestinians. Supporting creators like authors and businesses helps elevate Palestinian voices that have historically been suppressed. Listeners should seek out Palestinian-owned restaurants and businesses and leave positive reviews to sustain them.