On Saturday 6 June, One Church Brighton will host a family-friendly fundraiser in support of We Are Still Here, a Sussex-based humanitarian project supporting students in Gaza.

Since 2024, the project has supported an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 students through educational resources, financial support, mental health provision and creative projects.

The event will take place during Volunteers’ Week and aims to bring the local community together in solidarity with students in Gaza whose education has been severely disrupted.

Why the project matters

Since the escalation of violence in Gaza, higher education infrastructure has been devastated. Educational facilities, libraries and universities have been damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands of students without access to learning.

We Are Still Here was founded in response to this crisis by Zahid Pranjol of Sussex and a team of volunteers in Gaza and the UK. The project began by sharing teaching materials and mentoring students online, before expanding into wider educational and wellbeing support.

The initiative now includes:

• an English language programme supporting more than 1,400 students with conversational English skills

• a psychotherapy programme providing specialist mental health support for students

• the 2025 anthology We Are Still Here, co-edited by Dr Jacob Norris and Prof Zahid Pranjol of Sussex, featuring writing by students from Gaza

• exhibitions and artwork sales raising funds for tuition fees and living costs

Event details

We Are Still Here fundraiser
Date: Saturday 6 June 2026
Time: 2.30pm to 6pm
Venue: One Church Brighton
Admission: £1, all welcome

What to expect

The afternoon will include:

• Palestinian crafts and goods, including Hebron ceramics, olive wood handicrafts, keffiyehs, plants and botanical products

• artwork, merchandise and handmade cards created through the We Are Still Here project

• traditional Palestinian maqluba cooked by a Palestinian family

• an ice cream van

• family activities including tote bag and T-shirt printing, henna, badge-making, cookie decorating and giant games

• a tombola featuring prizes donated by local businesses

• an exhibition of artwork created by students in Gaza

All funds raised will go directly towards supporting students in Gaza. To find out more, donate, or purchase the anthology, visit We Are Still Here.

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