As of September 2025, an estimated 19,000 children had been killed in since Israel's war in Gaza began. At that time, 42,000 children were reported injured, and hundreds of thousands were experiencing the impacts of widespread disease and malnutrition, which continue to this day.

At the same time the U.S. provides Israel with money and weapons that devastate the lives of children in Gaza, it also fails to take care of children at home. Living wakefully in the world means not looking away from any of this; it means bearing witness and when possible, taking action. I am involved locally, and I hope you are too. This page is about an opportunity to do something together afar.

About INARA
Founded by former CNN Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon, the International Network for Aid, Relief, and Assistance (INARA) is a nonprofit organization that provides essential medical and mental health support to children affected by human-induced and natural disasters. It operates in Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey.

Inside Gaza, INARA offers life-saving first aid as well as outpatient maternal and child health, diagnostics, and more. In 2024 it launched a medical program in Cairo to ensure that young Gazan medical evacuees (ages 9-14) receive the critical care they require amidst the immense strain within Egypt’s healthcare system. 

Bringing Yoga/Mindfulness to Kids in Cairo
My friends Sarah and Ty Powers teach yoga and Buddhism around the world; they call their outreach to communities to which they have forged connections Metta Journeys. Sarah has invited me to help bring a Metta Journeys pilot program of therapeutic yoga/mindfulness sessions to Gazan kids receiving medical treatment from INARA in Cairo. 

This initial team consists of four yoga/mindfulness teachers, two of whom are Arabic speakers, one a trauma therapist, and one a childhood educator. We are all trained in evidence-based, mind-body methods for stress relief and regulation. 

This April, we will travel to INARA's program centers in Egypt to learn, to offer playful yoga/mindfulness to the children receiving INARA's care, and to discuss with INARA staff ongoing fundraising and sustainable yoga/mindfulness programming.

Support This Pilot Program
Please join me in supporting Gazan kids through INARA's Gaza Rapid Relief Fund at my JustGiving page. I aim to raise $4000 for INARA by the time we go to Cairo in early April. I’m also accepting contributions toward travel/lodging. If you would like, send this support via Paypal or Venmo (any excess will go to INARA).

Thank You for Considering!
Upon my return I’ll send the total we raised for INARA, the pilot program’s progress, next steps, photos, and more. As the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., taught: No one is free until we are all free. Thank you for considering supporting INARA's work with Gazan kids one of the many ways we can honor and express human interconnectedness.

Donate to INARA