A child holding a Stay Human sign in Gaza

Our Story

The Stay Human project emerged in Summer 2024 as a grassroots mutual aid initiative spanning Europe, Egypt, and Palestine. What began as emergency crowdfunding for food, water, and essential supplies for families in Jabalia, Northern Gaza, quickly evolved into something more powerful: education as a form of hope.

When schools could not reopen for a new academic year, our Palestinian team members took action. They transformed part of a damaged building into a classroom, recruited teachers, and gathered educational supplies. By September 2024, the Stay Human School was born, offering Arabic, English, Science and Mathematics to 200+ children in the community, around 30 of whom have been orphaned due to Israel's relentless attacks and blockade.

In October 2026, after two years of community-led education, the school was handed to DoBetter — a move we are proud of. The school continues as the Olive Tree School, and the full Gazan team are now employed and supported by DoBetter.

What We Did

We believed in community-led solutions built on solidarity, not charity. Over two years, we:

  1. 1

    Ran the Stay Human School — funding the building, employing eight dedicated teachers, and providing daily education to 200+ children in Jabalia, Northern Gaza.

  2. 2

    Provided emergency humanitarian support — delivering food, water, baby supplies, and direct financial aid to families in acute need.

  3. 3

    Handed the school to DoBetter in October 2026. It continues as the Olive Tree School, with the full Gazan team now employed and supported by DoBetter.

Beyond academic learning, these spaces gave children stability and community — a place to rebuild friendships, play, and heal.

Children in a classroom in Gaza
Stay Human Collective community work

Our Approach

As a mutual aid collective, we always:

  • Relied on Palestinian leadership in all decision-making
  • Responded dynamically to community needs on the ground
  • Provided humanitarian support alongside education
  • Operated with full transparency and accountability
"They want to make a desert and call it peace. The civilised world's silence is more deafening than the explosions covering the city like a shroud of death and terror. Stay Human."
Vittorio Arrigoni, writing from Gaza, 27 December 2008