Emma Diack is a member of Manurewa Baptist Church and is a freelance photographer. She also teaches part-time in Mōkai Āwhina full immersion Māori unit at Wiri Central School.
In a world where suffering is so prevalent, it is overwhelming. It is hard to know what to do and where to start. But I think the best response is to start somewhere.
A few years ago I went to our friend’s art exhibition. As we wandered around looking at the art, we noticed that some of the artworks were complex and required great skill and others looked like literally anyone could have done them - like a random dot and a squiggle on a page. As we were quietly thinking “well we could have done that one” to ourselves, we noticed her statement under one of these simple paintings. She said something along the lines of “You may be thinking anyone could have done this painting, well you may be right. But the thing is, one of us did it and one of us didn’t.” Sometimes we neglect to act because we think we have to do something perfectly, or we think that someone else could do it better. The truth is, that we can all do something and we should do it.
At Parachute Music Festival back in the 90’s I loved listening to American sociologist Tony Campolo share his heart for Jesus and therefore also the poor and the oppressed. I loved that he saw opportunities to love people and he took them. He inspired me to realise that we can make a difference in this world and that all people matter. It makes total sense to me as a human parent that when my own children are hurting and someone does something to relieve their pain, that my own heart mirrors theirs, I feel hurt when they hurt - I feel so happy when they are ok. How much more deeply does God have empathy for all of his children? When we show love to the vulnerable and oppressed, Jesus is right there with them. He experiences their heartbreaks and also their relief and joy too.
With that in mind, I think it’s important as Christ followers to take practical steps to love people in our own community and also on the other side of the world.
In May 2025 I saw some comments of a man from Gaza on facebook. His name is Fadi Abu Rida. I ‘facebook stalked’ him a little and concluded that he was legit. He really was a man from Gaza. I initiated contact- I sent him a message asking if he could let me know his children’s names so we as a family could pray for them. He was grateful and since then we have talked nearly every day. I have had video calls with Fadi and his children and I have seen the refugee camp in the background, he really is who he says he is. He is an incredible man, a devoted Father and husband and someone who wants to make a difference in his community.
I told him I was wanting to write an article about him and that it would be great if he wanted to tell everyone some of his story.
In Fadi’s own words…
“I am Fadi Salman Juma Abu Rida, I am 32 years old, born in 1993.
I obtained a Bachelor's degree, specializing in Applied Accounting, from the Islamic University.
I married Hala in 2016 and we have three children: Salman, 9 years old; Alma, 4 years old; and Hussein, 2 years old. We are expecting another baby boy, and Hala is six months pregnant.
My father is an engineer, and we lived a safe and normal life. My mother is educated and has a high school diploma. I have one older brother who is married and has six children.
I have three sisters, all three are married and still alive. We had a three-story house. We lived safely and struggled, but unfortunately, the genocide came and destroyed everything and scattered us all. We now live in different areas and only see each other on rare occasions.
Everything changed for the worse.
Currently, Hala, my children, and I live in a tent in the Al-Mawasi area and suffer from a lack of all the basic necessities of life, including clean water and a clean environment.
My family and I have been displaced 13 times; it was the hardest, especially with the dismantling of the tents and bathrooms, and everything else being bad.
We were deprived of food for a long time, we lived on scraps here, I have no money left to buy anything, I have been crushed and drained here, my sister.
My apartment was 200 square meters and my business was destroyed. I lost almost $80,000 in the blink of an eye, and today I can't even afford food for my children.”
Despite the struggles, Fadi and Hala’s faith and trust in God is unwavering. They inspire me!
Currently the situation for Palestinian refugees in Gaza is dire. Sadly aid from major aid organisations is being blocked. The best way to help Gazans right now is directly.
I went through the process of getting Fadi’s ID properly verified by BNZ bank, so now I am able to deposit directly into his account.
In Gaza, they use cell phones to communicate and also for banking. They can pay to plug their phone into solar generators in order to keep them charged.
Winter is coming. Soon it will be very cold, they will have a new baby and the kids need winter clothes. Just lately there have been heavy rains which has made life even more complicated and difficult. It’s unfathomable, but did you realise that in the refugee camps in Gaza that the people have to pay a lot of rent for their tent sites? Seriously, google it. The ongoing expenses are crazy!
Fadi has a condition whereby one of his hands is smaller than the other and is often in pain, which restricts what Fadi is able to do. Little 4 year old Alma has a hole in her heart and is supposed to be under regular monitoring by a doctor, but of course that is not possible where they are right now. Fadi and Hala would really like to evacuate Gaza so that they can get the medical help they need, but unfortunately this would be very expensive.
Photography fundraiser
I have told Fadi that I go to a Baptist Church and that I would be asking for help. I would be so grateful if there were any of you who would consider helping me fundraise for Fadi and his family as I am struggling to get traction on my own. I am trying to think of as many ways as possible to help. One of my initiatives is that I have set up an online gallery of images (high resolution photographs and also scanned artworks). For a donation of $25, people can download an image. If you are an artist or photographer and would like to donate a high res image, please let me know! Fadi’s daughter Alma (4) has drawn a flag which is one of the images available for download:
I have also made a Chuffed page for donations. chuffed.org/project/supportingfadiandfamilyingaza
I have committed to supporting and loving Fadi and Hala and their children for the long term. When the time comes to rebuild their lives, I plan to be still connected and helping.
I pray that through our connection and through the support and aroha sent from a bunch of New Zealanders that Fadi, Hala and whānau will know that they are loved by us and by Jesus.
Please keep this family in your prayers.
In the face of overwhelming suffering and tragedy, please be encouraged to do something!
I know that there are millions of Gazans suffering and we can’t all help them all. But we can all help someone. Imagine if we all did that!
Photos supplied by Emma Diack. Top photo Fadi Abu Rida with his two eldest children in the refugee camp. Middle photo: Fadi’s hands. Last photo: screenshot of Emma Diack’s fundraising photo website.
