What hope looks like, even when it’s the hardest thing to keep

Our CARE Impact Awards celebration of hope on Monday included an extraordinary testimonial from Hiba Tibi, who throughout much of the last year led CARE Palestine’s work in the West Bank and Gaza with courage, empathy, and grace. Hiba shared firsthand what hope looks like, even when it’s the hardest thing to keep. With her permission, I am sharing her powerful words here:

If you asked me what events could unfold in?365 days, I would tell you that the possibilities are endless. Relationships can deepen, new families can form, a?baby?can learn to walk, talk, and interact with?its?new world. I could tell you that CARE programs could rebuild communities and restore homes, schools, and health centers. But never would I have imagined that in a year, I would still be standing here sharing with you war tragedies unfolding in Gaza.

In the past year,?we’ve?learned to measure time in minutes and hours, not in days. Over the last?7,860 hours, the bombing has been persistent?on all sides and has now engulfed the region.?In?Gaza, in?just one year?we’ve?witnessed?systems collapse, communities vanish, and lives lost; at times it has felt as if Earth has stopped in its orbit, and we are stuck. The very vivid streets are now empty of life, people, and goods. With every explosion?homes, schools, universities, and hospitals have been reduced to 40 million tons of rubble - enough to fill New York's Central Park to a depth of eight meters.

In this past year,?we’ve?witnessed?people displaced over and over, colleagues, family, and friends losing weight, and unable to access?basic necessities. For them, the simplicities of our daily lives have become memories and distant dreams, and the smallest things have taken on a new significance: home, water, electricity, showers, medicine, even the act of giving birth—none of these are the same anymore.

Leading a team in Gaza during wartime is a profound responsibility, where the meaning of leadership is transformed by the safety of my team and the continuity of provision of service to those in need. In such extreme circumstances, decisions must not only be quick but also right, as any mistake could cost lives.?

Wartime leadership?requires?navigating unbearable pressure and complexity, forging clarity from chaos, and turning fear into hope and commitment for a better future. I remember the devastation of October 7th?and praying for peace on both sides, and?I?remember the morning of October 13th,?2023,?vividly, when evacuation orders from the North to the South were issued. I had just 30 minutes to verify information, assess the situation, coordinate with peers, and most importantly, communicate everything to my team.

I remember recording a voice note 30 times! How could I sound confident, calm, hopeful, and clear, while at the same time, my heart raced as I grappled with the weight of the situation. I was asking my team to abandon their homes, and step into the unknown, all while knowing that the stakes were incredibly high. I was acutely aware that my words would shape their reactions, their choices,?and ultimately, their?survival. For months I questioned myself,?maybe I?could have told them to get more clothes and water. Should I have insisted on buying stocks of family medical supplies?

I am incredibly proud of the CARE Palestine team, who have upheld CARE’s legacy in Gaza since 1948. Their commitment made CARE among the first organizations to distribute water, shelter items, medicine, and food. Our mobile clinics were the first to include sexual and reproductive health services and psychosocial support.

Although they are in need, when I urged my team to rest, they simply say, “We?can’t. And?don’t?worry, we are OK. We draw our strength from the people we serve.”?

There are countless stories I could share about people who inspired us to continue our work. The one at the forefront of my mind is Aisha,?one of the entrepreneurs CARE supported before the war. She lost her house, husband, and two of her children in the war and was displaced to the south. Yet, she opened her tent to other displaced?widows and?took in children who lost their families and had nowhere to go to. She organized her small community – some would teach, others would cook, and some would search for food, necessities, or?assistance. Her tent became the center of hope and inspiration not only for us but also for those?surrounding?as they were inspired by her persistence for a better life.

One night, as the shelling intensified, we received this message from Aisha: "I’ve lost count of how many times I thought the war would end, but I don’t think we’ll survive tonight. I love apples – if I die, please buy 10?kilos?and distribute them to those in need in my name."?That?message crushed me. Our biggest source of hope faded while we?heard?predictions that the worst of the war was yet to come.?

Despite the pain and?difficulty?the past?365 days?have brought, I stand here filled with hope for the year to come. One of the program?managers?in Gaza said something that has stuck with me to this day - she said, “We survived what we would never thought we could survive.” When I was in Egypt months into the war, I met a colleague who referenced the evacuation voice note that I had struggled so much to send in October 2023. He said it was one of his main war memories that helped him survive and even told me that he?can’t?count how many people he?forwarded?it to. And?when?fresh produce finally reached Gaza, I received a picture of Aisha and her extended family, all holding pieces of apple, their faces lit up with the biggest smiles.?

Amidst the bombings, we still?witness?Gazans celebrating tiny weddings, new families forming, and yes very astonishingly babies being born. I can envision countless possibilities for the next?365 days: me with my husband in Gaza with hundreds of other empowered leaders,?witnessing?communities coming together to heal, families reuniting, and the restoration of peace for everyone in the region.

At the end, earth is still moving around the sun, and where the sun sets in one place, it shines in another.

The hostages have to go back to their families,?the people?of Gaza have to go back to normal life, and peace should be everyone’s goal.?

Thank you.