Fund Offers Hope for Victims of Health Crises

by Kerstin Fuchs and Alison Glick, for the Shuttle

May 7, 2026

In the last two years, Philadelphia-based Healing Hands Fund (H₂F) has grown from a group of healthcare professionals working to mitigate a manmade healthcare crisis in Palestinian communities to an all-volunteer organization that strives to lessen health crises throughout the world. On May 12, Weavers Way shoppers will have the opportunity to contribute to H₂F with a Giving Twosday donation.

In a world where grim statistics abound and overwhelm, one still manages to shock: Gaza has become home to the largest group of child amputees in modern history, according to a United Nations report published last August by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The committee found that at its worst, 10 children lost one or both legs every day “as a result of premeditated force” used by Israel, “including arbitrary shelling of civilian areas.” In Gaza, traumatic amputation is the main type of injury caused by explosive weapons.

In July 2025, we learned that H₂F was raising money for neonatal medical supplies in support of a medical mission to Gaza. We have been inspired by their dedication, energy and creativity in addressing the dire medical needs in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Since their start in 2024, they have grown from medical supply procurement to supporting the manufacturing of much-needed prosthetics using 3-D printing technology. 

H₂F’s unusual acronym is inspired by the essential nature of water (H₂O) and symbolizes their dedication to providing life-sustaining support to individuals in need. Just as water is fundamental to life, H₂F delivers essential care, resources and compassion to those facing overwhelming challenges. Love, justice, liberation and healing are the values that define the organization — ones that we believe many in the Weavers Way community will recognize and embrace. 

According to Dr. Afnan Albahri, H₂F’s executive director, the organization plans to expand its work with other grassroots organizations in Sudan, Congo, Syria and Lebanon. H₂F also aspires to support local Philly mutual aid efforts to sustain our communities here.

Even before the October 2023 genocide began, Gaza was facing a precarious humanitarian situation. A 2012 UN report asserted that the territory would be uninhabitable by 2020 due to the lack of basic necessities and infrastructure to support human life as a consequence of an Israeli-imposed blockade and multiple attacks. In spite of the conditions, 2.2 million people continued to live there.

International bodies and academic experts have declared Israel’s actions of the past two and a half years a genocide. The evidence cited by these investigating authorities include the destruction of most of Gaza’s medical facilities, the killing of large numbers of medical and aid personnel, and the restriction of aid by Israel. The situation in the occupied West Bank is just as grim, with Israeli settler and military attacks happening every day and hundreds of Palestinians maimed or killed.

H₂F’s Medical Supply Procurement initiative began in March 2024 and ensures that healthcare delegations are fully equipped to provide effective and specialized care. By tailoring their sourcing to meet the specific needs of hospitals, clinics and healthcare workers across various specialties, they address critical gaps in resources.

Last April, H₂F’s work expanded to meet the growing needs of West Bank and Gaza amputees. They partnered with Prosthetics for Palestine to establish a project that manufactures 3D-printed leg prosthetics and provides patient rehabilitation programs, psychosocial support and training and capacity building. 

“The goal is for these patients to get an FDA-approved 3D printed prosthetic, having gone through rigorous clinical trials,” said Dr. Albahri. “Our impact is material and restores hope in areas of violence and conflict.”

The urgent need of this work is poignantly portrayed in the recent documentary ”Severed: The Story of a Boy From Gaza” (available on YouTube). The film tells the story of Mohamad Saleh, whose leg was amputated in 2019 after he was shot by Israeli soldiers when he was 12 years old. When Mohamed says “I am physically alive but my soul is dead,” he speaks to the lives of all Palestinian amputees.

This month, the Co-op community can support the life and soul-sustaining work being done in Philadelphia by Healing Hands Fund. To learn more about their work, check out their Instagram page @healinghandsfund and visit their website healinghandsfund.org.

Alison Glick is a longtime Weavers Way member and writer. Her 2021 novel, “The Other End of the Sea”, is based on her time living in Israel/Palestine. 

Kerstin Fuchs has been a working member of the Co-op since 2013. She works as a school van driver and lives with her family in Mt. Airy.