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How does it work? How do I donate?

A volunteer team from the Connecting Humanity group distributes eSIMs to Palestinian people on a daily basis in order to keep them connected to the internet. Anyone anywhere in the world with internet access can buy a virtual card with mobile data from one of the many online companies that exist for this purpose. By simply sending the activation QR code to the team by email, this help reaches a family in Palestine.

List of apps that provide eSIMS that work in the Middle East:

AIRALO                                         NOMAD                                       SIMPLY                                       MOGO                                     HOLAFLY

We provide a run down of how to use one of these apps below, but a small  English Panflet with Instructions For All Apps  is available online for you to consult. There are answers to frequently asked questions further down this page.
Example: NOMAD

• Download NOMAD using getnomad.app;

• In the app, tap the “Menu” icon in the top right corner

• Select “Shop Plans” then “Data”

• Search or scroll to bottom and select “Middle East”

• Select data amount, enter card details,

• Acknowledge terms, & pay

• Once completed, wait for confirmation email with a QR code

• DO NOT install the eSIM

• Take a screenshot of the QR code

• Email a clear picture of the QR code to gazaesims@gmail.com with the subject line: NOMAD eSIM [data amount] [region] [duration]
  e.g.: NOMAD eSIM 5GB Middle East 30 days

FQAs about eSIMs donations:
by @mirna_elhelbawi

Why should I donate an eSIM to Gaza?

Since October 2023, The IOF (Israeli Offensive Forces) has cut off the telecommunication in Gaza Strip, sometimes Palestinians in Gaza can make calls but, 95% of the time, Gaza Strip is completely isolatied and in total blackout. The only way for them to connect with each other, with ambulances and with the outside world is through eSIMs. So basically you donating an  eSIM = a Palestinian family gets a way or another to connect and get help. Every photo or video you've seen coming out of Gaza is through an eSIM.

I donated an eSIM and it is not activated yet, why?
Palestinians in Gaza Strip are going through unbearable conditions to be able to connect with us and receive an eSIM. Some of them wal for miles so they can get an internet connection proper enough to activate their eSIMs. Some of them receive the eSIM but they lose their phones due to constant bombardment of the IOF. Some of them receive their eSIM and unfortunately get killed before activating it. This is why we make sure to wait not less than 3 weeks to give the recipient their full time with no rush to activate their eSIMs.

It's been more than 3 weeks and my eSIM is still shows (Inactive) or (Pending Instalation), why?

Bare in mind that some of the eSIM providers were not ready or expecting this amount of pressure on their systems, so in many cases your eSIM might have gotten activated already but a visual glitch shows it (inactive) or (Pending Installation), make sure to check BOTH website and application and contact customer service to confirm either your eSIM is activated or not before sending your eSIM again to our email. Also, we send extra backup medical staff to make sure they never run out ofe data. (Every hospital in Gaza was connected through our eSIMS prior to their destruction. The Palestinian Red Crescent is connected through our eSIMS. 99% of the journalists in Gaza Strip use our eSIMs). So your eSIM might be a backup for one of them.

How do I know my eSIM is activated?

Constantly check your application or website provider to see if activated. We do not send an email confirming activation and the provider doesn't send an email confirming activation either.

What do I do when my eSIM becomes activated?

Best option is to keep topping up your active eSIM. If you cannot afford topping up the eSIM, it is okay, when a Palestinian runs out of data they connect with us again for a new eSIM. If you can top it up, then mention this while email the eSIM by email. Also, activaing the top up happens AUTOMATICALLY. So if you topped it up they will continue using the same eSIM.

My eSIM got activated but the data got used up so fast! Why?

Don't panic, this is totally normal. An eSIM hotspot dozens of other people who do not have a compatible phone with eSIMs so they give each other data through hotspot.

My eSIM got activated, but it went back to (Pending Installation) or stopped being used after a while, why?

Specially in SIMPLY and HOLAFLY, the eSIMs when they are FULLY used they go back to (Pending Installation) status. Please get back to your customer service to confirm.

If the eSIM got activated but not fully used and stopped being used; probably the user is either really careful using the data, or they lost their phone or the worst case scenario, unfortunately killed. And No, we cannot send the same activated eSIM to a different person because eSIMs can only be installed ONCE.

Why can't I just send the eSIM to a Palestinian in Gaza all by myself? Why through you?

Our mission in #ConnectingGaza is not only SENDING eSIMs. We wish it was that easy. We spend hours activating each and every eSIM with Palestinians in Gaza by going through each and every step on their phone and cellular settings so the eSIM can get activated and work properly. Some phones take DAYS, yes DAYS, to activate an eSIM. We have a troubleshooting technical team and we have been doing this for the past  months on a daily basis. Also, we should mentioning security wise, our team has been secured since day 1 of this initiative because activating eSIMs is a sensitive and crucial mission.

I've sent my eSIM twice so far, and it hasnt't been activated yet, what should I do?

Bare in mind that Palestinians in Gaza Strip are in connecting with us from a genocide brutal zone. They might lose their internet connection at anytime while activating the eSIM which makes the eSIM unable to be installed at all (ruined) so we send them a new one. We cannot blame them, and we cannot blame ourselves either, we can only blame the horrible circumstances they are witnessing. Be sure that we are very protective over and every and each eSIM but sometimes things get out of their hands and ours too. If you sen your eSIM twice and it hasn't been activated (after checking the app and the website and the customer service), get back to your customer service and they will refund with points so that you can purchase a new eSIM and send it to us.

Why is it so hard for you sometimes to respond to us in messages or by email?

We are a small group of volunteers, we have been connecting Gaza DAILY for the past 19 months. We have sent more than 300,000 eSIMs so far and still going. Imagine this work + our daily jobs and responsibilities. Sometimes it gets REALLY tough on us. So Please be patient we are really doing our best both on Donors end and Recipients end.

Why do you keep asking for eSIMs regularly?

#ConnectingGaza team sends not less than 2000 to 3000 eSIMS EVERYDAY, can you imagine? So we always need new eSIMs to send them with this HUGE daily demand. We freak out when we see low numbers of eSIMS on our email because Palestinian in Gaza Strip are depending on us for connection and telecommunication.

The IOF keeps playing regularly with networks, everyday we face a new challenge but fortunately we could overcome every networking problem until now. It is not easy to keep hijacking networks, but we are doing our best and we cannot (not now at least) list the amount of troubles we face everyday. Please be patient, please be kind, please keep donating. We do it for Palestine, we do this for Gaza.