The Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund began as a charitable enterprise in 2002 under the leadership of Riad Hamad in Austin, Texas. Riad sold thousands of Palestinian products on the PCWF website store and received many donations for PCWF projects. He also used all the proceeds to benefit Palestinian causes – often ones that other groups were unable or unwilling to undertake. In early 2008, he received US tax-exempt nonprofit status for the donation-supported side of PCWF, while continuing to use all the proceeds of the PCWF store to support the charitable work, as well.
Sadly, we lost Riad only months later in a tragic and violent incident that remains unexplained. The store ceased operations almost immediately and the website disappeared soon after. However, the nonprofit arm of the operation continued without a website until now. Later in 2008, it sent $10,000 worth of hearing aids to Gaza aboard the first two ships to enter Gaza by sea since 1967, in defiance of the Israeli blockade. More recently, PCWF provided funding for a children’s summer camp in the West Bank as well as toys for children in Gaza, and we paid the fine to spare a young Palestinian mother in poor health from eight months in Israeli detention.
PCWF will continue to fund projects that provide relief to Palestinians and their children for as long needed and for as long as donors are willing to support the Palestinian struggle to live their lives in peace and freedom. Our U.S. tax ID number is 20-5516191.