Crips for eSims for Gaza

Crips for eSims for Gaza is a collaboration between Alice Wong, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Jane Shi.

Illustration of a bird flying.

Disabled people around the world are raising funds to get as many eSims as we can into Gaza. 

More than 14K eSims have been sent since December 25, 2023 and more than 10K have been used or are currently being used to date.

How it works

Send us funds, and over 160 volunteers will help purchase and send the most requested eSims used in Gaza to the Connecting Humanity team and occasionally those on the ground.

How are funds used?

Check out our Financial Accountability document, which will be updated regularly.

How can I help?

Donate, Volunteer, Spread the Word
  1. Donate
  2. Volunteer
  3. Spread the Word
Donate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an eSim?

An eSim is an electronic embedded SIM card that a person with an eSim compatible a phone can use to access the Internet, make calls, and send texts. The ones sent to Palestinians in Gaza are usually data-only. To load an eSIM, users use their phone’s camera to hover over a QR code, which connects to the Internet once they find a wifi signal, acting just like cellular data. In some cases, eSims also have also calls or texts. Each eSIM lasts for a certain amount of time and has a certain amount of data. People normally use eSIM when travelling to other parts of the world.

What is an eSim top-up/add on?

A top-up/add-on is purchased after an eSim has been activated so that users can use more data for a longer period of time. The initial eSim we buy is smaller, and once it’s been activated, we buy more data as needed.

How much funds do you spend per month?

More than $120K CAD.

Are you still sending new eSims?

Yes, although we are keeping a significant number of eSims topped up, so that is the majority of how we are spending our funds currently.

What form of donation saves the most on transaction fees?
What form of donation helps you access the funds most immediately?
I am in Gaza and I need an eSim. Can you help?

Please reach out to Connecting Humanity!

The eSims I have been sending to Connecting Humanity have not been activated. Can I send them to you?
  1. See if your eSims is still usable by first checking if your eSim can be scanned (using an eSim compatible phone). This can be done using your camera function and scanning the QR code and clicking the yellow link. After it says your eSim can be activated, exit out of the function/cancel: your eSim can still be scanned! If it cannot, it’s likely that it was installed but not activated by someone else for whom that eSim does not work.
  2. Contact customer service for the eSim company, and then, once it’s confirmed there’s still data,
  3. Reply to your initial email to gazaesims@gmail.com after three weeks of non-activation.
  4. If your Nomad eSim has been expired after not being used, you can refund it using points or your original payment 60 days after expiry.
  5. Note: Airalo MENA no longer works in the Gaza Strip. Please let customer service know and they will refund you as a one-time exception.
  6. Please do not send eSims to us so we can focus on sending directly to Connecting Humanity and a few other contacts we have that are using Sparks or other eSims.
Who’s behind this project?

Alice Wong
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Jane Shi

160+ volunteers

"رشا عبد الهادي" in a bold red font overlain with two circles with the fishnet keffiyeh design within them. The background is black with a grey circle at the bottom. The rest of the text is red and beige. Two beige and red lines frame the beginning and end of the quote, with two large red quotation marks between them: "أينما كان مكانك، ومهما كانت كمية الرمال التي يمكنك إلقاؤها على تروس الإبادة، ألقها الآن. لو كانت ملء يديك، ارمها، ولو كانت حفنة تملئ أظافرك، اكشطها وارمها خارجا. اعترض طريقهم بأي طريقة ممكنة. إبادة الشعب الفلسطيني ليست حتمية. يمكننا رفض ذلك بكل ما نملك من نفسٍ وفعل، هذا واجب علينا."
Image Description:
“رشا عبد الهادي” in a bold red font overlain with two circles with the fishnet keffiyeh design within them. The background is black with a grey circle at the bottom. The rest of the text is red and beige. Two beige and red lines frame the beginning and end of the quote, with two large red quotation marks between them:
“أينما كان مكانك، ومهما كانت كمية الرمال التي يمكنك إلقاؤها على تروس الإبادة، ألقها الآن. لو كانت ملء يديك، ارمها، ولو كانت حفنة تملئ أظافرك، اكشطها وارمها خارجا. اعترض طريقهم بأي طريقة ممكنة. إبادة الشعب الفلسطيني ليست حتمية. يمكننا رفض ذلك بكل ما نملك من نفسٍ وفعل، هذا واجب علينا.”

Designer: Majd Dramly
Translation: Alia Kassab
Words: Rasha Abdulhadi