Women and children caught up the Middle Eastern conflict were remembered at a special  International Women’s Day event.

Held at the Bolton Socialist Club, a fundraiser was held to raise money to support children’s centres in Gaza.

Mona Al Farah, was one of the speakers at the event advocating for children who are suffering as a result of the conflict.

More than  30,000 Palestinians have now died in the war, and Bolton people have called for a ceasefire through vigils and marches.

Julia Simpkins, from the Bolton National Education Union, who helped organised the event said: “When we were thinking of the subject of our International Women’s Day, we just thought that Gaza is so much on everybody’s mind at the moment.

“So, it seemed crazy to try and do it on anything else.

The Bolton News: IWD event at Bolton Socialist Club

“So, Mona Al-Farah is somebody who we know from the club and we raise money for the Gaza Education Fund, which puts women in Gaza through further education.”

Mona spoke at the event about how the children’s centre which she runs has been obliterated, she has lost a hundred members of her family, and her house has been bombed.

Julia said: “I know another Mona that runs a children’s centre in Jenin.

“We are very supportive of this centre, and she sent me some words to read out but herself, she is very upset.”

Julia has worked with children in Palestine before and usually brings refugees from Nablus to Bolton every year for a trip, but their visas were denied last year so she took them to Jordan instead.

The Bolton News: The children were able to visit Petra

She said: “I think most people to the socialist club are aware of what’s going on in Gaza, but it is always very moving to hear people talking about their own lives and it makes it much more personal.

“We were raising money for the children’s centres.

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“It is very clear that women are being badly treated in Gaza and Mona told us about pregnant women having children with no medication at all and not even able to get into the hospitals.

“So, on IWD we felt it was important to recognise the plight of women in Gaza.”

Julia and the rest of the team ended their event with a call to the British government to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.