For many of us, what happened on October 7th, 2023 was a pivotal moment — a point of awakening, of learning, and ultimately unlearning so much of what we’d been drip-fed by our governments and media about the geopolitical landscape of West Asia and North Africa. We woke up, fully and painfully, to the ongoing atrocities inflicted on the people of Palestine, who have endured 77 years of Nakba — displacement, oppression, and unimaginable loss.

Since that day, we’ve collectively witnessed horrors we could never have imagined. Live streams of grief and devastation — families mourning, children injured, lives lost. Every 52 minutes, a child’s life taken. Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees in the world. More than 540 aid workers and 270 journalists and support staff have been killed while simply trying to help and tell the truth.

In the midst of this heartbreak, Planting The Seeds was born. Founded by Nic, Leila and Rumi, Leila 9 year old daughter, it began — quite simply — in a WhatsApp group chat. Through those heavy, emotional days, when the world felt unbearable, we, along with our dear friends Faye and Louise, held each other close. We shared words, tears, outrage, and the small seeds of hope that helped us keep going.

From that space of love and solidarity, something began to grow. Nic started making watermelon pendants to raise funds — tiny handmade symbols of resistance and connection. That small act of creativity soon took root and blossomed: the original PTS design, inspired by those pendants, became a placard at marches, and later a T-shirt, proudly worn by friends and strangers alike. Alongside it came Leila’s daughter Rumi’s “Free Palestine” watermelon design inspired by — a powerful reminder that our youngest voices often carry the most truth and heart.

We created a space on social media to connect people with honest reporting and calls to action — to urge our governments to acknowledge this genocide, stop arming the perpetrators, and demand a ceasefire that would allow the people of Palestine to rebuild their lives and lands, free from decades of oppression and brutality.

In October 2025, our dear friend Kristy joined us on this journey, bringing with her a wealth of experience from humanitarian work across the globe — in Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Ukraine, and beyond. Her heart and knowledge have helped us grow stronger and dream bigger.

What began as a handful of friends trying to make sense of the world has grown into a community of artists, makers, and change-makers. Planting The Seeds is now in the process of becoming a registered CIO about turning pain into purpose, friendship into fuel, and creativity into action — because when we nurture each other, beautiful things will always grow.