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Ms. Rachel’s online videos are usually filled with bright images and upbeat songs to help kids learn their numbers and colors.<\/p>\n
But on May 16, the pre-school teacher turned YouTube star<\/a> best known for her \u201cSongs for Littles\u201d series, shared a somber video on Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> saying that she’d been the target of online “bullying” after launching a fundraiser to help kids in war-torn areas, including the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bullying is bad. It’s so bad, but I can handle this,” Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, says in the video, wiping away tears.<\/p>\n \u201cSaying I don’t care about all kids, it’s like, it just hurts so bad. That is who I am. I love my neighbor. I love every child. Imagining for one second what a mom is going through unable to feed her child or give her child clean water or keep her child safe,” she says in the video.<\/p>\n Accurso reiterated in her caption that she cares “deeply for all children.”<\/p>\n “Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US \u2014 Muslim, Jewish, Christian children \u2014 all children, in every country. Not one is excluded,” she wrote.<\/p>\n “To do a fundraiser for children who are currently starving \u2014 who have no food or water \u2014 who are being killed \u2014 is human,” the mom of two<\/a> added.<\/p>\n Representatives for Accurso did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s requests for comment.<\/p>\n Accurso\u2019s fans on TikTok responded sympathetically to her tearful video.<\/p>\n “Aww Ms. Rachel from the bottom of my babies’ heart and mine, we love you & we know how much you care about the health\/happiness\/wellness of every child,” wrote one.<\/p>\n On her Instagram video, Accurso disabled the comments on that post and several others.<\/p>\n Accurso announced her fundraising initiative in a video<\/a> on May 12. The YouTube star explained her plan to create videos for children on the celebrity video message site Cameo and then give “every penny\u201d to the humanitarian nonprofit Save the Children’s emergency fund to help kids living in conflict areas around the world, including Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine. Save the Children currently is not active in Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully I can make little ones smile by giving them a personal video and then the money will go to help more children living in unimaginable circumstances,\u201d she said. \u201cChildren should never experience the horrors of war. These are grave violations of their human rights. Children should be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n Days later, Accurso announced in an update<\/a> that she had already raised $50,000 after receiving 500 requests for Cameo videos and was forced to pause her initiative in order to fulfill the orders.<\/p>\n This article was originally published on TODAY.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n