My name is Afaf, a 21-year-old Syrian girl holding onto a fading dream. Six years ago, my sister and I were forced to drop out of school. After a long and exhausting struggle, we managed to return, finish our high school education, and graduate. But today, it feels like all our exhaustion and hard work are going to waste because our financial reality has slammed the door on our university dreams.
I managed to complete my first year of university, but I can no longer afford to continue. My sister couldn’t even register for her first year. We are the sole hope of our family. Our parents are separated, and our father has been legally exempted by the court and has not provided a single penny of support since 2023.
We have no one to rely on except our mother. She works tirelessly as a school bus supervisor, earning a meager salary of just 2,000 AED. This tiny amount is swallowed entirely by rent, electricity, internet, food, basic medication, and school fees for our younger siblings—leaving us in an extreme, desperate financial crisis. Because of our young age, finding stable employment to support our family has felt impossible.
We are fighting to graduate, find honest work, and become a shield and support for our mother and younger siblings. We are fully prepared to provide any official court documents or verification papers needed.
Please, do not let our dreams and our little family collapse any further. Today, we turn to your hearts, your mercy, and your generosity. Every single contribution, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to saving our education and our future. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.