For Amir, a twenty-year-old from Gaza, surviving up until now has been nothing short of an absolute miracle. 2023 was meant to be the start of his final year of secondary school, preparing for university applications, and setting up his entire future. Instead, he faced death every single day for six months in a brutal war, with scarce food, water, and continuous displacement throughout the Gaza Strip. 

Due to his dual citizenship status in Spain, Amir was one of the very few Gazans able to evacuate, but starting over was not easy. His family lost all of their financial resources in the war, forcing him to work seven days a week to support his parents and afford life’s basic necessities. 

In the face of these extreme circumstances, Amir never lost sight of his goal: pursuing his education. But for him, the road to university has not been a simple process. He finished high school late, had to take English exams four times, pay thousands in application fees to many universities, and go through frustrating administrative, study permit, and document translation processes. 

Despite these challenges, Amir eventually received acceptance to study Computing Science at the University of Alberta on May 16th, 2026. Since he was unable to begin his studies this fall due to his financial circumstances, he has deferred his admission to January 4th, 2027, as per the Faculty of Science’s confirmation that “students admitted to the Faculty of Science are permitted to defer their Fall 2026 term admission to Winter 2027 by unenrolling from all Fall 2026 coursework, prior to the Add/Delete Deadline (September 15, 2026), while ensuring they are enrolled in Winter 2027 term courses.” 

Despite experiencing severe poverty and displacement, Amir had gathered the funds and financial backing needed to attend the university at a domestic tuition rate, seeking support through The Disrupted and Displaced Palestinian Student Tuition Support program (DDPSTS) at the University of Alberta. Unfortunately, due to his dual citizenship status, he was deemed ineligible for the humanitarian tuition reduction which would have otherwise made attending the university possible, given his circumstances. 

The domestic tuition rate at the University of Alberta is approximately $10,900 per year. Currently, Amir’s tuition is being assessed at the international rate of $39,792 per year across his four year degree. In total, this leaves him $115,568 short of being able to attend. 

If the amount is successfully raised, the funding would be distributed equally across the four years of his program to cover the gap between the tuition he can afford and the tuition he is being assessed for.  

Thus, we are seeking 1000 families, organizations, businesses, and community groups to contribute $100 each towards this cause. 

The decision to seek financial support from the community was not made lightly. It was made after exploring every single option available for months on end. Thus, we urge you to contribute what you can, and share with those who may be able to help.