Abdullah spent a year and a half residing in Istanbul without finding any opportunity to study to the point where he began to feel frustrated and lose hope. Whenever he applied to study in Turkish schools, the response came with rejection, but relief came when he met the director of a Syrian school in Istanbul He told him about Zahra University, which is a newly established educational institution located in the city of Gaziantep and focusing on the education of Syrian refugees. Then Abdullah pushed towards that city, which is located in the southeast of Turkey.
Abdullah, twenty years old, comes from a large Syrian Kurdish family and is one of twelve brothers, and he is one of the few who immigrated to Turkey when the war escalated and conditions worsened in Syria.
After he was accepted at Al Zahraa University, a feeling of hope in the future began, as he expressed it by saying, "Zahra University has helped me maintain hope and share a positive outlook."
Abdullah mentions that what he admires about Al-Zahra University is that the language of instruction adopted in it is Arabic, which helps him to receive study materials easily, and it is originally the language in which he grew up in his homeland, and he found that this had a great impact on education, in addition to that. Abdullah touched a lot of teachers ’friendliness and understanding of students’ conditions and problems. He also believes that the level of education in that university is high and developed.
On the other hand, Abdullah began to pick up and learn the Turkish language from his new colleagues at the university, who in turn began to learn Arabic from him. Abdullah likens his presence in Turkey to the Turkish proverb that says, “You are not a stranger, but you are one of us.”
Although Abdullah was studying computer engineering at the university, he ultimately wants to teach, saying, “He wants to return to Syria after his graduation to educate the younger Syrian generation, especially those who are vulnerable to influence by extremist groups.
"They need to know the true Islam and that we should not leave our country free of the youth who are the builders of the future," he added.
As for Al-Zahraa University, Abdullah has nothing but praise and recognition for its merit in educating Syrian youth, and he says that God rewards those in charge of the university from the Zakat Foundation all the best for their efforts to help Syrian refugees.
Diana, who is eighteen years old, is one of the beneficiaries of the study at Zahra University, and she originally comes from the Syrian city of Homs, but, as Abdullah did, the insecurity and stability in her homeland prompted her to flee to Turkey, and in the meantime it was Her father is still imprisoned in Syria and he was unable to escape with them.
After Diana crossed the border with her mother and brothers, they settled in the city of Gaziantep, where Diana began working in a spinning and weaving factory so that she could support her mother and siblings, and it occurred to her at that time that all her hopes for continuing her education had gone unheeded.
One day, Diana heard about Zahra University through a Syrian friend who works with her in the same factory. Shortly thereafter, she was accepted into Zahra University to study English.
For Diana, this was a dream come true, and she said, "Getting the opportunity to study at Zahraa University means everything to me because in Syria I will not be able to continue my studies and I will not be able to have such an opportunity to study because of the ongoing war there.
Syrian refugee students like Abdullah and Diana feel a great responsibility attached to them to help rebuild their homeland, and ultimately wish to return to Syria and help their country and people.
"Syria needs an educated generation of teachers, doctors and engineers who will contribute to rebuilding Syria again," says Diana. Although there is a lot of work that must be completed in order for conditions to return to what they were before the war, we find that many students, such as Abdullah and Diana, are hopeful that conditions will improve. Whatever it is, hope is the thing that brought them to where they are now. This hope will never end.
The Zakat Foundation of America is fully and firmly committed to the education of young Syrian refugees, as it currently sponsors the education of more than five thousand students in schools operating in Turkey and in Syria.
You can support education and fulfill the dreams of young Syrian refugees through this website: zakat.org
