University for an African asylum seeker
Hello,
I met Hassan Shakur while I was tutoring African refugees in English in Tel Aviv, Israel during a semester studying abroad. Hassan is from Darfur.
In Sudan, Hassan's top scores in school put him on a medical/engineering track, but the war and genocide on his people cut his education short.
He fled to Israel in 2009 after his mother and uncles were killed in the conflict in Darfur.
In Israel, he began to study English, and in a very short time he rose from the most basic level , not having studied English before, to one of the top levels, and in 2012 he was studying for the TOEFL English language exam for University entry.
In addition, he has been active in the refugee community, in building relationships between refugees and Israelis, and in promoting education for people of his community, specifically for those of whom have never had an education before.
In 2013 Hassan was uprooted from Tel Aviv and sent to "Holot" detention center in the Southern desert, along with 2,500 others, as part of a new Israeli government policy in regards to the African asylum seeker community.
There, with absolutely nothing to do all day, he began to teach English to the other detainees.
Hassan's ultimate dream and desire is to study and obtain a degree in geological engineering, gaining an education in order to return to the Sudan and help his people. It is not possible for him to study in Israel currently, so he is hoping to attend college in a country outside of Israel.
Hassan hates to ask for help, but circumstances out of his control have given him no other options.
We, friends of Hassan and education activists for the refugee community in Israel, are working together to meet all the challenges necessary to assist Hassan in obtaining the opportunity to study in a higher education institution, whether in Israel or in a country outside of Israel.
Thank you so much for your kindness in helping him achieve this goal.
Ryan Van Tress
WATCH: Hassan was featured in a three part news documentary aired by CCTV on African asylum seekers in Israel.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
He was also featured in the Jerusalem Post.
Hassan in his room in the Holot detention center
