<div>I begin my story carrying memories no person should have to carry — memories of fear, loss, and survival. Yet they are also the memories that shaped me into the woman I am today.
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<div>I was born and raised in Gaza, where childhood was never truly peaceful. While children elsewhere dreamed freely, we learned early how to live through fear, darkness, and uncertainty. But even in the middle of war and destruction, I held tightly to one dream: I wanted to become a dentist.
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<div>I dreamed of restoring smiles in a place where pain had stolen so many of them. Dentistry, to me, was never just a profession. It was hope. It was dignity. It was a way to heal people whose lives had been scarred by hardship.
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<div>My journey to graduation was filled with obstacles. Electricity was almost cut off, so I studied at night beside a candle or a weak battery lamp, refusing to let darkness end my education. I wrote a silent promise to myself: I will survive this. I will graduate.
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<div>In 2022, after years of struggle, I finally became a dentist. But even then, life tested me again. My university withheld my degree because the remaining tuition fees. For four years, I worked any job I could find, saving every coin while sacrificing even basic needs just to reclaim the certificate I had fought so hard for. The day I finally held my degree in my hands, I cried. It felt like reclaiming my life.
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<div>I believed the hardest part of my journey was finally over.
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<div>Then the war destroyed everything.
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<div>My home was reduced to rubble. My university was destroyed. The hospitals where I trained and learned to heal others were bombed. I was displaced again and again, forced to leave behind the fragments of my life each time.
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<div>But the greatest pain was losing the people I loved. Their absence left wounds in my heart that will never fully heal.
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<div>Despite being a qualified dentist, I could not find work. There are no clinics left to hire young dentists. No stability. No safety. No future.
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<div>Today, I am 26 years old. I carry knowledge, ambition, compassion, and a deep desire to help others — but I no longer have the basic conditions needed to survive, continue my education, or rebuild my life.
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<div>My dream has grown into something even deeper. I no longer dream only of education — I dream of survival, dignity, and a future beyond the ruins of war. I want the opportunity to leave Gaza, a place overwhelmed by destruction and death, and continue my Master’s studies in Europe, where I can finally live and learn in safety.
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<div>I want to study in an environment where the sound I hear at night is not fear, but peace. I want to walk into classrooms instead of shelters, to hold books instead of carrying anxiety about whether tomorrow will come. Education, for me, is not simply an academic goal; it is my path toward rebuilding my life after years of loss and uncertainty.
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<div>My ambition is not only to succeed for myself, but to return one day as a woman capable of helping others who have suffered as I have. I want to use my education, my resilience, and my voice to serve vulnerable communities, support those affected by conflict, and prove that even from the darkest places, hope can still rise.
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<div>Gaza taught me how fragile life can be, but it also taught me endurance, compassion, and strength. I carry scars that cannot be seen, but I also carry determination that cannot be broken.
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<div>I am asking for a chance to live, to grow, and to transform years of suffering into a future filled with purpose.
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<div>A chance to rebuild the future war tried to erase.
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<div>A chance to become the healer I fought so hard to become.
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<div>Your support can help me continue my education, rebuild my life, and support my family after everything we have lost.
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<div>Even after all the destruction, I still believe healing is possible.
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<div>And I still believe one day I will help others smile again.
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Anonymous

Chloé CASTAGNÉ

Guillem Oliver

Raphael Enjolras

Alyssa Lopes

Sobralia Jean

Merydith Favre

Natasha Uebelhart

Luce Longuet

From Gaza's darkness to Europe: help Aya survive and study

From Gaza's darkness to Europe: help Aya survive and study

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