This crowdfunding campaign has been put together by Pablo with support from his community in Brighton. Pablo’s support group have made a plan to support him to complete his full time PhD, of which he is about to enter his third year, and to remain here in Brighton as part of his housing cooperative and wider community. But we need your help to make that plan a reality.

Hello, my name is Pablo. I am originally from Ecuador, and I am currently pursuing a PhD in Migration Studies in the UK. My research focuses on how migrants build communities and networks that support their integration in global cities, places full of diversity and multicultural life, but also marked by alienation, individualism, and hostility.

This is not just an academic project for me; it is deeply personal. I have lived as a migrant for more than eight years. I have experienced both sides of migration: the rejection, racism, and exclusion that many of us face, but also the solidarity, resilience, and creativity that allow migrants to adapt and thrive. I want to understand these dynamics not only as a scholar but as someone who has walked this path, and to contribute to making integration processes more human, more effective, and more just. At a time when anti-migrant rhetoric is gaining strength, this work matters. My research seeks to show the daily struggles and dignified efforts of migrants, and to challenge narratives built on fear and misinformation.

Unfortunately, I am now facing severe financial difficulties. A combination of family circumstances, including a serious fraud situation that significantly reduced my family’s remaining resources, the economic crisis in my home country, and a dramatic fall in the exchange rate have made it nearly impossible for me to cover my tuition fees. When I began my PhD, the cost in Pound Sterling was equivalent to around $22,000 in my local currency (USD). Today, purely due to exchange rate fluctuations, that same amount is nearly $28,000, an increase that has placed an overwhelming burden on my ability to continue.

I do not come from a wealthy background. My family contributed what they could at the beginning, and I have invested all of my savings into this project. I have also been working as much as my visa conditions allow, but this cannot, on its own, make up for the remaining shortfall. In my field, and at this stage of the programme, there are no scholarships or funding opportunities that cover tuition fees for international students, and there are no such resources available for students at all in my home country. The few opportunities available are small grants for fieldwork or conference travel; useful, and I apply to all of them, but they do not address the core costs of continuing my PhD.

Staying in the UK matters to me not only academically but personally. Over the past years, I have built a network of friends, neighbours, and communities that have become my home, especially through the housing cooperative where I live. This space has given me stability, shared responsibility, and a sense of belonging that is vital for any migrant trying to build a life far from home. It was precisely members of this community, people who know me, care for me, and have supported me day by day, who encouraged me to launch this campaign when things became too difficult to face alone. Continuing my PhD is also the only legal pathway that allows me to remain in the UK; pausing my studies would mean losing my visa status and being forced to leave behind the support system and the life I have worked so hard to build here.

I am now about to enter the third year of a full-time PhD. This year is the most financially demanding stage of my PhD. With no formal funding options available and my visa limiting the number of hours I can work, I am facing the most difficult moment of the programme. The support I am seeking is not a long-term solution, but a way to stabilise my situation now so I can continue working, planning, and advancing academically without crisis overshadowing everything. With this stability, I will be able to focus fully on my research, progress with publications, and take on additional academic responsibilities that will gradually reduce my dependence on external help.

I am very lucky to have developed a community since arriving to Brighton. A support group has formed to make a long term plan with me to solve this issue. We have developed a plan of how to meet each of the pending instalments needed for me to complete my PhD and remain in the country, but we need your help to implement it.

To stabilise my situation and secure my studies for the coming year, I am seeking to raise £6,584. For transparency, I have included a breakdown of this figure below. My goal is simply to make it through this critical year so I can complete the rest with the resources I already have and the work I can realistically undertake.

I know times are difficult, and asking for help is not easy. But every single contribution, no matter the size, will make a real difference. If you are able to support, you will not only help me continue my doctoral journey and be able to stay in the place I have made my home, but also contribute to research that gives voice to migrants’ experiences at a crucial moment in history.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for sharing, and for any support you can give.

Breakdown of costs for the next year

• Tuition fees for one term: £6,399

• 2.9% fees from the funding platform: £185

TOTAL: £6,584