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Help Samer pay his tuition fees

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Hello,

My name is Samer. I am 22 years old, and I was born and raised in Lebanon. I left the country at 18 years old to pursue a degree in Bioengineering here in the UK. I am now completing my masters in Biomaterials and Tissue engineering at University College London (UCL).

I am trying to raise £19,020 to pay the remainder of my tuition fees, which was £28,530

Link for further information about the course: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering MSc UCL Graduate degrees 
Please note: (1) the website is updated, and the international fees provided on the website are for the next academic year for the Class of 2021-22'. I attached a photo down below with the overall amount for 2020/21* 
(2) International students do not have the choice of taking on a part-time master's at UCL
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The Situation in Lebanon

2020 has been a chaotic year for everyone. It has put all our lives on hold and put some people, businesses and governments under substantial economic burdens. This is particularly true of Lebanon. Regardless of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Lebanon has been in reasonably constant turmoil from its corrupt politicians ever since the 1990s. They taught their followers false value over the years and led them behind false truths for their financial benefits.

As if things couldn’t get worse, the explosion in the Beirut ports on August 4th seriously compounded the problem. This sequence of events has thrown the country in a deep economic crisis forcing the corrupted government to impose unreasonable bank sanctions on its people, causing the Lebanese pound to lose 90% of its value in only a year. People are losing their homes, and supermarkets are shutting their doors. This means that I cannot rely on my family to support me at this time as they are working hard to support themselves.
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Please follow the links here for more details about the crisis:  

THE CRISIS: Explainer:Lebanon financial meltdown and how it happened 
Shops closing because of lack of supplies and currency drop: Shoppers brawl as Lebanon currency collapse sparks store closures 

Sanctions imposed by banks on the people: Lebanese scream for their dollars 
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My Situation

Last August 2020 (before beginning my Master’s programme), I was faced with a choice. 

Either

 (1) Return to Lebanon where I will have little prospect of employment, education or quality of life, 

or (2) remain in the UK, challenge the odds and finish what I came here to do: to work hard, complete my studies and begin to give back to my family in Lebanon as well as the medical field and community that I am so keen to contribute to.

I chose the latter.

This would be a mammoth task at the best of times, but I am not afraid of grafting. After sending out over 100 applications, I managed to gain my visa, get a job in a Lebanese restaurant, and some hours of tutoring on the side. Due to my boss’s kindness (for giving me the job) and a charitable benefactor, I was able to pay my initial education fees (£9,510) and support myself - paying rent and bills by scraping every penny I had.

However, COVID had other plans. Due to the latest and harshest lockdown, the restaurant has shut, and my income has dried up, putting me under immense financial strain. My family tried to work around the banking restrictions to help support me in my 2nd installment of university fees. Still, they are dependant on banks that can arbitrarily approve or cancel their transactions.  This, along with my 3rd and final installment is why I am writing right now. Without these installments, UCL will not grant me my degree, I may have to leave the country prematurely and empty-handed, and all of my hard work will have been for nothing. 

The past year has been a rollercoaster and has brought many of us to breaking points again and again. Believe me when I say that I have exhausted every other option besides asking for your help - so I do so humbly.

I am so close to finishing what I started, and with a bit of help from you, I will be able to cross the finish line.

I will not take more of your time, and all I can say is that I will be so so grateful to anyone who helps me out in my time of need - in any way that you can and that anything you can offer will go a long way.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

Feel free to contact me on my personal email ([email redacted]) with any questions you may have.

Kind Regards,

Samer

 
Extra notes:

- In the event that I reach my target, any remaining money will be donated to the Lebanese Red Cross.

- In the event that my financial situation changes and my target reduces in size, I will edit the target down and donate as above.


- The photos below provide proof of my outstanding debt to UCL and my official first installment receipt:





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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • £10 
    • 3 yrs
  • Brian Cabaço
    • £40 
    • 3 yrs
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Organizer

Samer Al Gharib
Organizer
England

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