Salaam

I need to raise £8,000 within one week so that my son can return to school and complete his final year of A Levels.

I never imagined I would find myself writing something like this, but I have exhausted every other avenue I can think of and time has simply run out.

I am a widow and have raised my son alone since before he was born. I will call him ZK here because he is only 17 and I want to protect his privacy.

ZK earned a scholarship to his school. For years, I have sacrificed whatever I needed to in order to find the remaining fees because I believed in the opportunity he had earned and, most importantly, because he has worked incredibly hard to make something of it.

Last year I was out of work and, for the first time, I could not keep everything going.

The school has now told me that £10,000 must be paid before he can return for his final year.

I have managed to find £2,000 myself. I have used every last bit of money I can put together towards that payment.

I now have one week to raise the remaining £8,000.

Without it, ZK will not be allowed to return.

Why I am asking for help

I have applied to and contacted numerous educational trusts and charities.

Unfortunately, the notice from the school has come so late that we have missed the funding windows for a number of trusts. Others simply cannot consider an application within the time we have left.

There has been another difficulty. Some educational trusts I approached are faith based and, quite understandably, were established specifically to support Christian children and families. As ZK is Muslim, he was not eligible.

I completely respect their criteria. It has simply meant that the pool of organisations we can approach is considerably smaller.

So I am now doing something I find incredibly difficult and asking people directly for help.

Who is ZK?

ZK is 17 and studying Maths, Economics and Politics. He hopes, Insha’Allah, to study at a leading university.

Alhamdulillah, he has achieved a great deal already.

He has represented at county level in sport, captained at a high level, taken on significant leadership responsibilities, mentored younger students and been involved in debating, Model UN, academic programmes and competitive work experience.

There is much more I could say about his achievements, but I am deliberately keeping some details general because I do not want people to be able to identify a 17 year old from a fundraising page.

But as his mum, some of the things I am proudest of will never appear on a university application.

Every Saturday, ZK comes with me into central London where we volunteer with a charity providing food, clothing and other essentials to people who are homeless.

We have done this together for years.

I have always wanted him to understand that whatever Allah SWT has given us, however little or much we have at a particular point in our lives, we should be grateful for it.

And when we are in a position to give sadaqah, whether through money, food, clothing or simply our time, we should.

He has grown up seeing that.

Perhaps that is why asking for help now feels particularly humbling.

We are normally the ones packing the food and clothes and going out to give what we can. At this moment in our lives, I have to accept that we are the ones who need others to help us.

£8,000 in one week

I am not expecting one person to give £8,000.

If 800 people gave £10, we would reach it.

If 80 people gave £100, we would reach it.

If 16 people gave £500, we would reach it.

If 8 people were able to give £1,000, ZK would be back at school.

And perhaps somebody reading this knows a Muslim business, philanthropist, family, charitable foundation or educational benefactor who could contribute a larger amount towards the fees.

I can provide evidence of the amount requested by the school, his scholarship and the circumstances behind this appeal to any serious donor who requires verification.

Why this matters so much

This isn't about asking people to fund a lifestyle.

It is about getting a young man through one final year of an education he earned a scholarship to attend and has worked extraordinarily hard to make the most of.

I have raised him alone. I have watched him grow from a little boy into a young man with enormous potential and ambitions for his future.

For years, whenever money was tight, I found a way.

This time I can't find the remaining £8,000 alone.

I have found the first £2,000.

I am asking you to help me find the rest.

If you can give £5, £10, £50, £500 or anything at all, I will be incredibly grateful.

If you cannot donate, please share this page. It may reach somebody who can help, a trust I haven't found, a business owner, a philanthropist or simply enough people willing to give a small amount.

For my Muslim brothers and sisters, I ask you particularly to share this through your networks. Perhaps Allah SWT will place this appeal in front of someone who is able to open this door for ZK.

May Allah SWT reward every person who donates, shares, makes an introduction or simply makes dua for him. May He place barakah in your sadaqah and allow my son to use the opportunities he has been given to continue serving others.

£8,000. One week. One final year.

Please help me get ZK back through those school gates, Insha’Allah.