Lost my Student Finance rights

Hi, I am Sinon, i am currently in my masters in Costume Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and I am raising funds to help me sustain myself financially for one month after DUO (Dutch Student Finance) revoked my rights to get substantial income helping me pay my rent, tuition and survive after just two months, asking me to send back 2500 euros i received during these.

for the context, I have been struggling for the last year where I lost all financial stability support before moving to the netherlands where I found myself homeless, sleeping in couch of my partner or in a studio with mice. They have helped me dearly and with love, but my homelessness put a lot of pressure in our relationship. I worked for one year in the netherlands where I could barely manage to survive when all my salary went to rent and expenses allowing me to stay in Amsterdam.

after many calls and exchanges and confirmations and battles with DUO, they gave me the student finance, yet after two months they change their view and, after misleading me, they took all financial stability, asking me to pay everything back for january the 5th.

in order to keep the Student Finance, I have to commute from Antwerp to Amsterdam every weekend. Tgis was possible with the Student train product granted with the student finance. With out it right now, I am in the vulnerable position to pay to get to my job as a supermarket cashier. Unable to get a proper job within my field due to language barriers or degree differences (dutch are more likely to select dutch academy graduates than from other european country)

Currently I am under critical financial stress, without even knowing how I am going to finish this month.

Since my parents live abroad in not very privileged places, I cannot rely with my family helping me during these times.

I am in despair, without health insurance nor money to pay my therapist with whom I have been working on Complex trauma and Anxiety Disorders.

Without this financial help / scholarship, I am at risk of dropping out just starting my second semester, with full tuition payed.

I would like to ask for your help, in december of all the months. this fundraiser is meant to help me pay the money DUO is forcingly asking back without real reason after misleading behavior, and help me pay my rent and survive for the month of January, while I find another job within Antwerp, while still attending classes and my responsabilitiea as a student.

DUO failed me, and has broken me into places I have never thought I would relapse into. As a European migrant worker, who has dutifully followed all the guidelines present in their website and communicated through messages and phonecalls, the response right now goes against european law against european discrimination. The way they are asking the money back is also not correct, knowing that many students use DUO as their main way if income. But DUO has been known to be misguiding and discriminating with other european students.

I will be following an appeal, but in true honesty, my situation right now demands other considerations, needing to secure a roof above my head and food in my plate so I can continue on a way to pursue my dream to become a Costume Designer, and the need to overstep the financial struggle and fight. I do not want to be homeless again, or having to skip meals because of student or migrant situation, being competent with in my field, having two bachelors, speaking fluently three languages on my way for a forth one.

If you help me with my condition, not only i will be grateful for the rest of my days, but I want to respond your kindess through a gift. A flower, or an emotion translated into costume or into drawing, as these are my main topics for my master project “The Impossible Flowers of My Garden” where I am exploring the concept of alexithymia, the inability yo express, identify or recognize emotions, finding solutions through somatic-embodied costumes allowing the restoration of neglected emotions amidst our context.

I thank you in advance for your kindness

Sinon

FUNDING BREAK DOWN:

DUO payback : 2500

Rent : 695

Food: 200

transport to continue working till January: 200

Buffer for emergencies : 300

materials for studies : 105