For Sana el-Azab, a 29-year-old teacher from Gaza, this beginning marks an incredible opportunity and new chapter of her life. Now she’s won a FULLY FUNDED scholarship to Durham University to study educational leadership and change! On September 17, she started on her way to the UK. First, she had to get out of Gaza and enter Jordan to finish the biometric exams before eventually landing in Durham. Sana is one of 58 other Gazan students who have won these scholarships to more than 30 universities throughout the United Kingdom.
In her hometown of Deir al-Balah, Sana set up an alternative school in a public building that still had no roof. She instructed as many as 50 students at a time in everything from English and math to the basics of personal hygiene and survival skills. Through all the hopelessness, her love for students and commitment to you can’t break education continued to shine through.
Sana still recalled how she had left with just her cell phone and the clothes she wore. Otherwise, that was all she was allowed to carry. She was proud to have made it as far as the UK, but knew her reality was complicated.
It is my great pride to sit here, she shouted. It’s confusing and intimidating. It’s probably because I just can’t wrap my mind around all of it just yet. She’s gotten away, and she says she’s relieved and thankful for that. She struggles with profound grief over her family left behind in Gaza.
Sana’s commitment to education is palpable. She started out just trying to teach English, only for her students to start asking for separate math lessons too. When her six-year-old niece innocently wondered what Auntie Michi did at school, though, it led the pair on a serious adventure. The contrast between their worlds was almost jarring.
Sana continued, “Half of my brain is in class. The other half is still in Gaza. Her written testimony conveys the depth and permanence of her relationship with her native country. Illustrating the importance of her research, she said, “These are the professionals who will be rebuilding Gaza.
Sana’s journey has not been without challenges. Nora Parr, of the Philadelphia-based William Penn Foundation, which provides the scholarships. She addressed the systemic barriers students face when integrating from war-torn areas. It’s been a very, very tough and very, very arduous process, when there could’ve been much easier solutions,” she said.
Even with these challenges, Sana sees this opportunity as an essential move toward creating a greater and more sustained positive change in Gaza. “I really hope that this is an opportunity that can be expanded upon because the needs are enormous,” she said. Protecting the educators, students, and schools The humanitarian landscape in Gaza has been devastated. “There’s no opportunity to pursue your higher education in Gaza,” she mourned, continuing that “all the universities are bombed. There’s no education system at all anymore.”
As Sana navigates her new environment in Durham, she remains focused on her mission: to gain knowledge and skills that will enable her to effect change back home. “Durham is new to me, so I’m still exploring,” she said, reflecting her enthusiasm to make the most of her education and new environment.
