Rahand, a young man from Kurdistan, arrived in the UK to seek safety in 2021. He has faced many challenges, such as financial insecurity and settling into a new country and culture to rebuild his life. With a little support from Hope for the Young’s Grants and Advocacy Programme, Rahand has been able to start an undergraduate degree, and start taking the steps to become a doctor.
“I believe that behind every success there is a little help, push, motivation or guidance, and I consider Hope for the Young to be my key to success.”
Rahand, a young person in receipt of an educational grant, fled Kurdistan to seek safety in the UK and build a new life for himself. When he arrived in 2021, he faced many challenges, such as attending rigorous Home Office interviews, settling into a new country, language and culture, and finding a route back into education.
In Kurdistan, he had previously enrolled onto a nursing degree, where he was ranked in the top 5 students across his whole year group. However, his education was cut short when he had to leave everything behind and flee to the UK. When he arrived in the UK he desperately wanted to continue his education, and progress to a degree in medicine so that he could become a fully qualified doctor.
Unfortunately, due to an inability to access student finance, no right to work to earn an income to support himself as a student, and continuous discouragements from some universities, it seemed an almost impossible goal to achieve.
“Education is a pathway to the opening of doors of opportunity, so that one can serve the world and humanity, one way or another.”
As an asylum-seeker, Rahand did not have access to student finance, and was therefore unable to access higher education without alternative sources of funding. Despite these obstacles, he applied for dozens of courses and scholarships, hoping for an opportunity to continue his studies and create new possibilities for himself.
Due to Rahand’s reliance and determination to succeed, he was finally accepted by the University College London (UCL), to study a BSc in Applied Medical Sciences. Despite the hope that this would enable him to gain a graduate entry to a Medical Programme, he was only awarded a partial scholarship and had to prove that he had funding for the upcoming academic year and could also financially contribute, otherwise the offer would be withdrawn.
This led Rahand to apply to Hope for the Young for support with travel and living costs, as he was unable to work alongside his studies. The grant Hope for the Young provided, gave him the chance to take up the scholarship at UCL, resume his education, and finally continue on the path towards achieving his long-term goal. As Rahand stated, “it enabled me to focus only on my studies, which was extremely important for my intense foundation year”. Despite all the setbacks, through Rahand’s commitment and perserverance, he managed to overcome every hurdle that stood in his way.
“I am grateful and wish that one day I could be able to give back the same way I have been given hope.”
Alongside the financial support provided through the grant, Rahand also received advocacy support throughout his course, providing him with guidance for the next stages of his career and life. The advocacy support provided by Hope for the Young and offered to all grant recipients, ensures that young people are supported to navigate the challenges they face whilst studying, and given guidance, emotional support, and sign-posting to additional services that they may need.
Rahand is now taking his first steps to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor. We are so proud of him and can’t wait to see what his future holds!
The world needs many more Hope for the Young's so this world can be a better place by giving access to bright people to serve humanity and achieve their goals.
At Hope or the Young, we rely on donations to provide the grants and tailored advocacy support that young people like Rahand need to access university and continue their education.
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