A Bank Statement Requirement Is Keeping Me From My Dream University

Hello Aontacht readers, my name is Muhannad.

I am a 20-year-old student from Gaza. I am writing this from inside a displacement tent, living alone after becoming the only surviving member of my family. It is difficult to put into words what I have experienced and what it means to wake up every day knowing that almost everything you once knew is gone.

Before the war, I was a student with dreams for my future. I graduated from high school in 2023, and I wanted to continue my education abroad. I spent months preparing for the IELTS exam and working toward building an academic future outside Gaza. I believed that with enough effort, I could find a university, study, graduate, and build a meaningful life.

Then the war began.

Before I could take the IELTS exam or begin my plans to travel, my life changed completely. I lost my family. I lost my home. Almost everything we owned was destroyed. I became the only surviving member of my family, and today I live alone in a displacement tent.

The destruction did not stop with our homes and belongings. Education in Gaza was also devastated. Universities and educational institutions were destroyed or severely damaged, and continuing my studies became almost impossible. A future that I had spent years preparing for suddenly seemed to disappear.

But I did not want to give up on my education.

After everything that happened, I started searching for universities, scholarships, and opportunities abroad. I particularly focused on European countries where there might be possibilities for students from Gaza to continue their education and, in some cases, to leave through evacuation or other humanitarian arrangements, as had happened with other students.

This process was not easy. I spent months searching for opportunities, completing applications, preparing documents, attending interviews, and waiting for decisions. There were many moments when I did not know whether any of my efforts would lead anywhere.

Eventually, after many attempts and a long period of waiting, I received university admissions in Europe.

One of the opportunities I received was in Ireland, where I was accepted into the Bachelor's degree in Law and Human Rights (Dlí & Cearta an Duine) at the University of Galway.

For me, choosing this programme and continuing my education is much more than simply obtaining a university degree. It is a chance to continue the life and education that the war interrupted. It is also a chance to live somewhere safe, rebuild my future, and become independent after losing almost everything here.

After everything I have lost, studying abroad represents hope. It represents the possibility of waking up one day without the constant fear of displacement and destruction, sitting in a classroom again, meeting other students, learning, and planning for the future.

But despite reaching this point, I am still trapped at another major obstacle: the visa.

Being accepted by a university does not mean that I can simply leave Gaza and begin my studies. I still need to complete the visa process and meet the financial requirements necessary for my journey and studies. For someone in my situation, this is an enormous challenge.

I have already spent months doing everything I can to reach this opportunity. I have searched, applied, waited, interviewed, and worked through every step that was within my control. Now I am at a point where the remaining barriers are largely financial and connected to my ability to leave Gaza safely.

Today, I am the one reaching out for a lifeline.

Despite the constant fear, deep grief, and harsh reality of living in a tent, my desire to pursue my education remains unbroken. I refuse to let the destruction of my past become the end of my future.

I have pushed through trauma and loss to secure university admissions in Europe because I am still looking for a path toward safety, education, and a future.

For me, the support I am seeking is not simply about paying for university. It is about creating the possibility of leaving this ongoing crisis, reaching safety, and finally continuing the education that was taken away from me.

Any financial support I receive through my donations page will help with the costs involved in relocation, travel, visa-related expenses, and the continuation of my studies. I want to be completely transparent about this because every contribution represents someone's trust in my story and in my future.

My goal is simple: I want to reach my university as soon as possible, begin my studies, and rebuild a life that was taken apart by war.

I know that my story is only one story among thousands of young people in Gaza whose education and dreams have been interrupted. But I also believe that every student who manages to continue their education is a reminder that war does not have to have the final word.

I am asking for your support, but also for your help in sharing my story as widely as possible. If you cannot contribute financially, sharing my story with your friends, universities, organisations, journalists, or anyone who may be able to help could make a real difference.

I have lost my family, my home, and the life I once knew. But I am still holding on to my education and to the possibility of a different future.

I am asking for one more chance: the chance to reach my university, continue my education, and rebuild my life somewhere safe.

Every donation, every share, and every person who chooses to amplify my story brings me one step closer to that possibility.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my story and for helping me keep hope alive.