At 18 years old, Malak is holding tightly to a childhood dream that feels both remarkably simple and profoundly distant: she wants to become a doctor. Today, that aspiration exists in sharp contrast to her daily reality. Malak lives with her mother and two brothers, Uday and Atef, inside a fragile tent in Gaza. Their lives have been upended, their permanent home reduced to rubble by the ongoing crisis, leaving them to navigate a landscape defined by extreme uncertainty, hardship, and the daily challenge of survival. Yet, despite the immense weight of her circumstances, Malak remains fiercely determined to continue her education and carve out a better, more hopeful future for herself and her family.
The path that brought Malak to the threshold of university education was forged through extraordinary resilience. Amidst widespread displacement and the severe disruption of academic life across the region, she managed to complete her high school education with an impressive score of 96%. Following this academic achievement, she made the decisive choice to study medicine—taking a monumental step forward on the career path she has envisioned for herself for years. But stepping across that threshold has brought her face-to-face with barriers that threaten to halt her journey entirely.
Continuing her studies under current conditions is an uphill battle of unprecedented proportions. Many universities and educational facilities throughout Gaza have suffered extensive damage or have been completely destroyed during the conflict. Consequently, a significant portion of learning has been forced online. For Malak, accessing this virtual classroom is fraught with obstacles. Reliable internet access is remarkably difficult to secure, and she desperately needs a laptop just to attend lectures, keep up with coursework, and complete her academic assignments.
Beyond the technological hurdles lie stark financial realities. Tuition fees present another major obstacle that her family cannot hope to surmount without external assistance. Every step of her academic progress requires resources that are currently well beyond their reach.
Studying While Living with Pain
Malak’s daily struggle is compounded by a severe physical injury that serves as a constant, painful reminder of the dangers surrounding her. She was shot during the conflict, and the bullet remains lodged in her abdomen. Navigating this serious injury requires ongoing medical attention, and she continues to attend regular check-ups while she waits for major surgery—a procedure that is presently unavailable to her within Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
Living with chronic pain would be enough to halt the ambitions of most individuals, but Malak presses forward. She balances her demanding academic pursuits with active contributions to her household, stepping up to support her mother with everyday domestic tasks including cooking, cleaning, and washing. Her mother works tirelessly in a small neighborhood bakery to help sustain the family, but the meager income she generates falls far short of covering their most basic daily needs.
Life After Losing Their Home
Before the crisis shattered their lives, Malak and her family lived in a sturdy concrete house that offered safety and shelter from the elements. Today, that home exists only in memory. In its place, the family shelters in a worn, weathered tent that provides woefully inadequate protection against the biting cold of winter, the oppressive heat of summer, and the heavy downpours of the rainy season.
The family’s daily requirements are extensive and pressing. They are in urgent need of basic items to make their temporary shelter habitable, including a stronger tent, waterproof coverings, mattresses, blankets, cooking equipment, gas canisters, a reliable water tank, food provisions, hygiene supplies, and a dependable source of light. Malak herself requires adequate clothing and shoes, alongside the crucial financial assistance needed to cover her university tuition and purchase the laptop essential for her medical studies.
How Islamic Relief Supports Orphaned Children
In the midst of these compounding crises, Malak’s family receives vital assistance from Islamic Relief, an organization stepping in at a time when soaring costs and widespread displacement have turned meeting everyday needs into an extraordinary challenge.
Islamic Relief has maintained a continuous presence supporting orphaned children in Gaza since 1999 through its established Orphan Sponsorship Programme. The initiative is specifically designed to support children who have lost one or both parents, providing their households with a regular monthly stipend. This financial support offers families a degree of flexibility, allowing them to allocate funds toward the needs they deem most critical—whether that involves securing food, covering healthcare costs, paying for education, or managing other essential household expenses.
Furthermore, Islamic Relief endeavors to include sponsored families in broader seasonal support initiatives whenever possible. This encompasses distributions for Ramadan and Qurbani food packages, Eid gifts for children, and specialized winter assistance programs designed to help families weather the harshest months of the year.
The scope of this program has expanded significantly in response to the current humanitarian crisis. Today, Islamic Relief is actively supporting nearly 25,200 orphaned children across Gaza. Despite this massive mobilization of resources, the need remains overwhelming, with more than 5,100 additional orphaned children currently languishing on the organization’s waiting list, hoping for the vital lifeline of sponsorship.
A Chance to Keep Moving Forward
For Malak, the pursuit of a university education transcends the conventional goal of earning a professional degree. She carries a deeper, more personal motivation: she hopes that becoming a doctor will ultimately enable her to care for other people who are enduring the exact same pain, trauma, and hardship that she has lived through herself.
Despite losing her physical home, navigating the debilitating physical effects of an untreated injury, living amidst ongoing danger, and confronting seemingly insurmountable educational barriers, Malak has resolutely refused to abandon her dream. With continued backing and external support, young people like Malak are striving to keep learning, holding onto hope, and working steadfastly toward a safer, more secure future.
Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme helps provide regular support to orphaned children and their families in Gaza. Be a lifeline for Gaza’s orphans by donating today.