At just 18 years old, Malak is holding fast to a childhood ambition that feels heavier and more distant than ever: she wants to become a doctor. Today, that dream is pursued from inside a cramped, worn tent in Gaza, where she lives alongside her mother and her two brothers, Uday and Atef. Their lives have been upended, defined by the stark reality of displacement after their family home was reduced to rubble. Daily life is fraught with difficulty and profound uncertainty, yet Malak remains relentlessly determined to continue her education and forge a path toward a better, more stable future.
The journey to higher education under current conditions is a testament to extraordinary resilience. Despite the widespread displacement, systemic disruption, and trauma caused by the ongoing crisis, Malak managed to complete her high school education with an impressive score of 96%. With these remarkable grades, she made the decisive choice to enroll in medical school, taking what should have been a triumphant and straightforward step toward the career she has dreamed about for years.
However, continuing her medical studies is exceptionally difficult. The infrastructure of higher education in Gaza has suffered catastrophic blows; many universities and educational facilities have been severely damaged or entirely destroyed. In response to these physical barriers, a significant portion of learning has been forced online. But navigating digital classrooms in a devastated region presents its own formidable obstacles. Reliable internet access is scarce and unpredictable, and Malak urgently needs a dedicated laptop just to attend lectures, access course materials, and complete her academic assignments.
Beyond the technological hurdles lie stark financial barriers. Tuition fees represent another major challenge that Malak and her family simply cannot overcome on their own. Without external financial support and additional resources, the cost of keeping her enrolled in medical school remains far beyond their reach.
Studying While Living with Physical Pain
Malak’s academic struggles are compounded by a severe personal physical toll. She is dealing with a serious, life-altering injury: she was shot, and the bullet remains dangerously lodged in her abdomen. Navigating the physical agony of this unextracted projectile requires constant management, and she continues to attend regular medical check-ups while she waits anxiously for surgery. Unfortunately, that necessary operation is currently unavailable to her within Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system, which is overwhelmed, under-resourced, and struggling to function under immense pressure.
Despite living with chronic pain and the psychological weight of her trauma, Malak pushes forward. She refuses to let her circumstances completely eclipse her responsibilities, balancing her grueling studies with active contributions to her household.
At home, she steps up to support her mother with everyday domestic tasks, including cooking, cleaning, and washing. Her mother works tirelessly in a small, local bakery to help support the family, but the meager wages she earns are grossly inadequate to cover even the most basic daily needs in an economy battered by crisis.
Life After Losing Their Home
Before the current crisis shattered their existence, Malak and her family lived securely in a permanent concrete house. That home is now gone, destroyed completely during the conflict, leaving them to navigate daily life inside a weathered tent. This temporary shelter offers very little protection against the elements, leaving them vulnerable to the biting cold of winter, the oppressive heat of summer, and heavy, relentless rains.
The family’s daily survival depends on basic items that are currently scarce or unaffordable. They urgently require a stronger, more durable tent, waterproof coverings to keep out the rain, essential bedding like mattresses and blankets, reliable cooking equipment, cooking gas, a water tank, adequate food supplies, basic hygiene items, and a dependable source of light.
For Malak specifically, the material needs are equally pressing. Alongside financial assistance to cover her university tuition and the hardware required for her studies, she needs basic personal items such as clothes and shoes. Every aspect of daily survival requires active coordination and outside help.
How Islamic Relief Supports Orphaned Children in Gaza
During a period when soaring costs, widespread destruction, and mass displacement have made meeting everyday needs increasingly difficult for thousands of families, Malak’s household has found a vital source of stability through the support of Islamic Relief.
Islamic Relief has maintained a continuous presence supporting orphaned children in Gaza since 1999 through its established Orphan Sponsorship Programme. The programme is specifically designed to assist children who have lost one or both parents, providing families with a regular monthly financial payment.
This financial assistance is structured to offer families dignity and flexibility, allowing them to allocate the funds toward the needs they consider most urgent at any given moment—whether that means securing food, paying for crucial healthcare, funding education, or managing other essential household expenses. Where possible, Islamic Relief also endeavors to include sponsored families in broader seasonal support initiatives, such as food distributions during Ramadan and Qurbani, Eid gifts for children, and specialized winter assistance packages to help families weather the coldest months.
The scale of this humanitarian response has expanded significantly in response to the current crisis. Today, Islamic Relief is actively supporting nearly 25,200 orphaned children across Gaza. Despite this massive mobilization, the depth of the need remains staggering; there are currently over 5,100 additional orphaned children on the organization’s waiting list, hoping for the vital lifeline that sponsorship provides.
A Chance to Keep Moving Forward
For Malak, the pursuit of her university education transcends the mere acquisition of a degree or the fulfillment of a personal ambition. She carries a profound sense of purpose, hoping that by ultimately becoming a doctor, she will gain the professional capacity to care for other people who have experienced the exact same pain, trauma, and hardship she has lived through herself.
Despite losing her home, living with a dangerous and painful physical injury, navigating daily danger, and facing formidable institutional and financial barriers, Malak has resolutely refused to give up on that dream. With continued backing, advocacy, and support, young people like Malak can preserve their education, maintain their hope, and actively work toward building a more secure and promising future.