Study Aid for Palestinian University students

Project Report | Jan 6, 2025
Celebrating Saif's Journey

By Aunger Aung | Project Officer

On 11th December 2024, we were honoured to have celebrated and witnessed Saif’s graduation. Since the launch of the Study Aid Project in June 2023, we have been proud to support Saif through his academic journey as he worked tirelessly towards his goal.

Saif was already an extraordinary scholar when we onboarded him, demonstrating incredible determination and academic excellence. As a Computer Science major, he consistently achieved excellent results every semester, he has never scored anything lower than a B, maintaining a record of excellence throughout his studies.

Earning this degree is not just a personal triumph for Saif; it is a moment of pride and hope for his family. As the eldest sibling, Saif has become a beacon of hope for his younger siblings, proving that hard work and perseverance can break barriers and create new possibilities for the future regardless of the circumstances.

Our role was to provide additional support, resources, and encouragement to help him navigate this chapter of life as a student. While Saif’s achievements were the driving forces behind his achievements, it was our privilege to assist him and ease his burdens so he can stay focused on his studies. Witnessing his growth and accomplishments has truly been rewarding and served as a vital reminder of this crucial work we are doing; to empower driven individuals like Saif to reach their potentials.

His story continues to inspire us as we support more scholars towards their academic journey. We are immensely proud of Saif, and we look forward to seeing all the great things he will do in the future!

Project updates:

Celebrated the graduation of one of our scholars, who successfully completed their degree with Fugee's support.
Provided a monthly allowance of RM300 to all students.
Have supported 22 students so far.
42.9% of students utilised the stipends for living expense
60% of students reported a significant reduction in financial stress, benefiting both themselves and their families.
70% of the students mentioned that the support eliminated the need for students to take out loans, alleviating additional burdens.
Students noted enhanced academic performance, improved mental health, and greater social engagement.
Achieved average of 3.46 CGPA from all students.
Officially introduced mentorship for all students through our partner FutureLab.

Inspiring stories like Saif’s remind us of the impact your continuous support has on the lives of these incredible students. Additionally, we are looking into expanding our support to non-Palestinian students who are recognised as asylum seekers or refugees by UNHCR Malaysia, making the project even more inclusive.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us and for making their success stories possible. We remain committed to continuing this vital support.

If you are pleased with the impact we’ve made so far, we invite you to become a recurring donor, continue your recurring support, or donate again.

Your contributions make a real difference, and sharing this initiative with friends and family can help us reach even more students in need.

Here’s to an even brighter 2025!

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Sep 10, 2024
How English is Empowering Sajed

By Sarah El Massaoudi | Project Leader

Sajed, 3rd from left

Sajed, 18, fled Gaza after enduring seven months of hardship during the ongoing genocide. Arriving in Malaysia in May 2024, he has since been a recipient of the Study Aid program. In preparation for his degree in Computer Science starting this October, Sajed has been diligently studying English to take his IELTS exam.

In just a short time, Sajed has made remarkable progress. His growing confidence has led him to participate in public speaking sessions at his university, where he has already taken on roles as both a speaker and a moderator. His newfound language skills extend beyond the classroom as he engages with diverse audiences outside of his university as well.

One of Sajed’s notable achievements was earning a spot as a speaker at the Forum GAZA iCompEx 2024, held at Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah on August 15th, 2024. This event marked his first experience addressing a large audience in English.

In addition to his speaking role, Sajed participated in a fundraising skit, portraying a Palestinian returning to his homeland after the war—an emotional and powerful moment for him.

Sajed reflects on his journey:

“So far, I have been learning new things by communicating with others from different backgrounds using my English, that has been improving since I'm using it every day.
It helped me to deliver my message and my people's message as well to the whole Malaysian people, like I did at the last event I participated in by the name of all people from Gaza.
And I hope to help my people more and more using my humble English.”
– Sajed

Project Impact So Far:

With your generous support, the Study Aid project has achieved remarkable progress:

Onboarded 7 new students, bringing the total number of Palestinian students supported to 23.
Provided a monthly allowance of RM300 to all students, amounting to more than RM70,000.
Cleared outstanding school costs, totaling over RM20,000.
Covered visa application and renewal fees, amounting to more than RM11,000.
Offered free access to mental health services for all students.
Secured internships for 2 students: 1 with Fugee.org and 1 with a partner organization.

In July 2024, the Fugee team visited the students to evaluate the project. The students expressed deep gratitude and appreciation. When asked how Fugee could further support them, the most common requests were for laptops, particularly for computer science students, and additional workshops. We are exploring these possibilities and are also considering expanding the program to support non-Palestinian students who are recognized as asylum seekers or refugees by UNHCR Malaysia, making the project even more inclusive.

With your ongoing generous donations, we are committed to continuing this vital support.

If you are pleased with the impact we’ve made so far, we invite you to become a recurring donor, continue your recurring support, or donate again.
Your contributions make a real difference, and sharing this initiative with friends and family can help us reach even more students in need.

Thank you for your continued support!

Students' welcome message to Fugee staff

Evaluation session with Project Lead

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Apr 8, 2024
Adnan's Unwavering Determination

By Sarah El Massaoudi | Project Leader

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