We had a stable life, we were studying and we had good jobs, a good social life with family and friends. But in no time, we had to leave everything behind.
Muhammad’s dream is to be able to pursue a PhD and help rebuild Syria when the conflict is over. After leaving Daraa with his family, he re-settled in Al Zarqaa, Jordan and he is doing his best to lead a normal life. Muhammad is the recipient of a HOPES scholarship thanks to which he is able to cover all his education-related expenses, including transportation and living costs. “This scholarship was the first step on the way of achieving my dream of pursuing a PhD, which would never be possible without having a Master’s degree first,” he explains.
Muhammad and his family, like many other Syrian refugees, had to leave everything behind to start a new life in an unknown place. “All we cared about was restoring our lives back in Syria, but when we realised that this was not going to happen, we decided not to waste more time and cope with the new life we had,” he says.
Muhammad is determined to use his degree in civil engineering to help rebuild Syria once the situation stabilises. When he moved to Jordan, he decided he would do his best to pursue his higher education while at the same time integrate in Jordanian society. “Life goes on no matter how good or bad we feel, so the best is to adapt to changes and to make yourself useful and valuable in any society you live in,” he says. This is exactly what Muhammad is trying to do until he has the chance to go back to his home: “I participate as much as I can in volunteering activities and try to convey the knowledge I have to other people. I help them and give them hope just like HOPES gave me hope.”
Thanks to the financial support of the EU Trust Fund, thousands of students like Muhammad can take advantage of scholarships which offer them the opportunity of getting back on track and pursuing higher education.