57 - GCSE tuition for Syrian refugee - October 2021

We are pleased to be able to share news of donation number 57 of £500, which goes to 15 year old ‘S’ a Syrian refugee, to help with tuition for her GCSE Physics and Chemistry. 
To be honest, this one caused some debate amongst the 500 Together admin group, as we wondered if this was the most important help we could give for this family. We heard about their background - that this family came from Syria about 4 years ago, English is not their first language, Dad is in work but has some health conditions, and several members of the family including Mum have been unwell and in hospital this year, so it has been an incredibly challenging year. We also thought about how prevalent tutoring is amongst middle class families with little thought or worry about the cost of tutoring, even when sometimes their children already go to top performing schools. 
However it is these written words sent to us from 15 year old S, in which she expresses her ambition so clearly, that made us think that our donation might really make the difference for this young person and provide a beneficial foundation stone for hers and her family’s future:
“I am a fifteen year old secondary school student and I came to England and started to learn English in 2018. My first language is Arabic and it has been very hard to learn another language. I’ve always wanted to learn physics and chemistry because my dream job is to become a doctor. I need to get good grades at GCSE in order to go on to A level. If I do this my life will be quite different to what it is now. I strive to be a doctor (a paediatrician) my dream job since I was a child, I want to help and support both children and adults and I will do everything in my strength to do it.”
We admire the ambition and determination of S, and wish her the very best of luck with her studies. Thank you to our member for nominating her.

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