Britain has offered her a place, now it must offer her a way out to save her life.

Farida Alghoul is more than just a victim of War. She is an esteemed English Literature graduate. She is a Journalist, a Writer, an English teacher, and a survivor who continues to teach displaced children from inside tents in war-torn Gaza. She is a symbol of strength, resilience, and hope. 

 

 

 

 

Farida's BBC interview in November 2023. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-middle-east-67374647

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oQX4HyjJe8

https://wearenotnumbers.org/in-search-of-safety-a-familys-journey-through-gaza/

Farida has been offered places at two prestigious UK universities to pursue her master’s degree. Britain has offered her a place, now it must offer her a way out to save her life. This is not just an educational milestone, it is her lifeline for a future. It is her chance to escape unimaginable hardship, to heal and to grow. 

 

 

 

 

After countless failed technological connection attempts, I finally was able to speak with Farida.  She describes losing more than 200 relatives, her home, and her work since the escalated war in Gaza. She lives without basic necessities, divides water bottles daily to ration her intake by the drop, spends over ten hours without food, and has lost more than 10 kilograms. She shares the experience of standing in queues for six hours for water and food, and mentions losing her dignity, scrounging to stay alive. 

 

 

 

 

She continues teaching as a volunteer with more than 115,000 students despite the dire circumstances. She teaches children in tents and has requested educational materials for over 200 students, a request that has gone unanswered for five months. 

 

 

 

 

She currently supports more than 33 family members. She mentions receiving limited donations, which are used for very basic survival needs.

 

 

 

 

Despite all of this, Farida submitted her application from a war zone, under constant threat, with no stable access to food, electricity, or medical care. And she got accepted. She holds two offers from UK universities to study. 

The current barriers she faces:

Borders are closed (Rafah & Kerem Shalom often shut or tightly controlled). Visa offices in Gaza are closed.
Farida has no diplomatic protections or direct access to an exit list. Even with a visa appointment outside Gaza, Farida cannot leave to attend it without coordinated evacuation support.

 

 

 

 

A view of the destruction in Rafah. About 90 percent of Gaza’s population was forcibly displaced, making it among the highest recorded percentages in modern conflicts. [Hassan Jedi/Anadolu]

We call upon,

Yvette Cooper MP, the UK Home Secretary, to immediately issue a humanitarian visa for Farida. We urge Foreign Secretary David Lammy UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to work with Egypt, Israel, and the UN to negotiate her safe evacuation from Gaza. Within the Home Office, Marc Owen of UK Visas & Immigration holds the authority to approve flexible visa conditions in cases of extreme hardship.

We ask The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP, to raise Farida’s case and lead by moral example by allowing her a safe entry into the UK via a call for a dedicated student evacuation scheme for Gaza or a visa concession policy.

Martin Rhodes MP and Rachael Maskell MP, to escalate with the UK Universities she holds offers with and placed to escalate her case in Parliament and to international bodies such as UN OCHA and UNHCR.

We ask Stephen Kinnockwell MP to escalate to the House of Commons, who spoke as shadow Immigration Minister in the Palestinian Family Visa Scheme debate, I called on the Government to fix the family visa route for Palestinians by allowing them visas to travel to nearby centres outside of Gaza to have their biometrics taken, similar to the arrangements made for Ukrainians.

We also call on leading parliamentarians who have long championed justice for the Palestinian people. Jeremy Corbyn MP, former Leader of the Labour Party, and Zarah Sultana MP, one of the most outspoken advocates for Gaza in the UK Parliament, are urged to support Farida’s safe evacuation.

We also appeal to academic protection networks, including Cara (Council for At-Risk Academics) and Scholars at Risk UK, to advocate for Farida’s safe passage, sponsor her academic future, and support institutional coordination for her release. 

Facilitate her safe passage to the UK before it's too late

Education is a human right. But so is life. And Farida is fighting for both.

 

 

 

 

By granting her this opportunity, you are not just helping her study, you are saving a life and empowering a future leader. Farida is the kind of change-maker the world desperately needs.

Let us not allow borders, bureaucracy, or silence to block her future.

Sign this petition to demand immediate action by the UK Government. Let’s make sure Farida’s acceptance into university doesn’t become a missed opportunity. Or a memorial.

You can also now donate to Farida's Education Fund here: https://gofund.me/6018e656 

Despite fighting her own battle, Farida is also helping advocate for Maryam, a 9 year old child in Gaza who needs urgent medical help abroad. Please see Maryam's story here: https://www.change.org/p/urgent-add-9-year-old-maryam-dawas-on-uk-evacuation-list-from-gaza-now

Thank you for your support.