DAFI Tertiary Scholarship Programme

Aicha

When Aicha fled Syria for Türkiye in 2013, she was just one year away from completing her civil engineering degree at Damascus University. But war put her dreams on hold. “When we arrived here, I immediately thought: how could I complete my studies?” she recalls. The answer wasn’t simple – she didn’t speak a word of Turkish and was in a new country.

Determined, Aicha taught herself Turkish, worked as a secretary, and by 2015, secured a place at Istanbul University. The first semester was overwhelming. “I didn’t understand anything so I was about to quit university.” But she pushed through, translating every word, and soon, her grades soared.

Financial struggles remained. Her family of five survived on two small salaries, so Aicha took extra courses while continuing to work as a secretary, desperate to graduate as soon as possible. Unfortunately, economic hardship forced her to stop. Then came a lifeline – she learned about the DAFI programme and won a scholarship in 2016. “my economic burden was lightened and I was able to focus more on my studies.”

Graduating in 2017, she struggled to find work until gaining Turkish citizenship in 2018. Now, at Relief International, she helps people with disabilities and at the same time she is pursuing her Master of Civil Engineering. “My dream is to become an academic in civil engineering one day.”

Roshin

When Roshin arrived in Türkiye from Kobani, Syria, in 2015, she faced a world where she didn’t speak the language and felt the weight of discrimination. But she was determined to prove herself.

“I wanted to break down prejudices,” she says. Kurdish is her mother tongue, but she spent two years in an Arabic-speaking school before moving to a Turkish school. She worked tirelessly, asking questions, reading constantly, and earning top marks. By ninth grade, she had the highest score in her school – 98%. “The first five students were Syrians. We proved we could be just as good, if not better.”

Roshin dreamed of becoming a brain surgeon, but medical school was too expensive. Instead, she chose nursing, starting at Gaziantep University in 2021. When she secured a DAFI scholarship, it lifted a huge financial burden. In her words, “With more support, we can have more opportunities.”

She wishes to specialize in psychiatry or psychology. “Mental health is a field that is more and more needed. Only human beings can understand other human beings. In other words, only humanity can heal humanity,” she says.

During the 2023 earthquake, Roshin used her nursing skills to help at a local clinic, realizing how much more there was to learn. Next, she hopes to further her education in the Netherlands and, continuing to demonstrate her ambition and determination to help others, Roshin is already learning Dutch.

Serna

Serna was born and raised in South Africa to parents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A talented and deeply motivated student, Serna loved using the internet and stayed after school to use the classroom computers and to learn from the IT staff about how she could study computer science or engineering in the future.

When she received the DAFI scholarship, the opportunity it gave her to study and build a better future was a ‘blessing.’ “My motivation to study is to help those around me and to better my community. I personally want to give my parents the satisfaction of knowing that at least one of their children lived the dream that they could not achieve. Education is my future, I cannot see a bright future without educating myself and making a career for myself.”

At first, she struggled a little to integrate into the college environment and to prove herself, and at times she felt judged for having refugee documents. Still, as ever, she remains optimistic, focused on her studies and plans to start applying for internships soon.

“I believe that my future is very bright. I’m already praying and working hard to be employed by this time next year. I believe that the career I’m going into and my attitude towards life will keep me calm and I’ll change my life even more when I eventually graduate.”

Ismael

Ismael, from Yemen, is a BA graduate of Management of Information Systems from Haramaya University (2017-2021) in Ethiopia, thanks to a DAFI scholarship.

Ismael came to Ethiopia in 2015 and settled in Addis Ababa. He taught Islamic studies and maths for a year, before he was given the chance to sit the placement exam organized specifically for refugees by the government of Ethiopia’s Refugees and Returnees Services (RRS).

He then obtained the DAFI scholarship and enrolled at Haramaya University, in Eastern Ethiopia, in Management of Information Systems. As his final project, Ismael worked on a voice-controlled desktop assistant software in C# language for persons with disabilities (including visual impairment).

He graduated in 2021 and has since been freelancing in web and app design, as well as database management.

“I would like to thank every person and every institution who has been involved, in one way or the other, in providing us with this opportunity.”

“My message to my fellow refugees is the following: always keep going. Don’t give up. Try, try and try again. Every time you try, you move to the next level.”

Sayd

From as early as 12 years old, Sayd studied in ‘El Sistema’, formally known as the ‘Foundation for the National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela.’ The school’s focus was on music as the primary avenue of social and intellectual transformation. The founder, Maestro Anibal Antonio Abreu, was known to say, “Someone who picks up an instrument will never pick up a gun.”

This is where Sayd fell in love with music. “I found it and it found me in a way. I saw so many possibilities, so many opportunities. Music is a universal language.” He eventually achieved semi-professional status and was playing in an orchestra while teaching as well. However, the situation in Venezuela deteriorated rapidly and Sayd had no choice but to leave the country. “It was very unstable. I could not pursue my objectives nor my dreams. In the end, I was just surviving, not really living.”

He arrived in Mexico alone, with only his suitcase and his violin, and almost right away, researched ways to resume his studies. He learned about the Faculty of Music at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), spoke with students and met Savarthasiddh Uribe Moreno, who oversees violin studies at UNAM and became a mentor to Sayd. Moreno helped him to prepare for his audition and Sayd was admitted.

Once he started his degree programme, receiving the DAFI scholarship gave him “the support and tranquility I need to be able to concentrate on my studies and dedicate time to my instrument.” Without the support of DAFI, he would not have been able to continue his studies and pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician.

Fawaz

Fawaz, a DAFI alumnus and Syrian refugee in Erbil, runs a busy physiotherapy centre where he and his Iraqi colleagues provide treatments like electrotherapy, acupuncture, and dry needling to help both refugees and locals manage pain.

After fleeing Syria in 2013, Fawaz pursued higher education in Erbil. He earned a bachelor’s degree and overcame financial challenges with the support of a DAFI scholarship. He was determined to integrate into his new community and volunteered as a physiotherapist while studying at university.

Later, Fawaz co-founded his own centre with local graduates. This is more than a job for him; it is a chance to give back and help patients regain mobility and independence. Fawaz explains, “We cannot add days to a patient’s life, but we can add life to their days. I am proud to help people and make a difference in this community.”

Leidys

Leidys has always been a strong student with the determination to continue her education, no matter what. She was accepted to study in a highly competitive architecture programme at the Central University of Venezuela. However, as the country’s economic, social and political situation deteriorated, she spent nearly a semester out of school due to protests and an attack on the university.

When Leidys arrived in Mexico, she struggled to secure a job and told herself, “you have to study, you have to study, you have to study.” She could not believe it when she was awarded the DAFI scholarship. “It is a huge, huge, huge help. Without it, I would be working but not studying, that is certain.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, she was only able to continue her studies because of the DAFI scholarship. She eventually secured a job in a print shop and explains that in the future, she wishes to start her own business. “That way, I could provide opportunities to others.”

Her message to the world? “When you work hard and you really want something, it eventually materializes. I am very grateful for everything that has happened to me.”

Murielle

Murielle is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and graduated with her degree in Public Health from Université Lumière de Bujumbura in Burundi. In 2015, she independently enrolled at university in Stomatology and Nursing. However, with the passing of her father and resulting strain on her family’s finances, she had to drop out.

Murielle says, “My father always encouraged me to study. He used to say that our house was like the ‘Latin Quarter’ of Paris!’ Although she was disappointed, Murielle did not give up the hope that she would be able to help her community.

One year after dropping out, she succeeded in her application for the DAFI scholarship and resumed her college studies, this time in Public Health. She graduated in 2023. “When I got the news that I was accepted in the DAFI programme, I couldn’t believe it. I thought: ok, so this is actually real?”

Since completing her studies, Murielle has been working hard to find a stable job. She also has her eye on a master’s degree but emphasizes that she and her peers cannot access such opportunities without more support.

Ahmad

When Ahmad arrived in Türkiye in 2015, he left behind not just his home in Syria, but a future that once seemed certain. The youngest of 11 children, he stayed behind to take care of the family’s pistachio farm while war raged around him. As the conflict worsened, he had no choice but to flee with his family to Hatay, Türkiye at age 19.

Education had always been Ahmad’s dream. “I was not ready to give up on my education. It was always on my mind,” he says. But university felt out of reach. Twice, he applied for a Türkiye government scholarship and was rejected. Still, he refused to give up.

In 2016, he tried again – and this time, he was accepted into İnönü University and started studying computer engineering. “It was my dream! I just love computers,” he recalls. Thanks to the DAFI scholarship, financial worries faded, allowing him to focus on his studies. When COVID-19 hit, Ahmad took his classes online while gaining real-world experience coding for a private company in Gaziantep. Right after, he secured a job as a software engineer at Belsoft Teknoloji where today he designs systems for municipalities across Türkiye.

Recently married, Ahmad is excited for the future—not just for himself, but for his wife, who now dreams of a university education for herself as well. For Ahmad, learning never stops.

Claudine

Claudine is charting a bold path in law, driven by resilience and a deep sense of justice. Born in Kiziba refugee camp to a family that fled the Democratic Republic of Congo, education was always her priority.

Although she graduated top of her secondary school, Claudine felt lost as her peers went on to university. She mentored younger students but saw no future for herself – until she discovered the DAFI scholarship.

At university, she flourished, becoming a trusted resource for students – Rwandan and refugee alike. She reflected on why her peers so often came to her for help. “I realized that being a refugee means nothing. Once you’ve studied yourself, once you know what you want, you realize that it means nothing.”

Now, as a case manager supporting refugees at a law firm, she dreams of becoming a human rights activist. “Today I feel happy, confident and excited. I am doing the thing I love, and I am serving my community.”