Lighting the Way: Shaimaa’s First Steps into Higher Education

In 2015, as the war in Syria escalated, Shaimaa Atieh and her family fled to Türkiye in search of safety and stability. She was just ten years old at the time—too young to fully grasp the changes happening around her, but old enough to understand that life would never be the same. “It wasn’t easy. We didn’t speak Turkish” she recalls. Still, she and her family began to rebuild their life.

Shaimaa, with the support of the DAFI scholarship, is now a student in the Medical Laboratory Techniques program at Istanbul University, a two-year vocational degree that teaches her how the human body works, how illnesses develop, and how treatment begins. “After finishing school, we’ll work in a hospital, in a blood lab, or in an emergency room where we can take blood and other tests.”

Her journey to university wasn’t easy. As the first person in her family, with six siblings, to pursue higher education, Shaimaa faced financial hurdles. Her older brothers had to start working in construction and never got the chance to continue their studies. “My family supported me, but we didn’t have the means. I knew I had to find another way.” That way came in the form of the DAFI scholarship.

“It was like a light at the end of a dark road.”

 

Today, Shaimaa lives with her older siblings in Istanbul. Her parents and younger siblings recently returned to Damascus. It was difficult to be apart, but they all agreed: education came first. She recalls the moment when she found out that she had received the DAFI scholarship while interning at the hospital, “I couldn’t believe it. It was like a light at the end of a dark road. My family was so happy. They left me in Türkiye because of this opportunity. If I didn’t have the scholarship, they wouldn’t have let me stay.”

Shaimaa is making the most of her opportunity. She’s planning on improving her GPA and to take summer courses to learn English to strengthen her internship applications. “This is just the beginning. I want to continue into a four-year degree with a genetics program, and then earn my master’s. I love learning.”

Her university experience has also helped her make new friends, affecting her social adaptation in a positive way. “My Turkish friends are very kind. The people in the hospital are also very nice” she says. Shaimaa is also thinking about volunteering soon.

To other refugee youth considering vocational training, she has a simple message: “Don’t be afraid. Just take that first step. Let life show you what’s possible.”

“For me, learning is what gives life meaning. This scholarship helped me take my first step.”

 

She also shared a message to UNHCR’s donors and the DAFI Scholarship Programme: “Thank you. You give meaning to the lives of young people like me. For me, learning is what gives life meaning. This scholarship helped me take my first step. One day, I hope to give back and support DAFI too.”

Background Information

In the 2023–2024 academic year, 60,750 Syrian youth were enrolled in higher education in Türkiye, achieving an enrolment rate of over 12%—well above the 7% global average for refugee enrolment. At this pace, Türkiye is on track to be the first country to achieve UNHCR’s "15 by 30" goal.

DAFI programme has supported over 27,200 scholars to access higher education in their countries of asylum since 1992 through the support of German Government, Denmark Government, foundations and private sector donors. In 2024 alone, the DAFI programme supported more than 700 refugee students in Türkiye. It is UNHCR’s flagship higher education scholarship programme and is currently implemented in 59 countries worldwide, including in Türkiye since 2014. The DAFI programme for Syrian nationals has been implemented in partnership with Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) since 2015. Türkiye has hosted one of the largest DAFI programmes for several years in a row.

Beyond academic degrees, DAFI strongly emphasizes Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), recognizing its vital role in enhancing refugee youth’s employability and integration into local economies. In line with UNHCR’s "Education 2030" strategy, DAFI promotes access to vocational pathways that meet labour market needs, providing practical, work-based skills for sustainable livelihoods. Türkiye operation notably tracks and analyses TVET outcomes, highlighting the growing importance of technical education for refugee resilience and economic participation. UNHCR Türkiye remains grateful to Germany for continuing to stand with refugees in Türkiye and for their support in enabling them to build a solid future for themselves.