The story of Rawan
I am Rawan Al Rayyis from Gaza city, I was raised in a cohesive family consisting of father, mother, 3 sisters and 2 brothers. My father is the only breadwinner of the family; he struggles to secure a dignified life for us despite the life hardships in Gaza. I live in our house which was partially destroyed during the war. This house has witnessed the beginning of my learning journey and early challenges towards my self-determination.
I enrolled in the secretary and office management department at NECC in September 2023, ignited by my interest in developing myself professionally and interpersonally, and in acquiring new skills that help me build my career and become independent and self-reliant. I always believe that education is the real way to overcome hardships, even though the circumstances are very difficult and suffering affects all aspects of life.
Due to the inability to operate our secretary department at NECC headquarters, my peers and I were urged to complete our education. I suffer a lot regarding the unavailability of decent transportation means, the interruption of the internet network and the electricity cut-offs for long hours and days, in addition to the stress resulting from instability of the security situations.
Things that students from all over the world consider simple became challenges for me, such as attending a lecture or delivering homework on time.
I was always seeking for any tool that enables me to attend lecture and to download the modules, sometimes I was exerting extra efforts to compensate lessons that I lost. I found myself a challenger to the difficult circumstance believing in my faith and capabilities. I became more resilient, patient and well-organized so I always seeking for alternatives instead of surrender to these circumstances.
During my training at the secretary department, I acquired essential practical skills such as office management, time management, using computer applications, professional communication, work with team positively. This diploma didn’t only give me the knowledge but also fostered my self-confidence and prepared me to enter labor market.
I will be finishing my course in August; I oversee an inspiring future for myself so as I obtain a job opportunity wherein, I can apply what I learned and advance my career experience an to be a challenger girl able to succeed despite the most difficult circumstances. I believe that the difficulties I came through were not the end of path but a sparking start to make a strong person that always aspires to the best.
The story of Fatima, graduate of the Graphics Design and Management department
I am Fatima, 24 years old girl. As a married woman, I have two children. Actually, I have a BA in Architectural Engineering and a Diploma in Multimedia. After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering, freelancing was one of the main goals that I pursued.
I enrolled NECC-DSPR Gaza in 2022 to gain more knowledge in graphic design and to begin my journey into self-employment. This is something I needed after graduating from university.
My experience with the program was great! The first semester was very helpful because our lecturers asked about each course every week and tried to combine theory and practice. Then the next semester I gained experience in graphic design because I enjoyed the program so much and gained a lot of knowledge about the design program. The idea of joining the graphic design department has opened up various freelance opportunities for me with many agencies and organizations.
I would definitely recommend other students who are looking for a degree program with good job opportunities to join the Graphic Design Department at DSPR NECC. It was a great experience! I became an aspiring graphic designer. DSPR NECC was a great experience! Finally, I would thank NECC for the wonderful study and methodological plan that was presented, which made us gain experience which enabled us to get job opportunities on the Internet and locally.
The story of Iman
Iman Abu Al-Aish is a young woman at the end of the 20s, married and has one child. Iman lives in Jabaliya camp, a Palestinian refugee camp, inside a room that does not exceed 25 square meters in size with her husband who has many health problems, especially "night blindness". He can barely see around him at night. She has been supporting her family since she got married. She receives aid from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNSCR) and goes to charitable organizations to help her.
Iman joined the NECC to study in the advanced dressmaking department. She used to wake up early to borrow money for transportation. "I could not sleep many nights because I had no transportation fees for the next day," Eman says. Eman used to wake up early to leave her little girl with one of her neighbors and go to look for money for transportation to the center of dressmaking. She was very diligent despite she was thinking of her daughter. When she graduated, she was perfect at dressmaking and so worked in a sewing workshop in the refugee camp at low salary.
"I was dreaming of having a workshop filled with scraps and thread of cloth" Iman says. She continued to work and did not stop for a day, and when she got sick, she had to go to work so that she could provide lunch for her child, who was always starving. Iman was nominated to enter the project competetion, where she received several training courses of how to manage small projects financially and managerially at NECC. through the project, Iman was nominated for temporary work for six months placement.
After completing the training, Iman proposed a plan for a small project, a sewing workshop. The project supervisors studied the plan and evaluative interviews were conducted for the applicants. "After I left the project evaluation interviews, I felt my dream was getting very close," says Eman.
The project was approved and funded with the rental of the workshop, equipment, furniture and some raw materials. Eman's dream of having a workshop became true, and her husband is working with her at the same workshop. The family situation improved and this was reflected on her small child. Eman says, "Do not despair, persevere and trust yourselves, every hardworking has a share". She added, "My dream became true and I will work hard until I afford buying a small apartment for me, my husband and my little child".
Case sumbitted by Eng. Khaled Emad, DSPR, Near East Council of Churches (NECC), Gaza.
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