Hello everyone, my name is Ahmed Abu Ouda. I'm 17 and living in Gaza. I'm currently studying for Tawjihi, the final year of high school. This year is extremely important for us in Palestine because it decides our educational path and the opportunities we might have for the future.
My older brothers all finished Tawjihi with very high marks, making our family proud, and I've been working hard to compete with them and make my family proud too.
Currently, the 2006 generation, who were supposed to graduate from Tawjihi two years ago, are now taking their exams through an app called Wise School. Behind them will be the 2007 generation, who were delayed by a year. My generation was supposed to take the exams at the normal time, but the circumstances are going from bad to worse, who knows when we will graduate and go to college.
For the past few months, I've been preparing myself for this year, trying to stay focused on my studies despite the daily hardships of life in Gaza. Recently, I needed basic school supplies pens, notebooks, books, and the printed educational packages from the Ministry of Education but I simply can't afford them. My family struggles to cover even food, and the cost of these supplies is just too high for us right now.
Then there's the cost of affording the internet, which is high, and the quality is really poor for TEAMS meetings. Another issue is the location of the internet provider.
Currently, I'm sitting on the sidewalk to write this because the provider is on the street. Because of this, even when you're connected to Wi-Fi, it's not an ideal learning environment with peace and quiet. My family is trying their best to provide a quiet place for me to study so I can stay focused, but it's really difficult to find a place with all the necessary conditions
On top of that, daily life here is physically exhausting and stressful. Between the constant struggles just to survive and the pressure of studying, it's a lot to carry but I'm determined to persevere.
If you'd like to know more about me or support me and my family, check my bio.