Dania Alafranji, 16, still waiting on visa from Home Office despite being offered school place in Berkshire 18 months ago
A teenager from Gaza who has been denied an opportunity to attend school in Britain and be reunited with her mother has said she is “stuck in hell”, despite other European countries making exceptions for students from the region.
Dania Alafranji, 16, was accepted on to the Nsouli Scholars Programme to attend Reddam House school in Berkshire more than 18 months ago, but has yet to receive a visa that would allow her to escape the war in Gaza, with her family saying that they feel helpless and have been “going in circles” trying to get her to Britain.
Dania says that she cannot remain in Gaza, not only due to safety concerns but also because she is intent on pursuing an education that is not possible there any more.
“Everything was relatively normal, then suddenly we found ourselves stuck in hell,” she said. “We can’t learn here, 90% of the schools and universities here have been destroyed, and the rest are used as shelters. The war is not my fault, and it’s not the fault of the other 600,000 Gazan students.”
