Enas, 21, still studying computer engineering, but feels her dreams are slipping away

Enas, a 21-year-old computer systems engineering student from Rafah, had just completed her second year at Al-Azhar University when the war began. Displaced to Al-Mawasi, near Khan Yunis, she’s still studying, but she battles despair. 

"Since our last displacement, my academic situation has been very bad. I don't think I'll register for another semester," she admitted. Before the war, she had pictured herself already working in her field. "I used to study because I loved it. I wanted to graduate, work and even work while studying. Now I'm just barely getting by. I don't have the same goals or hope as before."

Her field depends on reliable internet and long hours on a laptop – luxuries she no longer has. "The internet here is so weak, and the electricity is unstable. Sometimes it cuts during an exam, and I manage to reconnect and finish. Other times, I lose the exam completely."

Her grades have slipped, but the hardest loss is personal. Early in the war, she lost her closest friend and study partner – one of the more than 15,000 schoolchildren killed since the war began, according to UNICEF. 

"I don't like remembering how I felt when she was killed," Enas said. "Even now, whenever I submit an assignment or finish a project, I miss her and wish she were here."

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