“Beyond the refugee camp.”
A funding appeal for a friend.
10 JULY—During my trips to the West Bank last year—made possible thanks to the generous donations of many readers of The Floutist and Winter Wheat—I traveled through the governorates of Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron and visited numerous refugee camps along the way. One of these was al–Arroub, located seven miles north of the city Hebron, where I had the pleasure of meeting Ahmad al–Titi, in his capacity as a camp tour guide. We have since become friends.
It is because of that friendship, and the several projects we have worked on together, including a report published in West Bank Alerts, that I bring to your attention a GoFundMe campaign Ahmad started last November.
My young West Bank friend has hopes to improve his life by continuing his education. He plans to move to Germany and earn a master’s degree in information technology. I am entirely confident he will make a success of this.
“Why Germany?” I asked, when Ahmad first told me of his ambitions.
“Because they have the best technical programs,” he replied.
Like many Palestinians I’ve met, Ahmad values education. He graduated in 2023 from Palestine Polytechnic University with a degree in computer systems engineering. But employment prospects are few in Occupied Palestine—by design—and poverty rates in the West Bank are high. This is especially true for people born and raised in refugee camps. A master’s degree will give Ahmad better employment opportunities when he returns to the West Bank.
Ahmad’s commitment to the Palestinian cause remains unwavering as he pursues his advanced education. Upon returning to the West Bank he plans to start an IT club in al–Arroub, offering technical training to young people. He currently offers technical advice and help to anyone in the camp in need of assistance—free of charge.
Ahmad has been accepted into a masters program at Clausthal University of Technology in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. In 2023, he began studying German and easily passed the Goethe B1 German language exam in partial fulfillment of the language requirements for graduate-level studies. Through his own efforts, Ahmad has raised half of what he needs to relocate to Germany and begin graduate school.
Ahmad is known in the camp—and beyond it—for his superb English and the informative tours he leads for visiting internationals. Anyone who has taken one of Ahmad’s tours comes away with a deeper understanding of Palestinian history and life in a refugee camp. An excellent article about Ahmad was published this past December in Roar, the official student newspaper of King’s College London.
In March of this year, I worked closely with Ahmad on the translation from Arabic into English of an important book that documents conditions inside one of Israel’s notorious prisons. Ahmad helped with the final translation and I edited the English. It was a genuine pleasure working with Ahmad. He has a remarkably disciplined work ethic and is always kind and good humored. I know he will thrive in graduate school.
With your support, Ahmad—born and raised in a refugee camp, intimately familiar with all of the violence that circumscribes Palestinian life—will be able to realize his dreams for a better future. Your generosity will benefit many others well into the future because of Ahmad’s commitment to his community and people.
Please contribute at whatever level you can to Ahmad’s GoFundMe campaign. His funding goal of €6,000 is a modest one and he is already half way there. All he needs is another €3,000 to meet his goal. Together, we can make it possible for Ahmad to start school in Germany in September.
You can also help by sharing this funding appeal.
Thank you!