Shaimaa Osama, a scholar of EAA, is one example of how the organisation has been attuned to the needs of those enduring war. At 21, Shaimaa Osama Naji has lived through more loss and hardship than most experience in a lifetime. A student of software engineering, she was forced to leave her home in Gaza after a bombing destroyed her house, killing 11 members of her family and leaving her mother and sisters severely injured.
“When our house was bombed, we lost so many of our loved ones,” Shaimaa recalls. “My father and brother were martyred. My mother, my sisters, and I were injured. Three of them had amputations, and most of us had fractures and burns. My mother was sent outside Gaza for treatment, but my sisters had to stay behind.”
This Ramadan, the EAA Foundation has launched the ‘Eid Gift’ campaign from March 5 to 20, in collaboration with Qatar Red Crescent Society. The campaign aims to collect new clothing, school bags and water bottles for people of all ages, which will be distributed to those in need in Gaza and Syria.
Osama grew up in a close-knit family of nine. Now, only seven remain. Before the war, says Shaimaa, life was full of love, happiness, and dreams. “I was a university student, spoiled by my father,” she smiles. “I worked hard and was among the top students. I even secured a job before graduating. My father was so proud of me.”
Then everything changed overnight. After the attack, Shaimaa found herself taking on the role of caretaker for her injured mother and sisters. “I had to be the father, mother, and sister all at once,” she says. “Now, in Qatar, I am alone, caring for my mother, who lost her leg. I study, run errands, and take care of everything. There is no time to study.”
Osama and her mother arrived in Qatar on February 21, 2023. “For the first time in a long while, we felt safe,” she says. However, the sorrow of the past continues to haunt her. “We are overwhelmed with loss. While we were here, my grandfather’s house in Gaza was bombed. He was martyred too.”
Despite the tough circumstances, Shaimaa refuses to give up on her dreams. Before the war, she had already begun building her career in software engineering. “I studied a diploma in software engineering and trained with two companies. I got a job as a full-stack web developer before I even graduated.”
However, the war cost her an entire academic year. When she arrived in Qatar, she searched for ways to continue her education and secured the EAA’s Al Fakhoora scholarship. “I had a 95.7 GPA. I knew I had to keep going.” she said.
Currently, Osama is focused on finishing her bachelor’s degree. “I want to work at my university as a trainer or in a big company, buy a car, and bring my sisters and brother to Qatar. It will ease the burden on them and me.”
However, her dreams don’t stop there. “One day, I want to build a mosque in memory of my father, brother, and all the martyrs.”
Shaimaa dreams of a Gaza that is whole again. She added: “I hope Gaza will return to how it was, beautiful and full of life. But the martyrs will never return. I just pray for the safety of those still there.”
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