Generations of Tomorrow

I was commissioned to go to Alexandria to share the story of a school.

This school was no ordinary school. It was created through necessity, by people of courage and hope.

Thousands of Gazans have been displaced since 2023. They find a place of refuge wherever they can, often broken, dispersed, and defeated.

500 families from all around Gaza have found refuge across Alexandria. These were the direct issues they were facing for themselves and their families.

• They were dispersed all across the coast of Alexandria. They didn’t know anyone and were not able to work. They felt lonely and often chose not to leave their house. There was no place to socialize and deal with their issues, no central community space to convene. Children were often not able to do much other than stay at home.

• Because they have come illegally, children hey do not have true access to Egyptian education. Gazan students are allowed to informally enroll but are not allowed to obtain an education certificate, deeming them empty-handed if they were to apply to higher education.

• Children were provided online education provided by the Palestinian Authority to their fellow Gazans for them to obtain a Palestinian school certificate. Despite being able to get the paper, the quality of education was often very low quality due to its distant online nature and overcrowded online classes of up to 150 students in one class.

Gazans see education as the key to their future. Gaza is considered to be one of the most educated people in the world. With no real options for them, Gazans took things into their own hands and created an initiative to get their children back into school and learning.

A number of families joined together to create the “Generations of Tomorrow” Initiative, where they would teach in person classes to Gazan children at a learning center in the middle of Alexandria. This allowed the kids to be able to truly learn and understand the concepts that they were being taught in online classes. Within a year, the school grew from a few students to serving the children of 250 families, filling up classes for students from KG1 - 12th grade. It became a beacon of light for both children and teachers. Teachers, who are mostly parents volunteering their time to teach, found a purpose and humble source of income. Students found quality of education to build upon their futures. Everyone found a community of people that spoke like them and acted like them and shared the same story of being away from home.

A former colleague, who now leads an NGO, contacted me. The organization she leads is called The Gazan Student Support Network (GSSN), an NGO that supports education for Gazans. They help secure higher education pathways for Gazan students. They provide guidance for Gazan students to navigate applying to higher education abroad and help secure scholarships. So far they’ve secured over 4 million dollars in scholarship funding with more than 93 students having applied to over 23 countries in the world including India, Malaysia, and The Netherlands.

They have also provided financial support to this initiative, seeing the value in investing in a large number of students and their educational future. My former colleague contacted me to make a short film to show at a fundraising event she was organizing abroad.

What I found there was real life. I found a people who took care of each other. I found a people who had dreams and ambitions much larger than where they were at. I was overwhelmed with the goodness and the striving attitude that the students had. I initially asked for 8 students to film. The next morning I found 35 people waiting to be filmed and tell me how much this school meant to them. I listened to their stories and created space for them to express their love for the community that was created here. I listened to students of all ages, to the parents, to the teachers, and the head of the school. The head of the school works tirelessly day and night to be able to provide for these children. What I found beautiful is that these are people that come from all around Gaza. They would never have met each other if they stayed in Gaza. And now, they consider each other brothers and sisters, inseparable.

I asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. They all had specific occupations. Many of them wanted PhDs in their respective fields. A seventh grader wants to be in restorative architecture. Another seventh grader wanted a PhD in mathematics. A twelfth grader wants a PhD in pharmacy and then wants to work in skin care. It was inspiring to hear.

I will never forget spending those few days with the kids and teachers. I was honored by their presence and I will carry that experience with me for the rest of my life. These are the kids of the Generations of Tomorrow.

The event successfully raised funds to continue the initiative for another year.

You can watch the film below. And if you would like to donate, please contact GSSN to learn more about how to support the school.