My name is Ibrahim Youssef Al Miari, and I was born in Lebanon in 1982. My family fled to Lebanon from Palestine in 1948, and have lived in Ein El Helweh camp ever since, which is where I grew up.
Thanks to my family’s love and sacrifice over the years, I have been able to devote the time and energy necessary for academic accomplishment even though money has always been tight. I used to work every summer holiday when I was young to help pay for my schooling. My father lost his vision completely due to irreversible glaucoma in 1994, making my financial contribution to the family even more important.
The value of education is something that I have understood since a very young age. I worked very hard through school, and later won a place at the Lebanese University where I studied Nursing Science. I became a registered nurse in 2005.
During my work, especially with UNRWA as an Area Nursing Officer working in community health and primary health care, I realised that there are many gaps in community health promotion, and many misconceptions about health issues among the population as a result. I began working to tackle this problem through UNRWA’s health projects in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps. I decided that I wanted to earn a master’s degree in public or environmental health in order to improve my skills to be able to serve my community better in these much-needed areas, however this course is not available in any public university in Lebanon, and private universities are very expensive.
The Asfari-MAP scholarship invitation was the only chance for me to achieve this dream, so when I heard that I had won the scholarship to study for an MSc in Public and Environmental Health at Birmingham University, I couldn’t believe it! It was a special day full of optimism, happiness and hope. My family also couldn’t believe also that I had won this generous financial support towards my higher education.
This big move to UK will be full of challenges, and it won’t be easy to leave my family, job and community for a year. I will miss my family very much. However it is a great opportunity to experience a different type of education and meet and learn from people from different cultures.
In the future, I will use what I learn in this MSc to serve my community better and to improve the implementation and effectiveness of environmental and health projects in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps. I will continue to apply the same diligence to my studies as I have up to this point, making education and service to others my top priorities.
I would like to thank MAP and the Asfari Foundation for this great opportunity for Palestinian healthcare professionals.
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