Friends Fund Student Hardship
Rahaf Aldoughli
The grants, worth £9,000 in total, were made possible by the generosity of Lancaster alumni and other friends who make donations to the University’s Friends Programme.
Rahaf Aldoughli, an English Literary Studies MA student, was being sponsored by the University of Aleppo in Syria. However, as a result of the political crisis she had not received any living expense money. Increasing difficulties in Syria meant that family back home were unable to financially support Rahaf, whose brother and father were arrested. Rahaf and her husband and child were granted asylum in the UK. Lancaster University waived the outstanding tuition fees and the Friends Programme grant provided living costs to the Rahaf and her family.
“My dream was on the verge of vanishing if this award was not given to me. It has offered me a chance to get out of the hardship that my family and my country are going through. Thank you.”
Rahaf is now studying for a PhD in Politics at Lancaster and has ambitions to become a writer and lecturer in the future.
More about the student hardship fund
Many donations given to the University’s Friends Programme are directed to the student hardship fund which supports students from a wide variety of backgrounds through no fault of their own, run into financial trouble during their studies. Donations to the student hardship fund provide the financial means to allow these students to successfully complete their qualifications.