Devastation

It was the first day after exams had ended. I hadn’t had a carefree day in weeks and needless to say, I was excited to spend it preparing for UWC. My goal for the day was to clean out my closet; decide on what i wanted to give away, and what i was going to take to Duino. my clothes were spilled on the bedroom floor when my phone lit up. My friend had inquired on the UWC Pakistan 2020 group chat whether anyone else had received a call from the National Committee.

‘Oh!’, I thought, ‘they wanna ask if we’ve applied for visa yet.’

I swear my heart dropped when i read that the donor providing us with our scholarships (The Aman Foundation) had backed out entirely. This ultimately meant that none of the 22 selected students could attend their colleges.

The news was so sudden that i could barely process it. I couldn’t even tell my mom since she was on a flight back home. We spent the next few hours trying to make sense of the situation and frantically tried to come up with ways of raising funds.

By nighttime, the Pakistani NC had called a few more students to deliver the heart-breaking news. Some of us were ‘not safe’. This meant that the scholar in question would (most likely) not be able to attend school due to the college’s lack of funds. All of us were deeply unsettled. The world had come crashing down with less than three months left for our departure.

We quickly alerted our international co-years and that’s when the magic happened. We had people of all backgrounds coming together — all races, all creeds, all colors….And in coming together, there was a quiet sort of dignity, a sense of caring, and a feeling of joint responsibility. I felt it then. I felt the infamous UWC Spirit. it was like the heavens had come together. And we did something. Something powerful and meaningful. We are UWCers after all.

A petition to support the Pakistani students was made, and we collected 1156 signatures. An article written by Joseph Knight, Asia Pesaro and Mallika Singh was sent to The Flying Dutchman, who immediately published it. A Facebook group was made where students suggested fund-raising ideas, and still are. Many posted pleas on their social media accounts. Some emailed the IO, the Pakistani NC and the colleges as well.

This morning, my mother received a call from the NC. Adriatic had enough funds available to finance me! I was utterly speechless in those moments. I was safe. My glee, however, only lasted a few minutes; Some of my co-years had received emails from UWC International stating the withdrawal of their scholarship offers and how they ‘should start making alternate arrangements for their continued studies’. After this, it was hard to feel happy for myself while the lives of others fell apart.

It is currently 1:49 AM as i spill my heart out. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like to have your dreams turn to ashes. I am hoping and praying that everything turns out alright. That somehow, some extremely generous and blessed soul realizes how much UWC means to us, so that they decide to sponsor our education.

Much love,                                                                                                                                              Hawra