Help me …. So I can remain Noor.

Help me… so I can remain Noor. 

I write to you while I’m lost between the painful memories of the past and the shattered present. And yet, I have managed to spark hope and belief in change amidst the darkness. 

 My name is Noor Abbas Nassar, I’m 24 years old, a Palestinian from occupied Jaffa. I’ve lived my entire life in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and I spend most of my time in our beautiful city of Gaza. Despite the destruction it has faced, I still see it as the most beautiful place. 

 Before October 7, 2023, I was a trainee lawyer and legal researcher, a field educator in a UNICEF project on positive parenting and combating violence against children. I was also a trainer in conflict transformation and peacebuilding, a facilitator for children with autism and disabilities, and I documented impactful stories with children. What I loved most was playing with them. I’m not here to list my CV, but I wanted to mention a few achievements I’m proud of—testaments to my dreams and aspirations. I am not just a number. I used to chase my dream of finding a scholarship to study for a master’s degree in international law abroad, but the war turned my life upside down. 

Still, I decided not to let the pain drown me. After suffering a panic attack that completely isolated me from society, and brought back all the terrifying scenes from previous wars—especially the first one I witnessed in 2008, returning home from school—I chose to rise from the rubble through inner resistance. I began a journey of self-healing that led to the creation of the educational project Schools Without Borders, which started with the mobile school School on the Road. I believe many of you already know my story. 

Despite the war, the destruction, and the disruption of education, I managed to continue my master’s degree. It’s true I had to let go of my first dream and choose a different field to support the educational project for children, but I’m happy with this path—even though I still long for a future in international law. 

Now, on April 6, 2025, I have been displaced six times. Every time, I lose a part of myself. Even when I returned to live in our destroyed home, my joy was short-lived—they forced us to leave again.

The war destroyed our home. Our sources of income were cut off. Yet I haven’t stopped. I continue working with children—from tents, from the rubble—but I need your help to continue. I need support to secure a safe place to carry on the programs and training plans, to support my master’s studies, and to continue my academic journey under incredibly difficult conditions. I also need help covering basic expenses for a dignified life under displacement.

I am Noor—and this name is no coincidence. I want to remain a small flame, no matter how deep the darkness. But even a flame sometimes needs someone to shield it from the wind. 

Every donation, no matter how small, is a message to Noor: “You are not alone.” Help us continue the story… the story of Noor, who chose to be a light in all this darkness.