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University of Florence launched a fundraising initiative to help its Afghan students
Last week, the University of Florence has launched a fundraising initiative to help its 40 Afghan students with accommodation fees and all the other expenses they might have in order to complete their degrees in Italy.
Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella stated: “They’ve been doing great in their studies so far. What happened back home mustn’t stop their education, and we all want to do our part so they can finish their studies in serenity”.
The donations are coming not only from Florence, but also from abroad.
Rector Alessandra Petrucci told for Arab News: “The entire academic community of the University of Florence has been following with attention the developments of the Afghan emergency, and we all intend to show in a concrete way that we remain close to our students coming from that country to get their higher education here with this fundraising. Since the crisis broke in Afghanistan, those students have been kind of stuck here in Florence. They struggle with the complex logistics of those who don’t know what to do or what to expect in their immediate future, while their thoughts are with their families, stuck in their country, and with whom it’s often difficult even to get in touch via WhatsApp. Many of them experience problems staying here, to pay rent as money can’t come from home for multiple reasons. At least with this (fundraising) initiative, we hope they’ll find some confidence to carry on with their education and build a better future, for their families back home and for their nation.”
Most of the Afghan students are studying history, archaeology, geography and art.
Photo credit: Ahmed Mansour/Unsplash
