Saimand Kanjo, 21, a Syrian Kurd who has lived in Cyprus for 10 years now, belongs to the global 1% of refugees who can access university education, thanks to a scholarship offered by the University of Nicosia to study physiotherapy.
Saimand Kanjo, 21, a Syrian Kurd who has lived in Cyprus for 10 years.
Today, over 65 million people worldwide have been uprooted by war and persecution, of which 21 million are refugees and more than half are children. According to a UNHCR Worldwide Report, only 50% have access to primary education, 22% to secondary education and only 1% to tertiary education.
Saimand Kanjo, 21, a Syrian Kurd who has lived in Cyprus for 10 years now, belongs to this 1% thanks to a scholarship offered by the University of Nicosia to study physiotherapy. The University of Nicosia responded to UNHCR’s request and offered two full scholarships for young refugees residing in Cyprus who would not otherwise have the opportunity for a university education despite their qualifications. The scholarship programmeis expected to continue in the years to come, in an attempt by the University to support young refugees in this way to realise their dreams and achieve prosperity.
“I never expected to become a scholarship recipient, not even in my wildest dreams…When they told me from the University that I was one of the fellows, I really did not believe it.” Saimand says when we met him last April, four months after he started his studies. Saimand believes the field of physiotherapy that he has chosen to pursue will offer him career prospects while also bringing him closer to the world of football that he loves so much. “Every team needs a physiotherapist, and this is my goal when I finish my studies; I will try to join a football team and spend my life in football,” he tells us. His dream was to become a football player and up to the age of 18 he was a midfielder on various teams in Limassol. However he could not become a professional footballer because he does not have Cypriot citizenship.
Saimand, now a beneficiary of subsidiary protection, does not like to talk about the past. Besides, he does not remember much of his village in Syria, except the discrimination and persecution his father faced, which forced his family to leave the country and seek a normal and dignified life on the neighbouring island. The years that followed in Cyprus were far from carefree for Saimand and his family. For many years they lived in uncertainty regarding their legal status until the authorities finally decided on their asylum application.
Despite all the difficulties he encountered in Cyprus since his arrival at the age of ten, including his father’s deteriorating health, Saimand managed to graduate from high school with excellent marks, but knew that he could not achieve his dream of going to university. “Fortunately I found work, but there was no way I could afford university tuition,” he says. He is currently studying computers and psychology twice a week, as part of his chosen field of study, and from September he will begin the regular programme of phsyiotherapy at the University of Nicosia. Asked about life as a student, Saimand explains that although he has made friends he does not have enough time for coffee and chitchat. “I live in Limassol, I work at a coffee shop on the days I don’t have classes at the University, and so I do not have much free time. And now I’m working extra hard as exams are coming in June,” he says with his bright, wide smile.
From September, Saimand will have to move to Nicosia since he will be attending classes at the University every day. He will have to find an apartment, and a new job in Nicosia to cover his accommodation and living expenses. But he does not worry, he knows he will succeed. Besides, right now his examinations come first.
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