After a long journey of resilience, the awaited day finally came: Tamer succeeded in his high school exams the Tawjihi and enrolled in university to study physiotherapy. A new dream was born within his family, following the success of his brother Ahmad last year, who is now studying medicine.

Tamer lives with his family including his father, his brother Ahmad, and his sister Dalila in their small home after being reunited at the beginning of 2021. The children had spent part of their lives at SOS Children’s Village Bethlehem at Mama Fatima’s home, before moving back to live with their father in their hometown near Hebron in the West Bank.

Tamer’s father requires intensive medical care, which motivated Tamer to choose physiotherapy as his field of study this year after successfully passing the Tawjihi exams.

Since returning to his family’s embrace, Tamer has never been an ordinary child. He carried within him an ambition that knew no limits and a determination beyond his young age. He quickly picked up skills no one expected: he learned how to cook, wash, and clean, moving through the corners of their small home, breathing new life into it. He even went out to buy the household’s basic needs, shouldering great responsibilities in the absence of a stable income and with his father unable to work.

Life was not easy. The repeated closures in the West Bank and interruptions to education posed major challenges, but Tamer chose to turn them into extra motivation. He held onto his dream, persisted in his studies, and proved to everyone that willpower is stronger than any obstacle. With the help of tutoring that boosted his academic level, and the psychosocial support that strengthened his confidence, Tamer contributed to the stability of his family and helped his siblings to remain with their father despite these difficult circumstances.

In his message to every child, Tamer says: “The road to success begins with a single step, and having someone who believes in you and stands by your side can turn the impossible into reality.”.