This document outlines a crowdfunding campaign to support Rana Alshamsi's graduate studies. Rana was accepted to SOAS, University of London's MA program but needs £23,513 for tuition fees and living expenses. The deadline to raise the funds is 60 days to allow time for English exams and visa processing. Donations will go towards Rana's education or another student's if the goal is not met.

1. Dear
all,
We
have
established
a
crowdfund
to
support,
Rana
Alshamsi,
a
21
year
old
graduate
from
the
Department
of
English
(BA
English
Literature),
The
Islamic
University
of
Gaza
(1).
Rana
has
been
accepted
onto
the
full-­‐time
MA
in
International
and
Comparative
Legal
Studies
programme
at
SOAS,
University
of
London
for
late
September
2014.
(2).
If
she
is
unable
to
raise
funds
for
her
studies
in
time
for
this
year,
she
also
has
been
offered
a
deferred
place
for
September
2015
by
SOAS
due
to
the
recent
war
situation
in
Gaza
and
personal
circumstances.
The
conflict
also
prevented
her
from
sitting
her
required
English
language
paper
in
July
as
intended,
as
all
centres
were
closed.
(3).
Unfortunately,
she
failed
to
receive
The
Cultures
of
Resistance
Scholarship,
which
provides
£24,000
to
support
international
students
from
impoverished
backgrounds
(4).
Thus,
we
are
attempting
to
raise
a
grand
total
of
£23,513,
independently,
in
time
for
Rana
to
commence
her
deferred
programme
in
September
2015.
We
will
be
raising
funds
in
two
phases:
phase
1
(tuition
fees)
and
phase
2
(maintenance
and
travel)
–
please
see
FAQ
for
details.
The
funds
must
be
raised
immediately,
giving
Rana
sufficient
time
to
complete
her
IELTS
English
assessment
(as
per
SOAS
requirements)
and
deal
with
subsequent
visa
contingencies,
[as
well
as
the
potential
problems
for
Gazan
citizens
at
the
Rafah
border
crossing].
The
funds
will
be
collected
in
two
stages
(tuition
and
maintenance),
as
outlined
in
the
questions
and
answers
segment.
Again,
there
is
quite
limited
time
to
raise
this
amount
in
order
for
her
to
start
her
degree
this
year,
hence
SOAS
has
agreed
to
defer
her
place
if
required.
SOAS,
Hani
Qaddumi
Scholarship
Foundation
(HQSF),
Hoping
Foundation
(Lizzie
Leigh,
Hoping
Co-­‐ordinator)
and
The
Said
Foundation
(Ita
Gallagher,
Scholarships
Officer)
were
unable
to
host
a
third-­‐party
account,
on
Rana’s
behalf,
in
such
short
notice
(5).
Thus,
we
are
hosting
an
independent
savings
account
for
donations
via
IndieGoGo
–
an
international
crowd-­‐funding
platform.
We
acknowledge
the
responsibility
that
is
attached
to
this
initiative
and
have
been
endorsed
by
members
of
the
charity
sector;
student
union
and
committee
members
of
British
universities
to
complete
it
sincerely
(6).
We
sincerely
hope
this
initiative
receives
financial
support
with
the
hope
of
providing
world-­‐class
education
to
a
very
capable
student
overseas,
Yours
Sincerely,
ABIR
QAZILBASH
Founder
of
Global
Right
to
Education
Programme,
LSE
LSE
Model
United
Nations
Officer
Year
3
UG,
BSc
International
Relations,
London
School
of
Economics
HARUN
KHAN
Global
Right
to
Education
Committee

2. Head
of
Schools
&
Colleges,
Charity
Week
London
(2014)
Year
4
UG,
Imperial
College
School
of
Medicine
SAMIHA
BEGUM
Senior
Director
and
Head
of
Funding,
Global
Right
to
Education
Programme,
LSE
Year
2
UG,
BSc
Social
Policy,
LSE
HEBA
AL-­‐NASSER
London
Chevening
Scholarship
Ambassador
Scholarship
Officer,
Global
Right
to
Education
Programme
MSc
Social
Policy
and
Development,
LSE
FAQ
Q:
How
was
the
total
calculated?
A:
• i)
Tuition
Fees
=
£16,
425
(Phase
1
until
28/10/14)
Tuition
fees
amount
to
£16,
425
including
a
compulsory
£350
pre-­‐
sessional
fee
(7)
• Thesis
and
assignment
grant
(payable
upon
production
of
receipts
when
dissertation/project
has
been
submitted):
£373.59
(8)
• Accommodation
–
£0.00
(Rana
has
confirmed,
free
accommodation
with
a
family
in
Kent,
UK)
ii)
Maintenance
and
Travel
=
£7088+**
(Phase
2
until
TBC)
• Travel
-­‐
£600
for
travel
to
and
from
UK.
• Food
and
Other
Essential
Costs
–
£2860
(9)
• Domestic
Travel
-­‐
£1028
(9)
• Personal
-­‐
£2600
• Tier
4
Student
Visa
Application
-­‐
£310
(10)
**we
will
require
additional
funds
to
account
for
IndieGogo’s
commission
charge
(please
see
Q3
on
FAQ).
Note:
We
plan
on
raising
the
funds
in
two
stages
(phase
1
and
phase
2,
as
referenced
above).
We
plan
to
fundraise
the
£16,
425
fixed
tuition
fee,
initially,
as
evidence
of
sufficient
funding
is
required
for
her
visa
application.
We
hope
to
do
this
within
60
days
(see
next
question).
Once
this
has
been
achieved,
we
will
start
the
next
phase
of
raising
the
maintenance
and
travel
costs,
again
with
the
same
intended
duration
of
60
days.
Q:
How
are
the
deadlines
calculated?
A:
IndieGogo,
the
online
crowdfunding
platform,
only
permits
a
60-­‐day
period
for
campaigns
(or
a
shorter
30-­‐day
period).
Hence
the
deadline
is
simply
60
days
after
the
first
day
of
the
live
appeal.
Q:
How
does
crowdfunding
with
IndieGogo
work?

3. A:
IndieGogo
is
an
international
online
crowdfunding
platform,
which
allows
the
set
up
of
independent
campaigns
for
charitable
purposes.
IndieGogo
imposes
a
4%
charge
on
all
successful
campaigns
–
and
a
9%
charge
on
unsuccessful
ones.
IndieGogo
charges
no
additional
fees
[unlike
many
others],
and
offers
the
lowest
rates
when
compared
with
other
crowdfunding
platforms
from
our
research
and
past
experience
including
JustGiving!
It
has
also
been
used
to
collect
funds
for
previous
Gazan
students.
As
stated,
other
foundations
including
Hoping
were
unable
to
set-­‐up
a
third-­‐party
account
in
this
case.
Q:
What
will
happen
if
the
grand
total
is
not
achieved
in
time
for
Rana
to
commence
this
academic
year
(2014
entry)?
A:
Due
to
the
recent
instability
in
Gaza,
this
is
very
likely.
Thus,
fundraising
will
continue
until
the
stipulated
deadline
and
will
support
her
confirmed
place
for
2015
entry.
If
the
total
is
still
not
achieved,
The
Global
Right
to
Education
Project
will
set-­‐up
additional
campaigns
until
August
2015,
so
we
can
financially
support
Rana’s
deferred
place
for
September
2015
entry
(both
tuition
and
maintenance).
(3)
Q:
What
will
happen
if
you
do
not
meet
the
deadline?
A:
Hopefully
this
will
not
be
the
case,
as
previous
students
from
Gaza
who
have
used
crowdfunding,
have
managed
to
raise
similar
amounts
in
less
time
than
a
year.
1
If
this
is
the
case,
The
Global
Right
to
Education
Project
will
host
additional
campaigns
to
raise
funds
for
Rana
until
August
2015
latest.
In
the
very
unlikely
scenario
that
we
do
not
have
enough
funds
by
August
2015,
100%
of
the
funds
will
go
towards
funding
another
underprivileged
student
from
Gaza/
Kashmir
who
cannot
afford
to
study
abroad.
The
Global
Right
to
Education
Projects
works
with
students
from
both
of
these
conflict-­‐ridden
regions
Evidence
of
this
will
be
confirmed
on
our
Crowdfunding
and
Facebook
pages
to
update
all
donors.
There
is
always
an
instance
of
at
least
one
such
student
at
UK
universities
every
year,
from
Gaza
alone,
who
requires
partial
funding
for
their
upcoming
studies.
But
ultimately,
we
will
do
all
we
can
to
help
Rana
achieve
her
goals,
and
this
is
a
very
last
resort.
Q:
What
happens
if
the
grand
total
is
overestimated
and/or
Rana
secures
a
scholarship
next
year?
A:
If
Rana
reapplies
and
gets
a
scholarship
next
year,
which
is
fully
funded
(i.e.
tuition
and
maintenance),
then
the
money
will
contribute
towards
funding
another
underprivileged
student
in
a
similar
position
(as
above).
Evidence
of
this
will
be
confirmed
on
our
Crowdfunding
and
Facebook
pages
to
update
all
donors.
Our
estimates
are
based
on
verified
and
average
figures,
but
if
any
actual
costs
are
less,
then
the
surplus
would
contribute
towards
helping
other
students.
Q:
Are
there
any
commissions
from
the
fundraising
site?
1
E.g.
another
Gazan
student
with
similar
issue
at
SOAS
with
her
Masters’
Offer
last
year,
managed
to
Crowdfund
her
tuition
fees
and
part
of
her
maintenance
grant,
in
a
month
(starting
30th
July
2013).

4. IndieGoGo
charges
a
4%
commission
charge
for
successful
fundraisers,
but
no
additional
fees.
Most
sites
have
a
commission
fee
alongside
further
extra
fees
-­‐
for
example,
the
popular
site
JustGiving
has
higher
commission
rate
than
IndieGoGo
as
well
as
additional
fees.
As
above,
charities
such
as
Hoping
were
not
able
to
provide
a
bank
account
as
it
complicates
their
due
diligence.
Hence
IndieGoGo
was
the
best
option
as
we
are
not
able
to
use
a
registered
charity
name
for
our
funds
and
our
time
to
raise
is
limited
(it
takes
about
30
days
to
register
a
charity
alone).
Q:
What
will
happen
if
Rana
is
unable
to
leave
her
place
of
residence
due
to
the
political
instability
of
the
region?
A:
In
the
past,
some
students
from
Gaza
who
have
come
to
UK
universities
(including
SOAS,
LSE
and
Sheffield)
have
faced
issues
of
being
delayed
at
the
Egypt-­‐Gaza
Rafah
crossing.
They
have
all
eventually
managed
to
come
to
the
UK
in
spite
of
this,
to
our
full
existing
knowledge.
This
is
often
achieved
through
liaising
with
the
British
Consulate
for
the
Occupied
Territories
and/or
through
the
University
and/or
the
Foreign
&
Commonwealth
Office
(FCO).
We
would
set
up
a
campaign
in
this
instance.2
Doing
this
in
itself,
would
raise
crucial
awareness
of
the
restricted
access
to
education
for
Gazans.
References
(1)
The
authors
have
access
to
an
electronic
copy
of
the
transcript
from
the
Islamic
University
of
Gaza
provided
to
SOAS
postgraduate
admissions
portal
(2)
Evidence
for
official
letter
(3)
Evidence
for
official
deferral
letter
(Contact
Harun
or
Abir)
(4)
http://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/scholarships/the-­‐cultures-­‐of-­‐resistance-­‐
scholarships.html
(5)
Contact
education@saidfoundation.org;
hoping@hopingfoundation.org
for
confirmation
(6)
Endorsements
letter
(7)
https://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/fees/postgraduate/
(8)
Rate
by
the
Foreign
&
Commonwealth
Office
(FCO)
confirmed
from
01/10/14
(2014/15)
–
document
can
be
provided
upon
request
(9)
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/studentfinance/livingcosts
(10)
https://www.gov.uk/tier-­‐4-­‐general-­‐visa
2
A
former
campaign
for
a
similar
context:
http://letothmanstudy.wordpress.com/