Azza

#Wholehearted

#Proactive

#Ambitious

"The Doors are always open."

Azza says that Sanad's door is open for everyone, she doesn't know that this concept of Open Doors is what forms her lively character. The world is her oyster, where she never lets an opportunity –to learn and leave an impact– pass by. She confirms this as she says "You either take an opportunity or lose it. I hate to feel regret. So I'd rather try everything."

Azza loves to read, she tried herself in photography, music, and writing. Her principle is to learn something from everything. In secondary school she studied and trained as a Medical secretary. She challenged herself and her grandmother in the care home when she decided to take an equivalency exam to get into university. She accepted that challenge and her best friend encouraged her. Time was tight, the classes were intense, she had a job in a hospital, and yet, she made it. She was able to get into the Faculty of Commerce and study marketing; her main field of interest and passion.

"I was really looking forward to being like one of the young people I saw in Sanad's Youth Forum, where I can stand and speak up in front of an audience. It became an intention and I decided to remain a part of Sanad."

Azza learnt about Sanad through their Youth Independence Program, where youth and adolescents are trained for independent life after leaving care. She wished to take part in more programs and events. She participated in the Storytelling Program; where she spent three months making new friends and learning new skills . . . "The Storytelling program was one of my absolute joys. I learnt how to tell my own story and how to deal with my negative feelings. I was able to freely express myself." She was excited about finishing the program so she could join the Youth Forum. For her, it was a journey of personal discoveries . . . "I wouldn't miss a single event, literally. I attended each and every meeting and conference."

Azza then joined Sanad's team that worked on a special project serving aftercare youth. It was her chance to work outside the medical field and change her path. As the project started, Azza could already feel its importance and expected impact. She says "I did what I love. It didn't even feel like work." The project works on building a network of services to guide young men and women as they leave alternative care, this is planned to happen through an application or a specialized office. Azza can't wait for the project to launch; she describes it as a significant step forward and says "The success of this project will make a great difference. Many people leave alternative care and they don't know what to do or where to go, especially with bureaucratic procedures and paperwork."

A while after joining that project, Azza joined Sanad’s marketing team as a part-timer, where she learns something new every day. With her inborn skills of time management and her ability to focus, she works in two positions at Sanad, besides her studies. She is always a part of other workshops and events, helping in organizing and facilitating. Through Sanad, she participated in a youth leadership camp led by the First Conference of Sustainable Development in 2023, during which she made friendships from all over the Arab world.

“One of the things I love doing the most in Sanad, is providing what has been once provided to me.”

Her mates wonder how active she’s been in Sanad during such a short period of time. She participated as a facilitator in the later versions of Sanad’s youth Independence program and its closing camp. She loved how the roles were switched, as she had the chance to pass on what she’d learnt at Sanad. She was an encouraging successful model for participants. She became an ambassador for opportunities; giving guidance and advising others what to do next in Sanad. Azza is working on finishing her studies in parallel with developing her skills in marketing and development. Her tools in the journey are her willpower and that endless flow of positive energy.