Gaza has 1.4 million registered refugees. Aya Abu Karsh is a third-generation refugee whose family was expelled from the village of Beit Jirja.
Gaza suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, but this has not prevented Aya and thousands of other Palestinian youth from volunteering in social and community work.
Likewise, the Israeli occupation and blockade don't stop their determination to pursue knowledge. Aya will not forget the challenges that she has overcome, studying under the glow of candle light and the extra effort it took to succeed at the university.
There is much that Aya and her peers have to add to the world, and despite the blockade, checkpoints, the cruel occupation and restrictions on movement, they struggle to have their voices heard and to communicate with the world.
The dreams of the youth of Gaza are full of yearning for scientific knowledge and creative opportunity. Gaza youth like Aya dream of a future free from occupation and siege, a future lived under the sky of a free country.
