Qadira* is a 33-year-old Iraqi woman who came to the UK in 2021. Qadira* was housed in temporary accommodation in Cheshire. She had been slowly moving through the education system and hoped to go to University. She was previously attending a course at the local college but did not have a laptop of her own, so she was using a staff member’s spare laptop in lessons. This made her feel like a burden on the teacher and she would often not ask to use it unless she was offered. She was making slow progress with the course because of this.

She wrote to us explaining how she felt stuck and unable to work in the way the course demanded and the way she wanted. She knew that a laptop of her own would be the key to unlock her future. She was given a laptop donated by someone like you. Soon after, she applied for university and received an offer from the University of Staffordshire to study Law. To attend, she needed to complete an IELTS exam, which she did using the donated laptop. She started in Staffordshire in late September 2024.