Students who won scholarships through the Al Fakhoora programme of 'Education Above All'.
Education Above All (EAA), through its programme Al Fakhoora, has offered 265 new scholarships to young leaders in the Gaza Strip to help them continue their university education.
The scholarships represent an unprecedented investment in higher education in Gaza and an opportunity for students to build a better future for themselves and their families, and lead their communities toward a more peaceful future.
The scholarships are rigorously based on merit and leadership potential. In order to select the most deserving students, 4,124 applications were reviewed, 706 home visits conducted, and 504 students were invited to a leadership camp before the 265 scholarship recipients were finally selected.
These scholarships are distributed over different academic specialties according to demand in the job market, such as engineering. To date, Al Fakhoora’s Dynamic Futures programme has enrolled over 605 students in universities in Gaza and in some cases, abroad.
It is the largest ever intake for Al Fakhoora’s scholarship programme, Dynamic Futures, which is operated through an implementation partnership with the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP).
In the past year, Dynamic Futures also expanded to reach additional students in Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Syrian refugees and IDP’s in Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.
Since 2009, Al Fakhoora, a programme of EAA, has reached over 870 students in Gaza through its Dynamic Futures scholarships and programmes to rebuild educational infrastructure and provide psychosocial support and health services to the most marginalised.
EAA Programme Director for Al Fakhoora Farooq Burney said: “Education Above All (EAA) was founded on the belief that education is a driver of human development. Al Fakhoora, a programme of EAA, supports this belief by enabling thousands of young people into quality higher education.
“Greater investment in education is vital for a peaceful future in Gaza, the Middle East, and all communities disrupted by conflict. We are expanding our Dynamic Futures scholarship programme in areas of the most need.
An award ceremony, held in Gaza City on 18-19 December, was attended by over 1,000 people, including students, their families, academics, representatives of international organizations and community leaders.
During the ceremony, Basil Nasser, Head of UNDP Office in Gaza, emphasised that education is a basic human right critical to the future of the Palestinian State. He added, “UNDP is proud to be part of this programme that will provide students with the necessary skills to excel and contribute to the prosperity of their community.”
