Al Fakhoora’s new scholarships to spur youth education in Gaza

Education Above All (EAA), through its programme Al Fakhoora, awarded 265 new scholarships to young leaders in the Gaza Strip. This will enable young people to attend university, build a better future for themselves and their families, and lead their communities toward a more peaceful future. These scholarships are described as an unprecedented investment in higher education in Gaza. 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) Assistance to the Palestinian People programme in Gaza. In the past year, Dynamic Futures has also expanded to reach additional students in Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons 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. Dynamic Futures enables talented young people to attend university and provides them with leadership and professional skills training. EAA programme director for Al Fakhoora Farooq Burney said EAA was founded on the belief that education is a driver of human development. “Al Fakhoora 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.” “We are calling for the international development community to support us in our efforts in Gaza and in areas affected by the Syrian civil war. Now is the time to invest in educating our young people. A more peaceful future depends on it,” he added.An award ceremony, held in Gaza City on December 18 and 19 was attended by over 1,000 people, including students, their families, academics, representatives of international organisations 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. 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.The scholarships are rigorously based on merit and leadership potential. 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 selected.