Three women working in peacebuilding were honored during a special on Saturday, Sept. 16 at in Washington D.C. to support scholarships for Middle East women to study at the at 91短视频.
The awardees were Leymah Gbowee MA’07, ; Ronit Avni, a Peabody Award-winning ; and Suhad Babaa, the , an organization dedicated to increasing media coverage and support for Palestinian and Israeli grassroots leaders working for peace.
The seeks lasting peace in the Middle East by empowering girls and young women from the region through education, and provides scholarships and awards to study in North America and the United Kingdom. Since the foundation鈥檚 inception in 2010, it has helped nearly 400 women further their education.
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‘The balance of our world’
Founder Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish鈥檚 three daughters Bisan, Mayar and Aya were killed in 2009 by Israeli fire in Gaza just four months after their mother died from leukemia. Their lives are memorialized in his memoir : A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity (Bloomsburg, 2012).
Women are 鈥渢he heroines鈥� behind the success of any community, Abuelaish said at the gala. 鈥淚 know that when we all come together as men and women, elders and children, all people, for the good of all people, women are the balance of our world. Women are the only hope this world has to rise up and reach its greatness.鈥�
Daughters for Life scholars will be able to earn master鈥檚 degrees in conflict transformation or restorative justice at 91短视频鈥檚 , which boasts over 600 alumni working in 78 countries.
91短视频 president voiced a 鈥渢remendously appreciative鈥� thanks to the supporters of 91短视频鈥檚 peace education, adding that Abuelaish鈥檚 book is 鈥渙ne of the most fragile and inspiring stories I have ever, ever heard.鈥�
Affirming the invaluable role of women peacebuilders
The each thanked Abuelaish for his work, and noted the importance of women in peacebuilding efforts around the world.
Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker and women鈥檚 rights advocate. She is founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa and a distinguished residence scholar at the Union Seminary in New York. She called Abuelaish 鈥渁 true hero. Thank you for taking those girls, transforming their lives, by bringing to light what was already in them.鈥�
Gbowee also had a broader message for her fellow awardees as well as for everyone present. 鈥淎s long as we sit back or hide the great work that women are doing in every community, the definition of a world will always be a wicked place. But I know deep down in my heart that there are more good people on this earth than evil people, and we have to dare to bring it out.鈥�
鈥淭his is a moment of celebration,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 also a moment of reflection, a time for us to stop and ask ourselves, 鈥楧o we just want to stop where we are? Or, do we want to push?鈥� We have a challenge, not just for the three of us who have received this award, but for every individual in this room, to elevate the work that women are doing everywhere around the world.鈥�
Ronit Avni founded and for over a decade was the executive director of Just Vision, which creates films, digital media and public education campaigns to raise awareness and support for Palestinian and Israeli civilians working to build a future of freedom, dignity and equality for all.
The organization, she said, rose out of 鈥渁n awareness that voices like yours [Abuelaish鈥檚] need to be heard: People who don鈥檛 denigrate or subjugate or build physical or psychological walls between people, people who would rather agitate without arms for equality, safety and freedom than teach their daughters and sons to hate. These are the role models we need to learn from and support.鈥�
She acknowledged the sadness of Abuelaish鈥檚 losses, adding the idea of her own three-year-old daughter鈥檚 absence is 鈥渦nimaginable.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 my daughter who reminds me that my experiences as a parent are bound up in the hardships and joys of all of humanity,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because of her that I can walk down the street anywhere in the world and see another parent and exchange knowing smiles as one of us tries to lug a child in one arms, and grocery bags in another one.鈥�
Avni is now developing , an online platform that connects 鈥渟uccessful diaspora professionals鈥� with university students seeking career guidance.
Awardee Suhad Babaa is Avni鈥檚 successor as executive director at Just Vision. She previously was the organization鈥檚 director of programming, and said that storytelling can 鈥渟hape the way that we understand pressing issues of the day, and transform the way that we think about and respond to those issues.鈥�
In the face of change, in communities faced with tough questions in the face of 鈥渄eep political failure,鈥� in 鈥渓ong-term movements for dignity and for justice,鈥� she said, the 鈥減ower of narrative 鈥� holds true for issues across the globe and right here in our backyards, right here in the United States.鈥�
鈥淎s the struggle in Israel and Palestine continues today,鈥� she added, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 thank you more for the award tonight, and for the recognition. But may it be a tribute to the Palestinians and Israelis, the human rights defenders, community organizers, activists, and journalists, who despite all odds, resist the notion that the world as it is will always be, and instead hold up a vision for not only what is possible, but what is already underway.鈥�
鈥淎nd more importantly,鈥� she closed, 鈥淚 ask those in this room, those who have gathered here today, to stand with them, to stand with the people, the women, the men, the youth, who are striving for something greater than ourselves. Support them. Champion them, and make sure that they flourish. Thank you so much.鈥�