91短视频

Maha Mehanna, a graduate student at 91短视频鈥檚 (CJP), spoke as the invited scholar at the 鈥檚 sixth annual gala dinner in Toronto, Canada. Mehanna, a Palestinian Muslim peace activist from Gaza, is the first recipient of a CJP scholarship that partners with the foundation.

Mehanna鈥檚 involvement in peacebuilding efforts in her native Gaza and in Israel has led to invitations to speak, lead and participate in workshops and seminars in the U.S., the Middle East and Europe. She first came to 91短视频 in 2016 to attend CJP鈥檚 as a Winston Fellow. She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in community development from the University of Calgary and a diploma in rehabilitation services from Mount Royal College.

Mehanna鈥檚 10-minute speech at the gala (shared in its entirety below) was greeted with a standing ovation from more than 400 guests.

Scroll down to read her speech.

Following Mehanna鈥檚 address and a panel discussion of other scholars, several awards were presented. Vera Baboun, the first female mayor of Bethlehem,聽was presented the Trailblazer Luminary Award. The Leadership Luminary Award went to neurosurgeon and philanthropist聽Dr. Michael Dan.聽Journalist聽Christiane Amanpour, who had visited Abuelaish鈥檚 destroyed apartment in Gaza while covering the family鈥檚 tragedy,聽was given the Lifetime Achievement Luminary Award.

The Daughters for Life Foundation (DFL) was founded in 2010 by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish in the memory of his three daughters, killed when an Israeli tank shelled their home in Gaza. Bessan, Mayar and Aya are honored each year with the awarding of educational scholarships to women from the Middle East. Approximately 55 scholars, 341 awardees and five fellows from diverse countries and representing diverse ethnicities, have benefited.

CJP鈥檚 partnership with the foundation is rooted in a two-day visit to 91短视频 in 2014 when Abuelaish, an obstetrician and gynecologist by training, spoke about peacebuilding through a medical lens, sharing experiences from an impoverished childhood in the Gaza Strip to medical school in Egypt and becoming the first Palestinian doctor on the staff of an Israeli hospital. His commitment to peacebuilding in the region and beyond was deepened when three of his daughters and a niece died during an attack by Israeli tanks in 2009.

A scholarship fund for a female Middle East student to embark on graduate studies in conflict transformation at 91短视频 was eventually established, gaining a firm foundation through the generous donations of longtime CJP donors James and Marian Payne. In fall 2017, CJP partnered with Abuelaish鈥檚 foundation to host an in Washington D.C.

Out of this event grew further plans for a February 2018 weekend of theatrical performances by the Washington D.C.-based Mosaic Theater, underwritten by the Paynes. Two of the four performances were of the play adaptation of Abuelaish鈥檚 best-selling memoir 鈥淚 Shall Not Hate.鈥� The event raised聽more than $40,300, including donations from the weekend鈥檚 performances, towards the estimated cost of $43,200 to cover two years of study (this total includes tuition, travel, living expense and health insurance).

Maha Mehanna鈥檚 speech

Good evening everybody,

Allow me first to thank Daughters For Life Foundation represented by its Founder Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish for inviting me to address this important gala today. I am deeply honored to be here with you.

My name is Maha Mehanna. I am a freethinking woman, single by choice, born and raised in Gaza. If you are sitting here today, you already know that Gaza is many times referred to as the world鈥檚 largest open-air-prison, and for good reasons. Reviewing those reasons would not be a good use of our time. If you are sitting here in this hall, you already know about them in greater or lesser detail. Israel鈥檚 own historians have documented them very thoroughly.

I received my bachelor鈥檚 degree in community development from the University of Calgary, and I have also obtained a diploma in rehabilitation services from Mount Royal College.

Being a woman in Gaza聽has never been聽easy. Throughout my life, I encountered countless obstacles, hardships and challenges, and tried against all odds to fight for my life, freedom and education and build my future.

In my community, women are generally persuaded to marry at an early age through family-arranged marriages. My four sisters accepted our family鈥檚 arranged marriage decisions and they married before reaching the age of 18. All of them now mothers of many children.

I always wanted to be educated and decided to pursue my education and not to respond to family pressure and accept a traditional arranged marriage. When I was in my last year of high school, I rejected several arranged marriages my family had decided on for me. I had a very difficult time over my decision, but I never gave up, and kept fighting for my dream. My dream at the time was to get a university degree, get a job and be independent. I was driven toward independence.

After graduating from high school, I received two full Canadian scholarships; the first one to study for a two-year undergraduate diploma at Mount Royal College, and the other one two years later to study for a BA degree at the University of Calgary. I was top of my class at my university, and I graduated with distinction. Shortly after my graduation, I worked for local and international organizations in Gaza. While I was working in Gaza, I took full responsibility for my parents and siblings still at home; I paid their living expenses and bills. None of that was appreciated; it was simply expected, because I was still single, by choice.

I always wanted to go on and earn a master鈥檚 degree abroad, but I had to put that dream on hold for several years because I did not have enough resources to study abroad. Unfortunately, I was stuck in Gaza, but I never relinquished my dream of getting a master鈥檚 degree abroad. I kept holding on to the hope that I would make this dream come true one day, and I never gave up.

One of the major events that impacted my path was the strict siege that has been imposed on Gaza for more than 11 years. It has cut off the Palestinians in Gaza from the rest of the world and made life nearly unbearable. This siege made me feel like an imprisoned bird in a huge cage. I felt that my life had stopped, and I began to lose hope of getting out of Gaza to pursue my dream. Despite the extremely difficult situation in Gaza, I chose to stick to hope, and never give up, no matter what.

I am currently on my third try to complete a master鈥檚 degree. I had to abort my first attempt at the American university in Cairo, Egypt when I could not get out of Gaza to complete the residency portion. Everything I had invested in that attempt went down the drain.聽After that, I was granted a full tuition scholarship to the SOAS university of London but could not raise enough money I would need for living expenses in London. I had to decline the scholarship, but I did not give up. Now (my third attempt) I am halfway to a master鈥檚 in conflict transformation at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) of 91短视频 (91短视频), Virginia after being awarded the Daughters For Life scholarship. It took me several months to obtain all necessary travel permits from the Israeli border authorities to be able to cross the borders and travel to the US through Amman/Jordan to pursue my master鈥檚 degree.

As a recipient for the Daughters For Life scholarship this year, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for Daughters For Life and their support and generous contribution. I am deeply honored to be one of this year鈥檚 scholarship recipients, and I am grateful for the opportunities this award provided me. Receiving this scholarship helps me reduce my financial burdens and provides assistance for me as I continue pursuing my master鈥檚 degree.

Joining the CJP master鈥檚 program has been my dream since I was awarded the Winston Fellowship to the CJP Summer Peacebuilding Institute at 91短视频 in summer 2016. I found that the CJP master鈥檚 program corresponds well with my future plans to do practical work for organizations dedicated to helping women and girls in my country 鈥淧alestine鈥�. It was my ambition to be admitted and further my educational and training goals in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding and gain extensive knowledge for my professional work.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank CJP/91短视频 for welcoming me to their community, treating me with dignity and respect, and making me feel at home.

Once again, I can鈥檛 thank Daughters for Life enough for generously supporting me with a full scholarship. I would also like to thank each and every one of you for supporting the Daughters for Life Foundation in helping young women achieve their dreams. Your support made it possible for me, and other Daughters for Life scholars, to pursue our dreams of studying at great universities and equip us with necessary tools and skills to go back home and make a difference. This scholarship made a huge difference in my life and enabled me to spread my wings and pursue my passion fearlessly. It is a privilege to be awarded this scholarship, and it motivates me to focus on my studies with renewed confidence while still enjoying my university life.

I will end my words with a message to all women and girls in Palestine, the Middle East and all over the world. 鈥淣ever doubt yourself… Never doubt that you are enough… Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your dreams… Keep fighting for your life, freedom and education… And never give up.鈥�

Thank you.