GAZA GIRLS
Connecting young women living in Gaza
with peers worldwide to build understanding.
Our Gaza programming is currently suspended. Please consider supporting direct humanitarian aid to women living in Gaza by donating via the links below:
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https://www.womenforwomen.org/palestine​
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​In 2019, Tomorrow's Women created Gaza Girls, an innovative 10-week program that overcomes the harsh circumstances and limitations on travel and opportunity young women in Gaza face every day and connects them with a peer-to-peer support network and skills building. The Gaza Girls program is led by expert Palestinian facilitators and includes the following opportunities:
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A peer-to-peer support network of Palestinians living in the West Bank
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Safe spaces to build understanding, gain confidence, and inspire action
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Leadership, compassionate listening, authentic speaking, and emotional resiliency skills-building
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Global connections with teenage peers in New Mexico, U.S. participating in Tomorrow's Women’s U.S. Peace Ambassador program
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Learn more about life in Gaza directly from our 2023 program alumni through their storytelling exchange with our Peace Ambassadors in New Mexico. The Peace Ambassadors also created this video telling the story of one Gaza Girls alum.
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"This program gave me a safe space to share things I’ve never talked about before." – Gaza Girl, age 25
"It gives me so much power and hope to realize that despite our differences, we can open up to each other and take a chance to be truly human." – Gaza Girl, age 22
In 2004, Bessan Abuelaish, a 15-year-old from Gaza, came to our camp in New Mexico. Despite the many hardships she had faced during her young life, Bessan refused to give up hope for peace. Five years later, Bessan, along with her two sisters and a cousin, were tragically killed by Israeli tank shells fired at their home.
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Bessan’s (1988-2009) memory lives on through her father Izzeldin Abuelaish, a medical doctor who worked in Israeli hospitals, and who published a book in remembrance of her called I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity. Tomorrow’s Women co-founder and filmmaker Debra Sugerman created the documentary film Broken as a tribute to her legacy as a peacemaker. The Gaza Girls program is dedicated to Bessan and all those affected by war and violence.
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Image: Malak Mattar