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GAZA GIRLS

Connecting young women living in Gaza

with peers worldwide to build understanding.     

back to: What We Do

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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

  • Safe spaces to build understanding, gain confidence, and inspire action

  • Leadership, compassionate listening, authentic speaking, and emotional resiliency skills-building

  • 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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She Writes, She Leads is a four-week program designed to support women in Gaza through storytelling, self-expression, and leadership development starting May 1st, 2026. The initiative creates a safe and encouraging space where participants can reflect on their life experiences, transform personal challenges into powerful narratives, and build confidence in sharing their voices. Through guided sessions, women will strengthen their writing, communication, and emotional expression skills while discovering the leadership qualities they already carry through resilience and everyday experiences.

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The program will engage 18–20 women aged 18–35, including university students, graduates, displaced women, and those interested in personal growth. Over eight interactive sessions, participants will learn the foundations of short story writing, explore story elements, and take part in practical workshops where they write, discuss, and analyze their own stories. In addition, five selected participants will collaborate with five American girls from the Peace Ambassadors program through interviews and shared media content, creating meaningful cross-cultural connections and amplifying women’s voices on social media.

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Learn more about life in Gaza directly from our 2024 program alumni on our Substack, or 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

Gaza Girls 2023

GazaGirlsBessan.jpg

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

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