With the help of our partnerships with universities in Canada and the United States, we are able to provide scholarships to young women in the Middle East who want a better future for themselves and their community. 439 applications were received; 272 for undergraduates and 167 for graduates and we were able to pick four amazing women who met all the criteria for the 2019/2020 scholarship. We had applicants from all over the Middle East, with majority from Palestine, Egypt and Jordan.

One of the scholars will be representing Daughters For Life Foundation at the University of Calgary as our first ever scholar there. This is our first partnership with the University and we are certain we will continue this partnership in the future. A new partnership with Brock University has enabled us to provide a graduate scholarship as well. We are excited about these new partnerships and are fortunate to continue to help young women fulfill their potential.

The Daughters for Life Foundation is proud to introduce the inspiring and accomplished young women who have been chosen as the recipients of our 2019 scholarships. We welcome, Saja Saymeh, Rasha Aljbour Almajali, Liyan Alkawafhah and Waed Hassan. Full scholarships have been awarded to each of these scholars from across the Middle East in order to assist them in their pursuit of higher education in universities throughout Canada.

Liyan Alkawafhah will be studying at the University of Calgary in the International Relations program. As a new academic partner with DFL and we could not be more proud to have Liyan be the first representative of the Foundation at this great institution. Liyan has a passion to close the social, economic and educational divides in her community. She applied to the Youth for Human Rights Committee and became the first delegate under 18 to represent Jordan at the UN. She also became part of the organizing team of Jordan’s first World Youth Forum, enabling promising youth to make a change.

She believes studying International Relations in Canada where there is diversity will be a great opportunity for her personal and academic development. She speaks English, Arabic & French excellently and Spanish moderately.

Rasha Aljbour Almajali a 17 year old Jordanian who will be attending York University to pursue a degree in Commerce with special interest in Human Resources Management. This is the third year York University will welcome students through the Daughters For Life scholarship program. She founded a social club called, ‘Building Bridges’. In this club, students from her high school meet with members of the club and have one-on-one interactions to spark dialogue.

Along with excelling academically, Rasha spends her time volunteering for organizations that seek to empower women through sports and refugee children through camp activities. She has also had the opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, where she helped build

a house for a family in need. Rasha has completed an internship in the Human Resources department of a pharmaceutical company; which has given her invaluable experience and skills while also driving her to continue her education in the business and Human Resource field.

Waed Hassan, who first joined the DFL family as a scholar for her undergraduate studies will continue her education at Brock University to complete a Master of Arts, English degree. This is the first graduate scholarship to be awarded by DFL at Brock University and Waed could not be more deserving. She is one of our Palestinian scholars and a recent graduate of Manhattanville College, in the Unites States. She graduated Summa cum Laude and English Department Honors.

Hassan is an avid writer who has published a poem with Z Publishing house and a short story with the Ocotillo Review.

Talent, hardship, strength and a unique story is a commonality between all our new scholars; and DFL is proud to welcome four passionate young women and provide them with the opportunity of pursuing higher education.

For all of these women, and many others around the world, education is not an easy or clear path. It is one that is often blocked off completely or filled with obstacles. It is a very difficult road for many women to go down, especially without any assistance from their communities. Our new scholars are all well aware of the difficulties that come with pursuing an education, and they have all persevered against the challenges they’ve met along the way. They have all worked hard to make sure that nothing gets between them and their desire to learn and grow.

Saja Saymeh is a Palestinian refugee living in Nusairt Camp located in the Gaza Strip. She will be attending Wilfrid Laurier University and will pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. She currently spends her time volunteering with community mental health programs as well as working on projects that aim to offer cultural and artistic activities for children living in disadvantaged areas. Saja hopes to give back to her community and offer support to Palestinian refugees by instilling positivity in the youth and women of Palestine.

Saja lives her life by lessons taught by her mother; education is a priority and there is value in hard work and dedication. Her mission is to fulfill her dream of obtaining quality higher education in order to be a voice for the Palestinian community.