Education is a sacred endeavor for Palestinians. Through history and due to their multiple plights, Palestinians have come to realize that education is the gift that can’t be confiscated, demolished, or occupied. The Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship Fund has helped 3,000 Palestinian students realize their dream of higher education. UPA awards full-degree scholarships that cover a substantial amount of student’s tuition to study at leading universities in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jordan.
Recipients are nominated by universities and must demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and a desire to give back to their community and nation. By assisting students to attend local universities, UPA seeks to buttress Palestinian higher education and encourage the development of an independent, sustainable Palestinian economy.
In 2018, the University Scholarship Program was renamed the Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship Fund in honor of Mahmoud Darwish’s vast literary contribution to Palestinian literature and in collaboration with the Mahmoud Darwish Foundation. 2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of Mahmoud Darwish’s passing, the 30th anniversary of UPA’s scholarship program, and the 40th anniversary of UPA.
Scholarships are provided by generous donors like you as well by the members of Iqraa. Iqraa is a running group based in Washington, DC that raises funds for the Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship Fund.
Meet Some of Our Participants
Zainab
Zainab is not afraid to push boundaries
“Impossible shouldn’t be a word in our dictionaries!”
Marwa
Marwa hopes to give back to her community in Gaza by becoming a doctor.
“I know that my career choice will help to ease the suffering of my people. Also, I want to work to rebuild the patient/doctor relationship.”
Moetasem
Moetasem is studying technology in Gaza.
“Opportunities do not exist for us, we must create our opportunities; never to give up on your ambitions.”
Razan
Razan is an Arabic major at Bethlehem University and is defying the odds.
“They [the occupation] don’t want us to be an educated society nor to be aware of the reality we live in. They don’t want us to learn, so we defy them and we persist in our studies.”
Ibrahim
Ibrahim is a medicine Major at Al Azhar University in Gaza and has his eyes set on the future.
“I want to open a large clinic with many doctors – classmates and older doctors – to ensure that they benefit the community. Thank you, UPA, my life’s path has changed because of you.”
Laith
Laith is a graphic design major at Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture in Bethlehem, hoping to work as a graphic artist.
“Education is very important to me. It broadens my horizons, especially in my major, graphic design, because there are some things we can only communicate through visual means. As for Palestinians, we are a nation under occupation, and education allows us to express our culture in artistic and unconventional ways.”
Riham
Riham is an education major at Bethlehem University, hoping to become a teacher.
“When United Palestinian Appeal gave me the scholarship it helped me a lot and made me optimistic that I can finish college. It also helps us have the motivation to finish and to give back the same way we were given. And when I graduate, God willing, I will give as much as I can and I will volunteer.”