Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All
8 March 2010
Monday 8 March 2010 is International Women’s Day. It is a global day to recognise and celebrate women’s achievements, and to look ahead to the opportunities that await future generations.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is marking the day with events across its five fields, including bazaars, workshops and film screenings.
Over the next week we will profile stories of refugee women UNRWA has helped.
Literacy helps reconnect mother and son
Amal Moh’d Fayyad’s eldest son has been in prison in Israel for seven years, but she is unable to leave Gaza to visit him because of the blockade of the Strip. Amal cannot even write him letters because she cannot read or write, having left school at 14. Read Amal's story
“I decided to break the chains tying me up”
After family problems caused her stress and depression, Ibtisam Akieleh found support with a group of other Gazan women – and realised she was not alone. With this help, and her own willpower, Ibtisam was able to come off her medication.
Read Ibtisam's story
Women train their sights on the future in Nahr el-Bared
Women from the destroyed Nahr el-Bared camp in Lebanon are rebuilding their lives – and their businesses – thanks to specialised training courses.
Read about the training
Computers help Gazan woman reach “another world”
After years of being unable to contact her son in Algeria, 65-year-old Gazan Amena Al Ajrami has learned to use computers to communicate with her son and grandchildren. Read Amena’s story
From School Dropouts to Star Students – Lebanon
Walaa and Hanadi are close friends from Ein el Hillweh camp in Lebanon. Both girls left school very young. To tackle their low self-esteem, UNRWA offered them places on a vocational photography course.
Read Walaa and Hanadi’s story
Rana Saleh: “I dreamed of completing my education”
Twenty-seven-year-old Rana Saleh explains how she overcame a difficulty upbringing to become the sole provider for her family – and an acclaimed seamstress.
Read Rana’s story
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