Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECA's Director of Gaza Projects, meets with scholarship recipients in Gaza. In these meetings she explains about MECA's work and lets them know these scholarships are from people who support them and their cause. She also discusses with them about the role of youth in society and why it is important to invest in education. Credit: Mohammed Majdalawi

In addition to supporting pre-schools, kindergartens, libraries and other educational programs in the West Bank and Gaza, MECA provides financial assistance to young Palestinian university students. Our scholarship funds enable talented and ambitious high school graduates to obtain degrees, and the skills to make important contributions to their communities and their country.

In 2009 MECA provided partial or full scholarships for 100 Palestinian students studying at eleven universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These young people are Palestine's next generation of teachers, dentists, nurses, engineers, translators, and much more. Their scholarships were made possible through generous donations to the Elly Jaensch Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Tree of Life Scholarship Fund. MECA also provided scholarships for two students, Keyan and Ahmed, studying at universities in the United States through the Ramzy Halaby Education Fund. Both Keyan and Ahmed will be graduating in December 2009.

"I would like to thank MECA for the scholarship and for your care for the students in Gaza, especially in this difficult financial period caused by the war and siege. The scholarship comes at a great time for me because I couldn't afford the tuition to continue my studies this year. I love to work with people and to help them and this is the reason that I am studying in the Medical College. I'm happy because I can be a volunteer in Al-Taher Center now and help my community while I continue my studies."
-Taghreed Al-Amawi, 22-year-old medical student at Al-Azhar University, Gaza