Dr. and Mrs. Raouf J. Halaby are pleased to announce the establishment of the Katrina and Beatrice Halaby Scholarship for Palestinian Women. Born in Palestine, Katrina and Beatrice moved in 1959 from Jerusalem, Palestine, to Beirut, Lebanon. In 1977 they moved to Redwood City, CA.

Katrina Halaby

A graduate of the Beirut, Lebanon-based British Syrian College for Women, Katrina Halaby  dedicated her life to teaching in pre-Nakba Palestine, first, at her alma mater, the Friends Girls High School, Ramallah, Palestine, then, in post 1948 Nakba, at the Palestinian village schools of Beit Safafa and Abu Gosh in Occupied Palestine. And for over fifteen years Katrina Halaby taught at the UNRWA Palestinian schools in the Burj El Barajneh, Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, whereupon she became the first female principal in the UNRWA school system. In 1947, Katrina Halaby was widowed at age 37. Among her many accomplishments, she raised  and helped educate her five  children, all of whom are college graduates;  teaching generations of Palestinian children in Palestine and Lebanon; and adhering to the notion that education is the best passport Palestinians could possess, both under occupation and in diaspora.

Beatrice Halaby

After dropping out of college for several years to help educate her younger brothers, in 1973 Beatrice Rima Halaby  was awarded a degree in Business Education from the Beirut College for Women. In 1986 and at the age of 49, Beatrice was awarded a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Organizational Skills from the University of San Francisco.

This mother-daughter team were strong advocates for Human Rights and Women’s Rights, especially the rights of the dispossessed Palestinians. They were also strong supporters of the many organizations that support the destitute victims of hatred and wars across the world. Until the last week of her life (November 29, 2021), Beatrice Halaby admonished her brother to support MECA, The Four Homes of Mercy, and Doctors without Borders “because they help the destitute, the sick, and the refugees¾as we were.”

This scholarship is a fulfilment of Raouf and Rachel’s pledge to honor Beatrice’s request to continue supporting MECA’s educational mission. The scholarship is set up to provide higher education opportunities for Palestinian women (of all ages) from the Occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip.

Shatha Abu Obaida, Katrina and Beatrice Halaby Scholarship Recipient
Pharmacy Major, Al-Azhar university, Gaza

Shatha Abu Obaida’s family is originally from Beer Al-Saba’a, the large region renamed Beer Sheva after it was captured by Israeli forces in 1948 and the original Muslim and Christian residents were expelled to Gaza. Shatha now lives in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza. Growing up, she endured the death of her mother and a terrible gas accident in her home.

Shatha says:

“When I entered college and started studying the basic subjects such as cell biology and organic chemistry, I realized that pharmacy is more than wonderful, rich in useful and varied information, as it combines the science of chemistry and the science of medicine.

After graduating, I aspire to enroll in a master’s degree and then work as a pharmacist, maybe eventually opening my own pharmacy. I’m also interested in learning drug manufacturing processes and monitoring the therapeutic and medical specifications of medications.

I look to the future with confidence in the direction of my dreams. I will work to complete my studies with excellent grades.”