Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund annual newsletter March 2021 is here. Read about how our students have struggled to continue their studies in the Covid-19 pandemic with intermittent internet access. Please continue supporting these amazing women in the Gaza Strip and West Bank
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Latest Scholarship Fund newsletter published
The annual newsletter from the Fund is online. It includes interviews with some of our students, including a nursing student Waed Barjat Abu Sweerih. She had a message for the Fund: ‘Thank you, Sheffield Women’s Scholarship Fund. You brought us out of our homes to learn and become stronger and you gave us hope, which is most needed in Gaza’. Read more here
‘Inspiring’ the Scholarship Fund 10th anniversary event
Inspiring and Uplifting. These two words were repeated by many of the people present at the Scholarship Fund’s 10th anniversary event in Sheffield Town Hall, marking International Women”s Day 2017.
The town hall reception room was packed to hear the stories of the students who have received scholarships since 2007. The stories are moving and full of hope despite the reality of life in Gaza,
Please pass my deep feelings of love and gratitude to all in Britain connected to the Sheffield Scholarship Fund. You have opened a new window in the dark sky of living in Jabalia under occupation. Sama Wadi, Jabalia refugee camp, 2008
I really appreciate the efforts made by the women’s group in Sheffield to help and support Palestinian women. The scholarships show there’s justice in the world and they tell us that we deserve to live a decent life as in the rest of the world. Thank you from the depth of my heart. Maisaa Salah Abu Khadra, Bureij refugee camp, 2016
Thanks to the Lord Mayor, Cllr Denise Fox and the
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Anne Murphy for hosting the event and welcoming the Fund. The Lord Mayor’s words of support for the students and for the work of Fund was really appreciated.
Thanks to our speakers, Kholoud Ajarma and Musheir El Farra. Thanks to Sheffield Socialist Choir for opening the event with song.
The Scholarship Fund is aiming to raise £23k this year to bring the total sent out to Gaza of £100k in 10 years. Please support us to reach this target. Email for details: sheffieldpwsf@yahoo.co.uk
Scholarship Fund 10th anniversary newsletter
“I am proud of what we have done together” Mona El Farra in Gaza tells Julia South, our newsletter editor.
The Scholarship Fund is proud of what we have achieved in our first ten years, starting with three students in 2007 to supporting 39 in 2017-17. Our special 10th anniversary newsletter includes interviews with students who have graduated and how supporters of the Fund have raised money and awareness throughout the year.
With special thanks to Dr Mona El Farra and Wafaa El Derawi in Gaza and for Julia South in Sheffield for writing and editing the newsletter.
Read what a difference your support has made and then come and celebrate these achievements at the 10th anniversary event on Wednesday 8th March in Sheffield Town Hall from 7-9pm. See our flyer: International Womens Day Sheffield March 8th 2017
With all the troubling news in the headlines, this is a chance to celebrate solidarity and social action – we can make a difference!
Celebrate International Women’s Day with Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund
To mark Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund 10th Anniversary, we are holding a celebration event on International Women’s Day, March 8th 2017 in Sheffield Town Hall at 7pm.
Full information here: International Womens Day Event
Hosted by the Lord Mayor, Denise Fox, with songs from Sheffield Socialist Choir, stories from our scholarship students, speeches from Sheffield PSC activist Musheir El Farra and Palestinian woman speaker Kholoud Al Ajarma on the power of women’s education.
All welcome to celebrate how Sheffield has shown its solidarity with Palestinian women students in Gaza, Palestine.
Event is part of SheFest
2017 is 10th anniversary year for Scholarship Fund
Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund sponsored its first three women students into university in Gaza in 2007. This year we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary and aiming to reach the target of sending out a total of £100,000 over 10 years.
To reach this target we need to raise £23,000 by June 2017. We have raised £19,000 to date, so are well on the way. There are events planned during the year including an International Women’s Day celebration in Sheffield Town Hall on Wednesday 8th March at 7.00pm. The event is being hosted by the Lord Mayor’s Office.
Come and join us to celebrate the students who have gained degrees and those we are currently supporting. Hear their stories and see their achievements.
This year’s Scholarship Fund students announced
Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund is supporting 41 Palestinian women into university in Gaza this year. The students are studying a range of subjects from medicine to English Literature, from Law to Sociology. See the full list here and watch the video of students who have received funding this year: جمعية آفاق جديدة – منحة شيفلد
There are some this changes this year as we have been asked by the organising committee in Gaza to alter how much we pay for each scholarship. One university has reduced its fees to $500, others remain at $600 but medical and health related courses vary from $1-1500. By paying the additional fees for the medical and health related subjects, we are able to support Palestinian women to aspire and achieve.
However on top of this, the exchange rate this year has been very poor. This means that though we sent out more money than last year, it is worth less in dollars. Therefore, this year we are sponsoring 41 students (in 2015/16 we sponsored 43 students).
Please join us in wishing our students an enjoyable and successful year.
Read interviews with our Scholarship Fund students
The Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund has published its annual newsletter. Read about the students we sponsor – about their families, their lives and how important it is for them to be able to study at university. It is inspiring.
Thank you to all our supporters – we couldn’t do it without you.
Scholarship Fund has new bank account
The Scholarship Fund has a new account as of this week – just in time before the Co-Operative Bank closed down our account.
We have opened an account with Yorkshire Building Society, They have a special ‘registered charities account’ which pays a small amount of interest. So that will only add to the amazing contributions you send to us.
These are the details of our new account:
Name: Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund
Bank: Yorkshire Building Society, Yorkshire House, Leopold Street, Sheffield S1 1RQ
Sort Code: 60 92 04
Account number: 98676538
Reference: 07
In solidarity
Sara Gowen
Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund
£1700 raised for Scholarship Fund this weekend
Two successful fundraising events this weekend in Sheffield and Saddleworth have raised £1700 towards scholarships for Palestinian women in Gaza.
In Sheffield, the Top Shelalas sang to a packed crowd at the Broomspring Centre, raising £800.
Saddleworth PWSF had an amazing fundraising event on Sunday 11 October. Over 70 people came to the event and heard a moving and powerful presentation by Dr Mona El-Farra from Gaza. Her description of life under occupation and of the resilience shown by Palestinians spoke to us all. We were also delighted to welcome our local MP, Debbie Abrahams, who also addressed the meeting.
We raised in the region of £950 (money is still coming in) and, as importantly, raised awareness of life under occupation and the challenges faced by women wishing to gain access to higher education
Our thank to everyone who supported the event’