Al Fakhoora’s Dynamic Futures Programme has been able to provide economic empowerment to Palestinian youths as 73% alumni of the programme obtained job opportunities, both short-and long-term.
Al Fakhoora, a programme of Education Above All Foundation, unveiled yesterday the impact assessment of the Dynamic Futures Programme, which has been active in Gaza since 2009 in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report showcases the outstanding results achieved impacting the lives of Palestinian youths in terms of interpersonal skills and employment opportunities.
Five-hundred-eighty students have benefitted from the Fakhoora scholarship programme, with a balanced male-female representation of 550 undergraduates and 30 graduates. Participants engaged in a variety of life skills training and volunteering activities, reported that they felt an increase in self-confidence, communication skills as well as a strong sense of pride.
One student expressed the benefits of the programme explaining that it helped in “breaking the barriers of fear, shame, confusion and lack of personal skills and boosting self-confidence”.
Farooq Burney, director, Al Fakhoora, said: “The Al Fakhoora programme truly empowers Palestinian youth to become leaders of their communities as well as world through education. We are proud to see the direct impact of our academic programmes and trainings on the lives of youth in Gaza. The results are very rewarding and encouraging. We will continue our efforts to support the education sector in the Gaza Strip”.
The report takes a holistic approach to assessing progress over the past five years of the programme, taking into account responses from former participants, participating educational institutions, implementing partners and other stakeholders.
As many as 214 participants have successfully completed academic programmes and 75% of students achieved a Grade Point Average (GPA) range between outstanding to very good. High GPAs are partly due to the security felt by the students, allowing them to fully concentrate on their education.
In addition, 21 classrooms benefitted from new IT equipment and 42 academic staff were trained over four courses.
About 82% of students expressed satisfaction with services provided by student affairs managed by Al Fakhoora. Another 90% of students felt that the programme helped them value the importance of voluntary work, particularly needed in a context like Gaza. Some 44% of students are already involved in community services.