Against the Odds
In the sections below we take a look at many brave men and women who are trying – against all odds – to build a future for Palestine.
14 year-old Aseel Abu Aleil, Aseel Alshaarand Noor Alarada from Nablus have invented an beeping walking stick for visually impaired people. The stick has a downward-pointing sensor to warn of pot-holes and stairwells, helping blind people find their way in the refugee camps. “The idea of the stick came to us from watching…
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon face extreme social discrimination. They are banned from owning property and from working in over 70 professions. This means that despite their education, they are forced to work in menial jobs, with the majority suffering from extreme poverty. Iqbal al-Assad is a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon…
The people of Gaza have suffered from violent oppression, siege, occupation and forced displacement. The on-going fear and injustice they face has devastated generations of Palestinians. Soha Alqeshawi grew up in Gaza, and despite the daily oppressions, she dreamed of being part of the space programme. This may have seemed…
Palestinians in the West Bank suffer from severe restrictions on movement which cut off access to farmland, sites of employment, schools and medical care. Palestinians are also subjected to unwarranted arrests, house demolitions and settler violence and expansion. Reyad Sawafta is from the Palestinian city of Tubas in the West…
Gaza has been under siege for 8 years, preventing the import of essential items that enable Palestinians to lead normal lives. This includes gas and fuel, meaning that the majority are prevented from travelling, cooking or heating their homes. Ibrahim Saad lives in the Gaza Strip and developed a way…