The program, which began in 2006, currently sponsors 38 women to further their four-year education at the university level. Each student selected is awarded $1,000 to help pay for tuition, books and supplies to last the semester.
"If these women weren’t able to receive these scholarships, they would probably have to delay their schooling for the semester; but we won’t let that happen," said Muna Coobtee, a PAWA volunteer for three years at the iftar which took place at the Diamond Bar Community Center.
In addition to providing scholarships for Palestinian students, PAWA also provides one scholarship each year for an American student to travel to Palestine.
The scholarship, named after student activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer, gives students the opportunity to live and study in Palestine with the understanding that when they return, they will travel to college campuses and speak about their experiences.
"It was a bitter-sweet experience," reflected Samar Mahbouba, the 2007 recipient of the Rachel Corrie scholarship. "Palestine has a historical and religious significance like no other place in the world, and yet I felt guilty because the Palestinians cannot pray in their sacred mosques like I could, or go to the beaches that I did, because they do not have a passport."
At the event, keynote speaker Dr. Jess Ghannam, chief of Medical Psychology at the University of San Francisco, spoke about the declining health care in Gaza.
Since being declared an "enemy entity" by Israel in mid-September, Gaza patients’ medicines, food and other necessities have been delayed.
"While Palestinians are dying, the world is closing its eyes. As health care gets worse, the world is closing its eyes.. … Every time an olive tree is uprooted, we die a slow death. Every time the wall is built another kilometer, we die a slow death," Ghannam said.
Although his message was a solemn one, Ghannam, like many others who volunteer with PAWA, is hopeful that one day Palestinians will be able to reclaim their lands.
"It’s our right (to return to Palestine.) It’s our right according to international law. But even if you take that away, it’s our basic human right to return to our homes," Coobtee said.
