Women’s Empowerment Schemes
An-Najah National University (ANNU) strongly believes in gender equality and is committed to providing women with equal access opportunities to education, research, and professional development. The University implements mentoring, scholarships, targeted support programmes, and access schemes that foster a supportive environment for women to enrol, excel, and lead in academic and professional fields.
These provisions include women-specific scholarship schemes, inclusive technical and vocational education, mentoring, career guidance, and entrepreneurship support. University-delivered schemes and partner-supported opportunities together help address financial, informational, and professional barriers facing women.
Women’s Access Schemes examples from 2025
Scholarships Supporting Female Students in Technical and Vocational Education
Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology, part of ANNU, implements the Thabiri/GRIT project with the Lutheran World Federation and Canadian Lutheran World Relief, supported by the Government of Canada. The project ran from 2019 to the end of 2025 and promotes gender-responsive and inclusive technical and vocational education, including opportunities for women and girls with disabilities.
A report published on 18 December 2025 documents a visit by the Thabiri delegation and Canadian government representatives. The delegation met female students benefiting from Thabiri scholarships for the 2025/2026 academic year. Students explained how the scholarships supported their educational journeys and enabled them to pursue specialised technical and vocational fields. The visit also reviewed project-supported facilities, including the Internet of Things laboratory, carpentry workshop, and occupational health and safety laboratory.
Female scholarship beneficiaries and project achievements — 18 December 2025 | GRIT project overview
Training Mentoring and Entrepreneurship Support with Strong Female Participation
ANNU and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organised the Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development Forum on 21 June 2025. The University’s report, published on 30 June 2025, presented achievements of the “Green Jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities for Palestinian Youth in the Agri-Food Sector” project, coordinated by Dr. Heba Al-Fares.
The report states that more than 222 participants, 77% female, completed a 70-hour training programme covering sustainable agriculture, value chains, and green entrepreneurship. More than 130 participants received practical training opportunities at local institutions and companies. Participants also received training in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, alongside support during training, mentorship, and project implementation.
The report also identifies 37 selected projects from An-Najah students, with funding of up to USD 15,000 per project. These are programme-wide results reported in 2025; they are not female-only funding totals or counts of activities delivered exclusively during calendar year 2025.
Green entrepreneurship: training, female participation, mentoring, and project support — 30 June 2025 | Faculty report — 1 July 2025
Green Jobs Programme Completion and Continued Support
The Green Jobs project concluded on 1 July 2025, with its completion report published on 4 July 2025. The report documents training partnerships, certificates, and support for 37 student projects. InnoPark’s 30 July 2025 report reinforces the programme’s high female participation and describes incubator, technical, and professional guidance support. These publications relate to the same programme; their figures should not be added together.
Green Jobs closing report — 4 July 2025 | Faculty Green Jobs completion report | InnoPark women and youth training and incubation support — 30 July 2025
Supporting Women in Research through Practical Skills and Networking
On 29–30 April 2025, ANNU and the University of Naples Federico II co-organised Supporting Women in Research The Med Hub, supported by the SULIEIA project. The programme combined discussion of barriers facing women researchers with practical activities, including professional networking through LinkedIn, workshops, and interactive experience-sharing sessions. It provided female researchers and interested students with tools and networks supporting academic and professional participation.
University Mentorship Programme Launched in 2025
On 22 April 2025, ANNU announced its Global University Mentorship Programme, connecting faculty, staff, students, and alumni with peers and professionals locally and internationally through a virtual mentorship platform. The programme offers guidance and training in academic, administrative, research, and skills development fields.
This University-wide initiative complements ANNU’s women-focused mentoring structures and expands access to local and international guidance networks.
Global University Mentorship Programme launch — 22 April 2025 | Women’s Mentoring Scheme
Industry Internships and Mentoring for Female Students
ANNU’s Practical Training Center and industry partnerships provide women with access to practical experience and professional guidance. Two published 2025 examples demonstrate this provision:
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Masa Qazmouz, a Computer Engineering student, completed an internship at Asal-Aurora Technology in Rawabi, working with the Apple Full Stack Engineer team. Her account acknowledges the University, Practical Training Center, and professional supervisors for facilitating and supporting the opportunity. Internship and guidance report — 6 February 2025.
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Danah Al-Najjar, a Management Information Systems student, obtained an Asal Technology internship through a selection examination organised in cooperation with ANNU’s Practical Training Center. Her placement developed software quality assurance skills and included guidance and feedback from an industry mentor. Internship and mentoring report — 17 February 2025.
Professional Training and Field Placements for Female Law Students
A report published on 18 October 2025 documents a four-day training programme delivered through cooperation between ANNU’s Faculty of Law and Political Science and the Norwegian Refugee Council. Following the training, three female students were selected for a six-month work and training experience with the NRC team, combining office and field activities. This demonstrates an institutional partnership creating practical professional access opportunities for women students.
Educational Guidance for Prospective Female Students
On 19 March 2025, Hisham Hijjawi College’s Public Relations and Vocational Guidance team visited Al-Yarmouk Girls’ Secondary School in Nablus. The visit formed part of the College’s school guidance programme, introducing technical and vocational education and the College’s specialisations. It provided girls with information to support decisions about further education and technical study pathways.
Women Specific Scholarship Information for 2025 2026
ANNU publicised Ulster University’s Salam Scholarships for Palestinian Women for 2025/2026. Published on 9 December 2024, the announcement listed undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and graduate-entry medicine opportunities, covering tuition, accommodation, annual return travel, and living expenses. It also advertised an information briefing scheduled for 4 January 2025.
This demonstrates ANNU’s role in communicating scholarship opportunities to eligible women. The scholarships are provided by Ulster University; the announcement does not confirm awards to ANNU students or attendance at the scheduled briefing.
Salam Scholarships for Palestinian Women — 2025/2026 opportunity and briefing timetable
Women Specific Scholarships Publicised in November 2025
On 18 November 2025, ANNU published a women-specific call for Ulster University’s Salam Scholarships for 2026/2027, targeting Palestinian women with strong potential and limited opportunities to pursue higher education. The announcement described tuition, accommodation, travel, visa and health-related costs, living allowances, and materials support, alongside an online information briefing scheduled for 3 December 2025. This is evidence of scholarship information and application access provided during 2025 for a subsequent academic year.
In 2025, ANNU provided financial, mentoring, training, and educational guidance support to women through its access schemes. The University confirms the following results for the reporting year.
Research Funding Information with Explicit Encouragement for Women
On 29 September 2025, ANNU’s Academic and Professional Development Center publicised PARC research fellowships for 2026/2027. The announcement explicitly encouraged Palestinian women researchers to apply and drew attention to the women-specific Tanya Baker-Asad scholarship. It also advertised an Arabic information webinar for 27 October 2025. This documents targeted encouragement and application information delivered in 2025.
The University also publicised the Tanya Baker-Asad award for Palestinian women pursuing doctorates in humanities and social sciences on 13 October 2024. The notice described support of USD 5,000–25,000 and a full-application deadline of 10 January 2025 for invited applicants. These amounts describe the advertised award range, not confirmed funding received by ANNU beneficiaries.
Tanya Baker-Asad scholarship announcement and 2025 full-application deadline
Women’s Access Schemes Results in 2025
Mentoring and Capacity Building
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Women and Society Research Unit: provides mentoring, workshops, and awareness programmes on women’s empowerment, gender equality, and leadership.
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Academic Mentorship: University mentoring opportunities support academic guidance, skills development, and professional networking. Women-focused support is also described in the Women’s Mentoring Scheme.
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Professional Development Training (2024): leadership and entrepreneurship activities for female graduates, and soft skills and employability support for women entering the job market.
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Notable 2024 activity: entrepreneurship and curriculum-development training under the GRIT-Thabry project. Related historical report.
Women in STEM International Mentoring and Fellowship Information
ANNU publicised TechWomen 2025 on 22 December 2024, describing a five-week professional exchange and mentoring opportunity involving technology companies. The University also advertised Schlumberger Foundation fellowships for 2025/2026 on 8 October 2024, supporting women pursuing doctoral and postdoctoral research in STEM. These are dated publicity and application-access provisions for women; the notices do not establish how many ANNU applicants were selected.
TechWomen 2025 mentoring and professional exchange call | Schlumberger Foundation women in STEM fellowship call for 2025/2026
Scholarships and Financial Aid
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Equal-opportunity scholarships are open to eligible students, with encouragement for women to apply.
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Clarke Education Foundation Partnership (2025): ANNU signed a collaboration agreement supporting access to higher education for Palestinian women. The announcement describes eligibility for Palestinian refugee women, including academic achievement, financial need, and leadership potential.
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Darzah Incubator Project: historical scholarship and entrepreneurship support is documented in the 2023 scholarship agreement report.
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In 2025, 1249 scholarships were awarded to girls and young women, providing a historical foundation for the University’s continuing financial access schemes.
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Actual female Thabiri scholarship beneficiaries for 2025/2026 are documented in the December 2025 report.
Targeted Educational Programmes
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Women’s Studies Programme: a multidisciplinary pathway addressing gender relations and women’s participation in society, supporting postgraduate study and research.
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STEM and Technical Education Initiatives: orientation and guidance activities encourage female enrolment in engineering, ICT, and vocational education. See also Encouraging Women’s Enrollment in Underrepresented Fields.
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Awareness sessions in Jenin and Tulkarem, Nablus addressed inclusion of girls and girls with disabilities.
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Technical and vocational orientation days targeting girls remain part of the historical evidence, supplemented by the March 2025 girls’ school guidance visit.
International and Local Projects for Women
An-Najah National University works with international and local partners to expand women’s access to education, technical training, scholarships, mentoring, and entrepreneurship. These partnerships address financial, social, and accessibility barriers, including those experienced by women with disabilities and women from disadvantaged communities.
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GRIT–Thabry Project: Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Technical Education (2019–2025). Through Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology, the University participated in this Canadian-supported initiative implemented by the Lutheran World Federation and Canadian Lutheran World Relief. Support included scholarships for women and girls, inclusive laboratories and facilities, curriculum development, staff training, and community activities encouraging female participation in technical education. The project explicitly included women with disabilities. Project overview.
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Targeted Learning Support for Female Students with Disabilities—GRIT (2024). A documented example is the scholarship support and provision of a laptop to a female Graphic Design vocational diploma student. This combined financial and practical assistance helped her access technical education and develop employment-related skills. University news, 24 September 2025.
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GREENLAND Project and “New Training Opportunities” (historical; 2023 announcement). Under the EU-funded ENI CBC MED programme, Hisham Hijjawi College offered free training to women and young people aged 18 or above who were outside employment, education, or training. Courses covered renewable energy systems, green industrial engineering, electric and hybrid vehicle maintenance, and marketing and electronic marketing, alongside employability skills. The announcement invited women across Palestine to participate and described progression from online learning to advanced face-to-face training. Training announcement, 23 March 2025 | GREENLAND project reference.
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GROW Project—Full Scholarships for Female School Graduates (2020). Hisham Hijjawi College announced full scholarships for female secondary-school graduates to study the Renewable Energy Engineering diploma. The announcement identifies Canadian government funding, implementation by Cowater, and cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy and the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority. This provides a documented historical example of financial support encouraging women’s entry into a technical field. Scholarship announcement, 10 August 2025.
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Clarke Education Foundation Partnership—Higher Education Access for Palestinian Refugee Women (2024). The University signed a collaboration agreement with the Canadian Clarke Education Foundation to support women’s higher education. The Shawna Christianson Clarke Scholarship supports eligible Palestinian refugee women from the West Bank, with selection considering academic achievement, financial need, leadership potential, and commitment to study. This partnership strengthens educational access for women facing financial and displacement-related barriers. Partnership announcement, 18 February 2025.
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“She Succeeds”—Young Women’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship (2019–2023). Documented by the University’s Community Service Center, this historical project supported marginalized Palestinian women aged 19–29 in developing agricultural enterprises. Its approach combined entrepreneurial skills, access to productive resources, gender-sensitive agricultural extension, market connections, and seed funding for green innovations. The project framework included individual grants of up to USD 5,600 and cooperative grants of up to USD 15,000; these amounts represent grant ceilings rather than totals awarded by the University. Project description and eligibility.
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“Let’s Start Up”—Inclusive Support for Women with Disabilities and Mothers of Children with Disabilities (2020). The Deanship of Student Affairs and the Business Innovation and Partnership Center (NaBIC) organized an empowerment programme for women benefiting from “Let’s Start Up,” supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and EducAid. The training addressed confidence, stress management, coping strategies, and psychosocial wellbeing, supporting women experiencing overlapping social, economic, and disability-related barriers. University news, 29 November 2020.
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FAO Partnership—Green Jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities in the Agri-Food Sector (2025). Complementing the programme achievements reported above, this partnership demonstrates substantial female participation in university-delivered skills development: more than 222 young people completed 70 hours of training, and 77% were female. Training covered sustainable agriculture, value chains, and green entrepreneurship. More than 130 participants across the programme also accessed practical training with local institutions and companies; this placement figure covers both women and men. University report, 30 June 2025.
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EmpoweerNEET—Additional Skills and Mentoring Opportunities for Young Women and Men (2026). Through this EU-funded Interreg NEXT MED project, the University delivered a programme completed by 50 young women and men in September 2026. Training covered employment readiness, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital skills, communication, and leadership. It provides a complementary access pathway for young women outside education, employment, or training. The published report does not provide a female participant breakdown; wider project targets remain distinct from completed local activities. Completion report, 29 September 2026.
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New Opportunities (2025): training opportunities for women and youth in sustainable economy sectors. These historical descriptions are separate from the 2025-reported FAO programme achievements above.
Future Development Approved in 2025 INTexPaL
On 6 October 2025, Hisham Hijjawi College announced EU approval for the Innovative Textile for Palestine and Lebanon project (INTexPaL), intended to widen vocational education and employment opportunities for women and youth, including marginalised groups and Palestinian refugees. The project begins in January 2026; it is presented as a future access initiative approved in 2025, not as a scheme already delivered in 2025.
Research Fellowship Support and Female Leadership in 2025
ANNU’s report dated 28 April 2025 highlights Dr. Maryam Hmoudah’s completion of a joint doctoral programme and receipt of Schlumberger support to continue research at ANNU. This is a documented example of support for a woman’s research development.
On 16 June 2025, ANNU reported that engineering student Heba Al-Masri received an ASCE student leadership distinction. The report describes support from the student chapter supervisor, Faculty of Engineering, and Deanship of Student Affairs. This provides a concrete example of the mentoring and supportive environment surrounding women’s student leadership.
Student Exchange and Global Exposure
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Equal access to exchange programmes, with encouragement for female participation.
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Opportunities for female students include academic mobility, cultural exchange, and research internships abroad.
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The Salam Scholarship announcement and the 2025 Global University Mentorship Programme provide additional documented routes to international educational information and professional networks.
Erasmus Plus Research and Training Opportunities for Women in 2025
ANNU’s international training cooperation with Paris-Saclay provided documented research opportunities for women students during summer 2025. A report published on 15 September 2025 identifies female participants including Jana Suyani in physics, Nadia Blebla in computer engineering, and Lama Dweikat in computer engineering. Their work included accelerator magnets, statistical modelling, and astronomical software development, under the University’s international research cooperation.
Lama Dweikat’s account, published on 28 September 2025, describes a two-month placement developing an Android application for the Fink astronomical platform, alongside research teamwork and academic guidance. This is an individual example within the wider programme and is not counted as an additional participant to the completion report.
Lama Dweikat Paris-Saclay Erasmus placement — 28 September 2025 | Nadia Blebla Paris-Saclay placement | Jana Suyani physics research placement
The University’s 4 June 2025 Paris-Saclay training call provided an application route, eligibility information, required documents, programme duration, and a coordinator contact for applicants.
Paris-Saclay training call and application guidance — 4 June 2025
Mentored Research and Women’s Student Leadership
On 27 January 2025, ANNU reported the election of Kinda Hawash to a Middle East leadership position in the American Institute of Architecture Students for 2025/2026. The report identifies the University’s student chapter, Deanship of Student Affairs, and international participation as part of her supportive academic environment.
On 17 December 2025, ANNU reported Rasha Abu Kashk’s doctoral thesis defence in accelerator physics at Paris-Saclay, under Dr. Hadeel Abu Al-Rub’s supervision. This provides a further example of a woman’s advanced research pathway and academic mentorship.
Institutional Partnerships Supporting Women’s Participation
ANNU’s access provisions are reinforced by national and international cooperation. In September 2025, the University participated in the RMEIM workshop on gender equality in science, technology, and innovation at Sapienza University of Rome, presenting Palestinian women’s achievements and opportunities. In November 2025, ANNU participated in the women, peace, and education summit at the University of Iceland. These partnerships provide context for the University’s commitment to women’s participation; the scholarships, mentoring, training, and guidance described above demonstrate service provision.
Additional Women’s Empowerment Activity in 2025
The University’s Legal Clinic and Mothers’ School Society in Nablus organised a women’s legal awareness activity on 16 February 2025, covering family law, rights, and practical questions. This provides complementary evidence of community women’s empowerment; the scholarship and mentoring schemes above remain the principal evidence of women’s educational access.
Women’s Health and Wellbeing Support in 2025
Complementary activities included the Faculty of Nursing and Student Affairs exhibition on common women’s health issues, published on 25 May 2025, and the maternal mental health campaign completed on 14 May 2025, combining a campus exhibition with online awareness sessions. HR also organised a workshop on women’s health before and after childbirth on 26 February 2025, attended by 26 female staff members. These activities support the wider environment for women’s participation and wellbeing.
Additional 2025 women’s health education included the October breast cancer awareness campaign and a Biotechnology Association session on early detection. These are complementary wellbeing activities and are separate from the scholarship and mentoring results.
Related News and Historical Activities
The following historical activities demonstrate the development of ANNU’s women’s access and empowerment schemes over time.
Inclusive Community Skills Support for Women
The PAL GAP community resilience project provides a historical example of ANNU-supported training and technical inclusion for women beyond the student body. A report published on 10 June 2024 documents the participation of three female farmers in Shufa in the PAL GAP certification process. This is complementary community empowerment evidence, separate from female student access schemes.
Additional Historical Scholarships and Empowerment Evidence
Related Programme Information and Application Routes
Accessing Support
Women seeking support can consult the relevant University office and the scheme-specific announcements for eligibility, required documents, application dates, and available benefits. Scholarship calls have defined periods; historical announcements document provision in the reporting year.
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Scholarships and fellowships: Scholarships Office and the Academic and Professional Development Center.
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Mentoring and student guidance: Deanship of Student Affairs, Career and Alumni Unit, and the Women and Society Research Unit.
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Technical education and Thabiri support: Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology, including its Studies and Projects and admission services.
Family Support Information Published in 2025
ANNU’s 12 March 2025 Montessori kindergarten registration notice for 2025/2026 provides an application procedure, operating hours for registration, age eligibility, and enquiry telephone numbers. This is complementary family-support information; the notice does not establish that the service is free or that access is reserved for female students.
Continuing Women’s Support Initiatives in 2026
ANNU continues to support women through scholarship information, professional development, scientific participation, and sports opportunities. These subsequent activities demonstrate continuity and are separate from the 2025 results.
The University’s continuing ambitions include sustaining scholarship, mentoring, training, disability inclusion, and school guidance support at the levels reported above, while expanding opportunities in line with demand and available resources.
Further Women Specific Scholarship Access in 2026
On 3 August 2026, ANNU publicised two fully funded Salam scholarships for Palestinian women for graduate-entry medicine at Ulster University in 2027/2028. The notice set out eligibility, possible funding coverage, and an Arabic online information session scheduled for 22 August 2026, presented by a current scholarship beneficiary. This is evidence of continuing women-specific scholarship information support in 2026, not an addition to 2025 awards.
The University also published Sidrat Al-Muntaha Fares’s Erasmus exchange experience at Paris-Saclay on 29 June 2026, providing a further documented example of international educational access for a woman studying artificial intelligence.