REAL Exclusive Magazine

Partnership To Provide 10 Middle Eastern Women Each Year With Undergraduate Education.

New College of Florida announced the formation of a partnership with the Daughters for Life Foundation, headed by bestselling author and peace activist Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, to provide college educations to disadvantaged women from the Middle East.

The College, Foundation and Community Partners agreed to a three-year pilot program that will bring up to 10 women a year to New College and provide them with scholarships covering the full cost of tuition, room and board and other expenses.

“New College has always been about giving students an education that enables them to take a stand and improve their world, and that is precisely aligned with the purpose of the Daughters for Life Foundation,” said Dr. Donal O’Shea, president of New College. “We are honored to be working with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the founder of Daughters for Life, who has so eloquently made the case for peace and the education of women as the way to resolve conflict and strengthen the institutions of the nations of the Middle East.”

Dr. Abuelaish was the first Palestinian physician to be granted privileges to work in an Israeli hospital and was known for treating patients from both Gaza and Israel. When three of his daughters were killed by Israeli shelling in 2009, he responded by writing “I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey.”

The book, both an emotional memoir and a powerful call for forgiveness as a catalyst for peace, has been translated into 17 languages. A year later, he created the Daughters for Life Foundation to provide hope and education to women of the Middle East. He has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including this year.