Ahd Samara wants to change the stereotypes of women in the Middle East, and simultaneously achieve progress for women in Palestinian society. This KAS scholarship holder is a young woman with strong ideas.
At first sight, this 25-year-old Palestinian is a petite person. However, she is a confident woman who knows exactly what she wants to change in her own society and what she wants to accomplish in future. Her studies in Gender and Development at Birzeit University are laying the foundations for that future. “I hope that I – and everyone else too - can play a part in contributing to a change in the image of women in the Middle East.”
Her course of studies is relatively young, but that’s not what makes it interesting for the Palestinian. Education is very important to her, but she also emphasizes that there should be more to it than just studying. A Master’s degree is only one step on the path to achieving her aim: “I want to be involved in the society and interact with the community.”
Samara reminds future scholarship holders that studying also means applying study contents practically and trying to improve oneself during the learning process. She wants to be independent in five years and have her own organization to provide jobs, particularly for women, in the Palestinian Territories with its fragile economy.
A rethinking starts in education
Samara doesn’t only see a need for action in the sectors of society and economy. She claims that there has to be a different handling of children’s education. The young mother proudly shows a picture of her two-year-old daughter and explains that a liberal education would be very important for her. Her daughter shouldn’t adopt her mother’s or her father’s opinions, but should be able to develop opinions freely and independently.
She believes that to strengthen the role of women alone is not enough but that there has to be actual change. For Samara, the values of freedom and justice are linked to the Konrad- Adenauer Foundation. She is glad that, due to her scholarship, she has the opportunity to get to know new, like-minded people.
