Meet Asmaa Zughayer: A Graduate of Hebron University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics
"As a social and political activist who volunteers in many organisations, I had the pleasure of becoming part of REFORM’s family during my participation in the “Women in Conflict Prevention in Hebron-Palestine” project. Throughout this project, I gained leadership skills that I will benefit from during my professional and academic careers. As a result of REFORM’s trainings, I learned how to monitor drivers of conflict and symptoms of beginning/latent sources of conflict and document and evaluate cases. These activities developed my critical thinking, analytical and communication skills. Many important issues in society were addressed, including violence, along with many others. REFORM allowed us to meet with decision-makers, such as the police and Environmental Quality Authority, to address and share our findings and recommendations in order to reduce overlapping efforts and set up appropriate procedures for response to the prominent issues we were encountering on a daily basis. After these sessions, we noticed that decision-makers started to resolve these issues. Through my experience with REFORM, many networking and communication channels have been established that contribute to pressure and lobby for change. It uses education, community participation and mobilisation, skill-building and advocacy as tools to develop women into strong, committed and capable leaders. It is with great delight that I participated in and lead effective early-warning and conflict prevention mechanisms. REFORM provided me with open and safe platforms to engage in public life, bringing a gendered perspective towards various issues that affect all citizens of the community, including issues of justice, security and access to services. If these underlying concerns are effectively addressed, it will build more sustainable and long-lasting peace, and thus increase Palestinians' trust in regulatory processes."
