In a secluded Bedouin community in the northern Gaza Strip, women are largely limited to raising children and doing household chores, but one girl got past hurdles and broke down barriers to make her mark.
In the Al Juron neighborhood in Jabalia, Huda Abu Khousa decided to buck tradition in a place where most girls lack access to education and even those who do rarely go beyond primary school.
Abu Khousa always believed in herself and was eager to learn and grow. Her attitude caused her to fight and stand up for her rights.
In primary school, due to her Bedouin dialect, she felt alienated as her schoolmates had trouble understanding what she was saying.
But somehow she finessed her way into communicating with everyone using her charming personality and smarts.
She often fought and pleaded with her father and eventually convinced him to allow her to enter preparatory school, but under one condition: every Tuesday she would have to skip school and serve as a shepherd from dawn to sunset.
She also had to walk the sheep every day after school while in uniform.
Huda hates Tuesdays to this day, she said, but did find solace in sheep.
"I was the teacher and the sheep were my beloved students," she said jokingly. "We apparently had so many things in common."
Despite these hardships, Abu Khousa always had a smile on her face and was elected class counselor. She comforted students and helped the vulnerable ones who were more likely to drop out of school.
"I felt the urge to help those who were going through the same thing I was facing," she explained.
-New chapter, new decisions
In 2010, her father was diagnosed with cancer, and he and her mother traveled to Egypt for treatment.
As the eldest sister, this left Huda in charge of a household of children for nearly two years.
But even while bearing this burden, her grandmother encouraged her to go to secondary school.
In the midst of preparing for her secondary school exam, another tragedy hit the family. One of her sisters was diagnosed with cancer and Abu Khousa had to accompany her to a hospital in Gaza City.
And even though she had next to no chance of going to college, Abu Khousa passed the school exam. Her father, however, refused any further studies and she had to stay at home for an entire year.
Around that time, her father lost his battle with brain tumors, but before passing away he approved her request to continue her learning.
Abu Khousa's mother sold her only gold necklace to pay her daughter's tuition fees.
She loved college life and chose to study social work. After her first semester, she was granted a merit scholarship that she maintained until graduation. Abu Khousa stood out in college and graduated at the head of her class with honors.
"Seeing all my family members gathered around me taking selfies at the graduation ceremony was the best thing to ever happen to me," she said.
"I realized I had been on the right path all along."
The 24-year-old now works at an international NGO as a project coordinator after proving herself qualified, and she is committed to women's empowerment projects.
She is currently working on a project proposal to empower women in the marginalized Bedouin village of Om Alnaser, where women are discouraged from studying or of having much mobility.
"My story was an eye-opener. People in my neighborhood started to see things differently and encourage their children to pursue their education," she said.
Huda was invited to be a speaker on TEDx Palestine 2020 to tell her story and inspire young women all over Palestine.
