GlocalShift

05/09/2026

🎲 Play is not a luxury. It is part of how children learn, grow and express themselves.

Ghadir Al Saqqa is rebuilding Play and Learn with Ghadir, her educational project in Gaza that uses games and interactive tools to make learning more engaging for children.

After losing most of her equipment during the war, Ghadir is starting again from home, developing new games for early childhood and working towards bringing her training workshops back to teachers, parents and children.

Her goal is simple: to make learning a space where children can play, explore and discover new skills.

Gaza Stars is part of GlocalShift’s Learning to Earning initiative, delivered in strategic partnership with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.

Read the full story: https://www.glocalshift.eu/blog/play-is-not-a-luxury-ghadir-rebuilds-her-educational-project-in-gaza



Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation مؤسسة عبد الله الغرير

03/09/2026

Tomorrow, we’re heading to London for the PIEoneer Awards 2026, and we couldn’t be more excited! 🌟

We’re incredibly proud that GlocalShift Foundation has been named a finalist for PIEoneer of the Year for our Return to Rebuild Scholarship Programme for Gazans.

At the heart of the programme is a simple belief: education cannot stop because of displacement and war.

Through Return to Rebuild, funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, we support Palestinian students in Egyptian universities, particularly students from Gaza who have lost their family support and are struggling to continue their education. The programme covers tuition fees and prioritises students in scientific and medical fields, helping them stay on track with their studies and build the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to Gaza’s future recovery and reconstruction.

For us, this is about much more than scholarships. It is about protecting potential, keeping futures alive, and investing in a generation that will help rebuild.

We’re looking forward to celebrating tomorrow alongside so many inspiring organisations and individuals working to make international education more inclusive, impactful and transformative.

Good luck to all the finalists, and see you tomorrow! 🥂✨



The PIE

02/09/2026

GlocalShift Foundation at 2026: Rethinking How Drive 🌍

The private sector and bring far more to the table: technology, expertise, logistics, networks, and capacity that can bridge the gap between humanitarian response and sustainable recovery, jobs, and functioning local markets.

This is the model GlocalShift has built our work around. Effective partnerships start with the needs and priorities of the communities we serve, not with the funding, institutions, or technology available. Localisation means listening first, acting with humility, and backing plans that are locally led and locally owned.

Across MENA and Ukraine, GlocalShift connects European institutions, GCC partners, and 50+ local organisations, uniting Western and Eastern philanthropies, state donors, multilaterals, and the private sector behind one locally led plan. ✅

🔗 Learn more about our work: www.glocalshift.eu

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

🧵 Recovery means enabling people to work, rebuild livelihoods and create opportunities.

Lina Al-Hartani is rebuilding her sewing and fashion training business in Gaza after her centre and equipment were destroyed.

Today, she is working from a smaller space with limited machinery, adapting to severe shortages of fabrics and other materials. Recycling and reusing existing clothing has become an important part of keeping the business running. ♻️

But local businesses need more than resilience. Access to materials, equipment, finance and reliable infrastructure is essential for locally led recovery and sustainable livelihoods.

Supporting entrepreneurs like Lina means supporting the wider recovery of communities — and creating opportunities for women to develop skills and earn an income. 🌱

👉 Support Gaza’s recovery.
https://www.glocalshift.eu/campaigns/empowering-gaza-to-rise-again

Read Lina's full story:
https://www.glocalshift.eu/blog/i-couldnt-stop-lina-rebuilds-her-sewing-business-in-gaza

Gaza Stars is part of GlocalShift’s Learning to Earning initiative, delivered in strategic partnership with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.

Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation مؤسسة عبد الله الغرير

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

The next step in the Gaza Stars journey ⭐🇵🇸

Following the orientation and screening phase, 81 entrepreneurs across both Gaza Stars tracks were assessed by an independent external committee.

From the 81 participants, 30 will be selected to advance to the final stage.

Each application reflects resilience, determination and a vision for a better future. We’re proud to support Gaza’s entrepreneurs as they turn survival into a new beginning.

Gaza Stars is part of the Learning to Earning programme, implemented by GlocalShift in a strategic partnership with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.

YouthEmpowerment

28/08/2026

Recovery in Gaza will depend on restoring people’s ability to produce, repair and rebuild.

For carpenters like Salim al-Madhoun, recycling discarded pallets and salvaged wood has become an essential response to severe shortages. But recycling alone cannot meet the scale of need.

, sustained and adequate access to raw materials, tools and equipment is critical to enable local businesses to restart, create livelihoods and contribute to shelter and wider recovery.

People have the skills and the willingness to rebuild. They need access to the materials that make recovery possible.

🔗 Read Salim’s story: https://www.glocalshift.eu/blog/there-is-a-big-demand-for-carpentry---but-very-little-material-to-work-with

Gaza Stars is part of GlocalShift’s Learning to Earning initiative, delivered in strategic partnership with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.

Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation مؤسسة عبد الله الغرير

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

“Is the service still there at all?”

After a relative died following a desperate search for medicine that was later found nearby, 23-year-old engineer Rawan Hossam Qaoud began building MedLink — a digital health platform connecting patients in Gaza with doctors, prescriptions and pharmacies where their medicines are available.

Built through displacement, blackouts and unreliable internet, MedLink is Rawan’s answer to a healthcare journey made increasingly uncertain by war.

Through Gaza Stars, she is now working to take the platform from prototype to real-world testing.

🔗 Read Rawan’s story: https://www.glocalshift.eu/blog/how-many-others-might-go-through-this-the-gaza-engineer-building-a-digital-route-to-medicine

Gaza Stars is part of GlocalShift’s Learning to Earning initiative, delivered in strategic partnership with the **Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.