Abeer Abu Ghaith (born c. 1985) is a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

technology entrepreneur, and social activist. She is the founder of MENA Alliances and formally a co-founder of StayLinked. Abu Ghaith has been celebrated as, "Palestine's first female high-tech entrepreneur", she uses technology to provide jobs to people living in "fragile" regions, such as Gaza.

Biography

Abeer Abu Ghaith was born c. 1985 in a Palestinian refugee camp in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, and lived there until she was age 12. Later she moved back in Palestine territory with her family, she is the second oldest of 9 siblings. Abu Ghaith attended

Palestine Polytechnic University Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU; ar, جامعة بوليتكنك فلسطين) is a university located in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine. The school was founded in 1978 by the University Graduates Union (UGU), a non-profit organization in ...

from 2002 until 2007, and received her B.A. degree in

computer systems engineering Computer engineering (CoE or CpE) is a branch of electrical engineering and computer science that integrates several fields of computer science and electronic engineering required to develop computer hardware and computer software, software. C ...

in 2007. After her graduation, she started to teach on campus. This was followed by work as the Country Director of the Women’s Campaign International (WCI) and their program, ALWANE. From 2013 until 2015, Abu Ghaith had co-founded the company StayLinked, a service providing talent from Palestinian freelancers for businesses located in the United States and in the Middle East. The job roles included translation services, data entry, graphic design, online marketing, and website development. After leaving StayLinked in 2015, Abu Ghaith formed MENA Alliances, which does similar work in job placement. In 2016, Abu Ghaith went to

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, as a member of ''The

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

10,000 Women-U.S. Department of State Entrepreneurship Program'' for Women in the Middle East and North Africa. From 2017 to 2018, she continued her studies at

Birkbeck College, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £109 ...

, and in 2018 she received a M.S. degree in business innovation. After graduation she returned to her work with MENA Alliances, where she is CEO and founder.

Awards

* 2019: "The Big Innovation Prize for the Best Dissertation in Innovation",

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

* 2015: "100 Powerful Arab under 40", Arabian Business magazine *2015: "The 100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2015", Arabian Business magazine *2014: "The 100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2015", Arabian Business magazine * 2014: "Best Technology Enabler and Facilitator” award, MEA Women in Technology Awards * 2014: “100 Most Powerful Arab Women” CEO Middle East magazine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Ghaith, Abeer Living people Palestinian company founders 21st-century Palestinian women Palestine Polytechnic University alumni Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Palestinians in Jordan 1980s births