Young Females at the SDF’s Youth Hub Conclude Peer Education Workshops for Displaced Girls in Gaza
In late June 2025, the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) conducted a series of awareness and educational workshops targeting girls and young women across several areas of the Gaza Strip. The workshops were implemented as part of the Youth Hub initiative, carried out in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The workshops aimed to promote awareness and create safe spaces in the face of continued displacement and deepening humanitarian challenges.
Supporting Displaced Girls
The workshops targeted adolescent and young girls and were held at multiple locations across North Gaza governorate, including displacement centres, schools, and SDF’s learning spaces.
The sessions focused on vital topics concerning girls, such as gender-based violence (GBV), early marriage, pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health, and personal hygiene. They were delivered using interactive methods tailored to the local context and the issues raised by participants.
The workshops were led by a group of young women who had previously participated in a specialised peer education training at the SDF’s Youth Hub. Over four intensive days, 20 young women were trained in facilitation, interactive education techniques, and providing accessible and safe knowledge-based support to girls in vulnerable settings.
Diverse topics in a localized voice:
The workshop series featured a wide range of themes, tackling issues from multiple perspectives. These included: “You’re Not Alone” – addressing gender-based violence, “Early Awareness Against Early Marriage” and “Early Marriage Equals a Postponed Dream” – tackling forced and child marriage, “Beauty” – a session promoting self-esteem and empowerment and “Hygiene” – focusing on personal hygiene under crisis conditions.
In addition, further workshops aimed to strengthen understanding of sexual health and gender-based violence. These workshops provided critical support and safe engagement for displaced girls, enabling them to receive information in a localized language, delivered by peers who understood both their situation.
A real opportunity to make change and raise Awareness
The young females at the SDF’s Youth Hub utilized the the peer education workshops as an important opportunity to inspire change and raise awareness in the Gazan community—especially in light of the devastating impact of the ongoing Israeli war.
Their enthusiasm was evident as they headed out to deliver workshops. This was bolstered by the extensive support and preparation they received from SDF, including intensive preparatory workshops.
Razan Abu Hamda, 25, shared: “The positive feedback I got after my workshop ‘Hygiene is essential, especially during emergencies’ was a huge motivation for me. Through the eagerness of the participants to learn more, I realized how impactful a single word can be. Their engagement inspired me to maximize my efforts toward making a real change.”
During the ‘Girls’ Tent’ sessions, we could easly notice the impact of raising awareness about sexual and reproductive health—especially in these extremely difficult times, when there’s a huge gap in access to information and educational resources, particularly for young girls.
SDF’s Field coordinator, Rawan Zaqout
She added: “We started the process with careful mapping and coordination, targeting several displacement camps and vulnerable communities to maximize our reach to displaced young females. We designed the workshops to be simple, safe, and responsive to participants’ needs, using interactive and engaging approaches to present essential information. This whole experience reinforced our belief that these initiatives aren’t just important—they’re a basic right for girls to access knowledge, especially during emergencies.”
Reflections from participants
Young participants shared their reflections on the impact of being engaged in such an informative experience:
Ghina Akram Miqdad, 15, who attended the early marriage awareness workshop, said: “We learned a lot. I hope these workshops target more displaced girls. We learned how to act in difficult situations, and I should seek advice from trusted people around me.”
Reem Obeid, also 15, who took part in the hygiene session, shared: “I learned that hygiene is very important, and we learned how to maintain personal hygiene at all times. It was a wonderful session, and I’m thankful to our trainers, Razan and Farah.”
Lana Basem Al-Nadeem, 12, who joined the “Beautiful” workshop, added: “I learned how to take care of my personal hygiene and develop good habits—like keeping my hands clean, brushing my teeth, and taking care of my hair and ears. Thank you so much for your efforts. I hope to see you again in the future and wish you all success.”
Empowerment amidst crisis
This initiative marks a significant step in empowering displaced girls. It creates interactive spaces for self-expression, equips girls with essential skills for self-protection, and, despite the hardships imposed by war, it helps them make informed decisions about their lives and futures.
SDF continues to implement youth-led community-based awareness sessions, as part of its ongoing commitment to empowering a community where youth voices are hear, protected, and considered in making r capacity to lead change.
Read: Undisplacable Dreams: The Story of Ayah al‑Zayan at the SDF’s Youth Hub
A Youth-Driven, Integrated Project
These activities are part of a comprehensive project launched in April 2025 in northern Gaza through a partnership between the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The project follows a phased approach:
- Establishing a youth space in Gaza City
- Conducting an intensive capacity-building programme focused on life skills, teamwork, critical thinking, and community leadership
- Training peer educators
- Implementing youth-led community interventions
It’s worth noting that SDF has been actively working since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023 through its emergency programme “Together For Palestine”, aiming to respond to the urgent needs of displaced populations. It was one of the first organizations working with and for youth to respond to the current crisis.
Throughout this period, and in collaboration with various partners, SDF—through its dynamic youth network—has supported IDPs across the Gaza Strip and enhanced the capacity of young people to foster their engagement in leading impactful, field-based interventions.