Giving Compass' Take:

• Ghada Ibrahim describes how Gaza Sky Geeks supports women like herself succeed in the turbulence of Gaza. 

• How can this model improve the lives of families in other unstable places? What are the long-term benefits of supporting women and men in these situations? 

• Learn about another organization working to support women in Gaza. 

Living in Gaza means constantly adapting to disruption. Here, we have to be ready for anything to happen. Our lives can be interrupted by conflict at any moment.

But amid food and water shortages, power blackouts and the constant threat of violence, Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), where I work, is a haven for people who have talent. Founded in 2011 by Mercy Corps and Google, we are the only startup accelerator in the Gaza Strip, providing funding and mentorship to people who dream of having their own tech enterprise.

Gazans see the value of education. It is a way of fighting back. It is a form of resistance to earn your degree, harness your knowledge and share it with others.

This is especially true for women. Gaza has a high percentage of women with degrees in computer science or software engineering – sometimes because conservative parents prefer their daughter to study in a field that will mean she ends up working behind a computer, and won’t have to interact with men.

Women in Gaza have the potential to do great things if they are adequately supported. At GSG, female participation is about 42 percent, an unusually high number in the tech industry. In 2015, we launched an inclusivity program that provides women-only coding classes and a travel stipend so they can commute to our hub.

Read the full article about female entrepreneurs in Gaza by Ghada Ibrahim at News Deeply.