Lina Azkoul
Lina is a public health activist and feminist. She started volunteering as a medical student in 2009 by being part of IFMSA and different civil society organizations that aim to empower people with knowledge and skills to make better health choices and decisions. Upon her graduation from Tanta University in Egypt, she joined the Lazord Fellowship as a fellow of the class 2015-2016, during which she was placed at UNAIDS Egypt. Lina is a TDR WHO Global scholarship awardee, currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at the American University of Beirut (AUB), with a concentration in health promotion and community health. She is also a trainer for sexual reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS, and has collaborated with several national organizations in Egypt, providing sessions to to university students, adolescents, women in unprivileged areas, refugees, LGBTQ, and people living with HIV.
Lina is a co-author of, “Arab youth respond to the Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing,” published by the Lancet, as one of 16 members of the, “Arab Youth Health Coalition,” from the MENA region, after they participated in the regional launch of the Lancet Commission’s report at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon, in 2016.
Israa Attia
Israa is a proposal writer on sustainable development. She coordinates the, “Introducing life skills and citizenship education program in Libya,” which is funded by UNICEF Libya. In addition to that, she is responsible for drafting the Strategic Resources Development plan for running developmental programs in the MENA region. As a Lazord Fellow, she was placed at Ashoka Arab World, where she assisted in capacity building for leading social entrepreneurs in the Arab world region to help them scale their social impact. Due to her national and international experience in various fields such as social entrepreneurship, human rights, civic engagement, and economic empowerment, she has a comprehensive understanding of the challenges in the the MENA region. Israa is also an entrepreneur, having co-founded the Mok3ab coworking space in Egypt.
Ahmed Shehata
Ahmed started his experience in the field of development at the American University in Cairo by becoming the president of the Students in Action for Refugees club and teaching English as a volunteer. After graduating with a B.S. in chemistry from the American University in Cairo, he wanted to continue growing in this field, so he joined the Lazord Fellowship, focusing on STEM fields and youth. He did his training at Misr El Kheir’s GESR incubator project, in partnership with EU research and innovation, and received a diploma in entrepreneurship from the Euro-Mediterranean University. Ahmed is currently working at AMIDEAST Egypt with the U.S.-Egypt Higher Education Initiative scholarship program for students coming from low socio-economic backgrounds. Through his work, he sends public university student scholars on short-term study abroad semesters at U.S. universities so that they can take classes relevant to their majors and be exposed to people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Ayah Karus
Ayah graduated from the University of Jordan with a B.A. in Finance. After graduation, she was selected to become a Lazord Fellow, through which she gained major experience in linking social and corporate benefits. She has spent more than three years at REACH Group consulting in the marketing department. Her focus on international relations, communications, and marketing intelligence has made her realize the growth and importance of digital media in our society. She has always shown leadership qualities, participating in international competitions and exchange programs organized by prestigious organizations such as the UN, EU, US Embassy, and the UK. She received a scholarship to study at the Kelley School of Business and the Hult Business School, allowing her to learn about management and entrepreneurship in both the US and the UK. She has volunteered at different NGOs to empower youth and women, to fight extremism, and to promote peace. For the last five years, she has been involved in a project with Ambassadors for Dialogue (AFD), where she first started as a team member, and eventually became a junior trainer who facilitates sessions and trains new members. In addition, Ayah demonstrates continuous participation in many volunteering activities in the humanitarian sector.
Dana Al Akhras
Dana graduated from the University of Jordan with a bachelor’s degree in finance. She was honored to have participated in the Lazord Fellowship. As a Lazord Fellow, she was on the Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility (CER) team at Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC), where she played a positive role on the development of her community while improving her leadership skills.
Because youth is her passion, she has participated in many training courses empowered by well-known organizations such as Erasmus+, which focus on youth development. She was honored to have represented Jordan and youth from the MENA region, in Europe and Mediterranean at a conference that was held in Greece.
She worked at Al Etihad Bank, Jordan, as a junior relationship manager. Currently, she is working at Al Etihad Bank as a Learning and Development Associate in the HR department. Her dream is to fulfill her passion and enrich her technical and interpersonal skills by implementing and participating in new programs and opportunities that focus on youth development, and to make an impact on underprivileged countries such as her beloved Jordan!
Raya Al-Momani
Raya received a B.A. in development studies from Philadelphia University, and is currently pursuing a master’s in women’s studies from the University of Jordan.
Raya started in civil society by volunteering for five years with NGOs. She now has three years of working experience with local and international NGOs such as UNICEF, NRC, BASMA, INJAZ, and Better World.
She has represented Jordan in several European countries and given training courses in different Arab countries. She loves volunteering and working with creative youth. Raya is a leader whose skillset and interests are multifaceted: she is a trainer and facilitator: she is skilled at public communication, marketing, and project writing; and she is interested in women’s empowerment, children’s rights, and education.
In addition, Raya is an inventor, and has an idea for an invention that would help disabled people be mobile without having to use a wheelchair.
Rajaa Jumaa
Rajaa is 29 years old. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Jordan, where she studied business economics and then joined the vocational training center. She took a secretarial course and then worked for the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) through the Lazord Fellowship. After that she worked as an administrative assistant. She finished her last job five months ago, and is currently looking for a new opportunity.
Dina Qteishat
Dina obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Relations in 2015, and is working on her master’s in Women Studies (gender studies). She will continue to work with Madrasati at the end of the Lazord Fellowship.
She has had 4 years of volunteering with many organizations and is really interested in women’s rights.
Dina is an optimistic and detail-oriented person, a feminist, and adores traveling.
Salma Ben Tekaya
Salma has been a project assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Libya, based in Tunisia, since July 2017.
As a Lazord Fellow in 2015-2016, Salma was a project assistant at the Tunisian Association of Public Auditors (ATCP), and worked on the, “Fostering Effective and Accountable Government Institutions,” project.
“Thank you to the Lazord Fellowship who enhanced my experiences in community management, engagement within the community, and civic education.”
Soulaima Jaouadi
Soulaima Jaouadi started her career in 2015 as an intern at the international organization, Search for Common Ground Tunisia. During her internship, she worked on projects such as youth and leadership and CVE (Countering Violent Extremism). This experience was very important to her as it allowed her to get to know other people and to learn from their experiences.
She also worked as a project consultant for two months for the evaluation of the Madam President project, where she covered many FGD’s in several regions in Tunisia as well as provided a logistical support for the external consultant.
“Thanks to the Lazord Foundation, and the host organization, UTIL, I have been the Administration, Logistics & HR Assistant at Search for Common Ground Tunisia since 2016.”