About Us
Mission
Objective and Vision
The organization's goal is to:
Contribute to empowering and building the capacities of Palestinians in diaspora camps to help them face difficulties and challenges. The organization aspires to reach the largest possible number of Palestinians in various diaspora camps, expand the base of beneficiaries of its programs, and create new programs that serve different segments of Palestinian communities, with a focus on the camps. The aim is to build a foundation to improve their living conditions, change them for the better, and help them rise to face various challenges.
about naming
The journey and legacy of President Mahmoud Abbas represent a distinguished and valuable heritage that combines national struggle in its political, cultural, social, and educational dimensions, with the character of a leader known for honesty, integrity, knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Despite the challenges and hardships that marked this journey, it has been remarkable for its generosity, accomplishments, and success, providing a foundation upon which the future can be built. Based on this, the companions, friends, and admirers of President Mahmoud Abbas joined efforts to establish an institution dedicated to preserving this significant legacy, through which the Palestinian society in all its diversity, and anyone interested, can benefit from the various aspects of this rich journey filled with sacrifice, authenticity, belonging, and giving, and deeply rooted in humanitarian, political, social, and educational values. In honor of him and in recognition of his great contributions, the institution was named after him.
President Mahmoud Abbas in brief
* Mr. Mahmoud Abbas was born in 1935 in the city of Safed, northern Palestine.
* He obtained a law degree from the University of Damascus in 1958, and a Ph.D. from Moscow in 1982.
* Mr. Mahmoud Abbas was one of the founders of the organizations that united to form the Palestinian National Liberation Movement “Fatah,” which launched its revolution in 1965 under the leadership of the late President and martyr Yasser Arafat.
* President Mahmoud Abbas documented the history of the national movement through his personal memoirs and several academic research studies.
* He has held numerous leading positions, most notably: – President of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement “Fatah” since 2004. – President of the Palestinian National Authority since 2005. – President of the State of Palestine since 2008.
Message from His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas
One of my proudest achievements is the establishment of a foundation dedicated to the care and support of our Palestinian people in Lebanon, especially in the refugee camps. I have always been pained by the harsh conditions our people have faced there, which have only intensified the suffering of Palestinian refugees in other places. These individuals have been deprived of the most basic elements of a dignified human life.
Therefore, when the opportunity arose to launch this foundation, which those in charge insisted on naming the "Mahmoud Abbas Foundation," I provided all possible support to ensure it could carry out its work to the fullest extent and continue to serve Palestinian generations for years to come.
The foundation’s core idea from the start was to care for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, given the difficult living conditions they face, prevent them from being forced into the Lebanese labor market, and provide high school graduates with the opportunity to pursue university education.
The foundation, which is a registered charity in Palestine and Lebanon, is managed by a general assembly and an independent board of directors. Its funding comes from donations from individuals, the Palestinian private sector, and non-governmental organizations. The Sultanate of Oman has also provided significant support.
The foundation later expanded its scope to include Palestinian camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, with a directive to provide services to all Palestinians without discrimination, regardless of their political or partisan affiliations.
The foundation manages several projects, including the Student Program, which provides scholarships and aid to Palestinian students in Lebanon and displaced individuals from Syria in Lebanon who are studying at various universities and accredited institutes.
The program also offers training courses in various fields like information technology, media, and others. It also includes providing external scholarships for students in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education in Palestine. To date, more than 10,000 students have benefited from this program.
Additionally, the foundation runs a monthly aid program for struggling families in the refugee camps in Lebanon, with an average of 400 to 800 families benefiting annually. The program aims to expand its activities in this area.
The foundation also provides aid to Palestinians in the camps, marginalized areas, and the Old City of Jerusalem. This assistance includes medical aid, home renovations, relief, student scholarships, and more. The scope of these programs is tied to the foundation's available financial resources, and it is working to expand its activities in different fields, hoping to secure the necessary support.
I am confident and hopeful that we will be able to develop the work of this pioneering foundation to reach the largest possible number of Palestinians in need of support. In this regard, I extend my appreciation to all the staff at the Mahmoud Abbas Foundation, who perform their work with excellence, and to everyone—individuals and institutions—who provides financial and moral support.
Message from the Chairman of the Board – Dr. Marwan Awartani
The Mahmoud Abbas Foundation, in all its programs, operates from a deep belief in the importance of continuously providing support and assistance to our people in refugee camps, especially in Lebanon, viewing it as an authentic humanitarian and national duty. From the beginning, the foundation has ensured that the Student Program is its foremost initiative, recognizing that investing in education is the most effective and worthwhile investment for both the present and future of our generations.
Through this program, the foundation has provided scholarships to eligible and willing high school graduates to complete their higher education, whether at universities, higher institutes, or technical and vocational institutes. The foundation has also offered academic and career guidance services to new students to help them choose majors that best fit their abilities and interests, and are most responsive to the needs of local, regional, and global job markets.
In light of unprecedented political and economic challenges, both locally and regionally, the foundation, with direct guidance from His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, has been careful to ensure that none of its programs are interrupted or stopped. The foundation is currently making extraordinary efforts to guarantee the sustainability of these programs, particularly the Student Program. It also seeks to keep pace with the rapid developments in the job market by offering new, specialized disciplines to its students, including artificial intelligence, data science, modern technology, and other technical fields that align with the needs of local, regional, and global markets. The foundation also strives to facilitate access to external scholarships for its students in more than twenty friendly countries, covering various fields such as medicine, health, engineering, technology, humanities, and more.
As for the foundation’s graduates, whose number exceeds 10,000, work is underway to build an association to bring them together, reinforcing and fostering their engagement in educational, social, health, cultural, and developmental activities. This includes purposeful volunteer work to serve their communities and families. The foundation is also keen on instilling the values of belonging, loyalty, a culture of giving, and solidarity among its graduates, encouraging them to provide support and assistance to students who come after them. A smart virtual digital platform has been built to host this association and to support and facilitate all its activities. This is part of a comprehensive plan for digital transformation that includes various aspects of the foundation's administrative, financial, and academic work, among others.
The foundation appreciates all forms of support it has received from individuals and institutions in the homeland and the diaspora. It also views the facilitations provided by government, non-governmental, and partner universities in brotherly Lebanon with great gratitude and appreciation.
Message from the Chief Executive Officer – Jamal Haddad
It may have been impossible to predict that we would reach where we are today as a foundation. After more than thirteen years, our operations are now highly professional, and our staff is dedicated to following up on every detail of their work, each in their own field and specialization, developing the necessary mechanisms, policies, solutions, and programs.
We started more than thirteen years ago in a somewhat rapid and scattered way, with continuous changes and contractions happening every hour. We also had to deal with the daily, pressing needs in Lebanon while simultaneously building the foundation in line with the Board of Directors' directives, and working quickly to institutionalize it. This was to ensure its stability and transparency, as it serves a unique role in assisting our people in Lebanon after their forced absence from their homeland.
We have managed to reach our current position with the conviction that we will continue to develop and change to serve our Palestinian people in the diaspora and in Palestine. Despite the difficult situations and circumstances we constantly face in various forms, our need and conviction in what we are doing are firmly rooted in our existence.
Since I was entrusted with this mission, I have always said that if I can serve even one student, make life easier for one family, or relieve the moral and psychological pressure on any young Palestinian man or woman and their family, the feeling of self-satisfaction and the positive energy I get from performing such a role are a significant positive feeling for an important cause. Foremost among these is providing educational opportunities for students, which is one of the most fundamental human rights. This will inevitably increase their job opportunities and lead to an improvement in their economic and other life circumstances.
To date, the foundation has provided assistance that has contributed to the graduation of more than 10,000 students in Lebanon across various specializations. There are still more than 3,200 students enrolled in education. We continue to provide assistance to around 500 families in Lebanon and have given thousands of humanitarian aid packages to families in Palestine, which has had a positive, albeit small, effect in alleviating their suffering in different ways.
I am certain that the feelings we have toward what we offer our people, in Lebanon especially and in Palestine in general, are the main motivator for me personally and for everyone involved in the foundation's work. It inspires us to continue with the same energy and determination to support each other as Palestinians and to insist on being a part of the change, contributing to a better and more optimistic future for all of us.
Board of Directors
Board Members:
- Dr. Marwan Masoud Awartani – Chairman of the Board
- Ammar Abdul Moneim Al-Aker – Vice Chairman
- Azzam Abdul Karim Al-Shawa – Treasurer
- Karim Fouad Shehadeh – Secretary
- Intisar Waleed Abu Amara – Member
- Malik Abdul Karim Rezeq – Member
- Tarek Mahmoud Abbas – Member
- Hashem Hani Al-Shawa – Member
- Ibrahim Khair Al-Deen Barham – Member
- Mohammad Awni Abu Ramadan – Member
- Nassar Ali Nassar – Member
- Dr. Jamal Ahmed Hussein – Member
- Maha Sobhi Awad – Member
Executive Management
Head Office "Palestine - Ramallah "
Mr. Jamal Haddad - CEO.
Mr. Ziad Al-Sweiti - Accountant.
Engineer Lazar Kamal Al-Sharafi - Foundation's IT Consultant.
Office "Lebanon - Beirut"
Mr. Nazih Shamma - Lebanon Branch Manager.
Mr. Saleh Said - Program Coordinator.
Ms. Rima Hamad - Administrative Assistant.
