Abeer Abu Ghaith | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1985 (age 38–39) Jordan |
Education | John F. Kennedy School of Government |
Alma mater | Palestine Polytechnic University, Birkbeck, University of London |
Occupation(s) | technology entrepreneur, social activist |
Website | menaalliances |
Abeer Abu Ghaith (Arabic: عبير أبو غيث) (born c. 1985)[1] is a Palestinian technology entrepreneur and social activist.[2] 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.[3][4][2]
Abeer Abu Ghaith was born c. 1985 in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, and lived there until the age of 12. Later, she moved back to Palestine with her family. She is the second eldest of 9 siblings.[4]
Abu Ghaith attended Palestine Polytechnic University from 2002 until 2007, and received her B.A. degree in computer systems engineering in 2007.[5] 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.[5][6]
In 2013, Abu Ghaith co-founded the company StayLinked, a service providing talent from Palestinian freelancers for businesses located in the United States and in the Middle East.[4][7] The job roles included translation services, data entry, graphic design, online marketing, and website development.[4] After leaving StayLinked in 2015, Abu Ghaith formed MENA Alliances, which does similar work in job placement.[8]
In 2016, Abu Ghaith attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a member of The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women-U.S. Department of State Entrepreneurship Program for Women in the Middle East and North Africa.[5] From 2017 to 2018, she continued her studies at Birkbeck College, University of London, and in 2018 she received a M.S. degree in business innovation.[5] After graduation she returned to her work with MENA Alliances, where she is CEO and founder.[8]