Ghaliya Al Rahal is the founder of the Mazaya center in Idlib, Syria, a women’s empowerment programme in north-western Syria. She is a Syrian women’s rights advocate and started teaching women courses in computer skills and women’s rights in Idlib in 2013, which subsequently turned into a women’s centre. Her initiative has since grown into the Mazaya Network, which today includes eight women’s centres, two medical centres, several children’s centres and the magazine “Mazaya”, which means “advantage”. Ghalya advocates for greater inclusion of a gender approach in the Syrian peace process. Ghalya was awarded the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in 2023.
