Leading with Purpose Amidst the Rubble: The Story of Serena Awad

Program Officer, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) | Gaza Strip

At just 26 years old, Serena Awad has already lived a lifetime’s worth of heartbreak, resilience, and responsibility. As a program officer at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), her days before October 2023 were filled with hope. She worked on youth development programs, striving to build long-term opportunities for young people across Gaza. But when the war began, everything changed.

Serena quickly found herself on the frontlines of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. With formal programming suspended, she shifted into emergency response, coordinating the delivery of aid, supporting displaced families, and conducting rapid needs assessments in some of the most devastated areas.

There was no time to process the fear or personal loss. Like many aid workers in Gaza, Serena was displaced multiple times, often continuing her work under bombardment. The lines between professional duty and personal survival blurred, yet she kept showing up. Even in shelters and unsafe zones, she found ways to serve, organizing distributions of food, water, and hygiene supplies, and ensuring that the most vulnerable, especially women and children, were not left behind.

Her courage in crisis builds on years of steadfast advocacy for women’s rights and social justice. “One of the most pivotal experiences in my journey was working with the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York as part of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security at the United Nations,” Serena reflected. “That experience, along with my earlier work, helped shape my vision and voice, ultimately preparing me for the role I hold today.”

That vision has only grown stronger through the war. One of the most harrowing moments she recalls was standing at a reception point for displaced families from the north. There, she witnessed scenes of indescribable grief, children screaming for lost parents, the elderly collapsing from exhaustion, and parents clinging to dignity despite their wounds. Yet amidst the chaos, she remained steady, distributing dignity kits for pregnant women and trying to provide a fragment of care and protection in a shattered world.

What has kept Serena going is the remarkable resilience she sees every day, especially in Gaza’s youth. Even in overcrowded shelters, she met children determined to continue learning, repurposing plastic bags as school kits and gathering in makeshift classrooms with nothing but their will to carry on.

As a woman, Serena has had to navigate additional layers of difficulty. Operating in displacement shelters often meant contending with overcrowding, and lack of privacy, all while performing physically and emotionally demanding work. But these challenges only deepened her commitment. For Serena, women in Gaza are not just surviving this war, they are holding society together. From caring for the injured, to leading response efforts, to offering psychological comfort to their communities, women have emerged as the silent backbone of Gaza’s resistance and resilience.

Even in the darkest times, Serena has sought small moments of calm, whether by walking along Gaza’s devastated shoreline or learning a new language to carve out a mental escape the reality around her. These brief respites remind her of her own humanity, and the importance of protecting others’.

Above all, Serena is proud of her refusal to stay silent. Through her work, she has amplified the voices of displaced women and children, making sure their stories and needs are not lost in the noise of war. Despite witnessing unimaginable destruction, she remains steadfast in her mission—not just to respond to crisis, but to preserve dignity.

Her message to the world is clear: “Do not stay silent. Speak up. Act. Boycott. Every voice matter, and silence is complicity.”

She Stands:Gaza is a personal initiative from the women of Gaza to amplify the voices of resilient women in Gaza who are navigating survival, family care, and community service amidst the ongoing crisis. Sharing their stories of strength, courage, and hope. #GazaWomen #Resilience #AmplifyVoices"