Mellissa Riddle studied Middle Eastern culture and was inspired to advocate for human rights after living in Israel and the UAE. She shared details about the Women Reborn program, which aims to address cultural divides between Muslim Palestinian women and Jewish Israelis in Northern Israel. The program has trained over 250 women in skills and empowerment and hosted community events for 1,500 women. It has increased participants' self-confidence, decision-making power, and mobility while starting to have an economic and social impact on the broader community.

1. Mellissa Riddle: The Women Reborn Program
Mellissa Riddle is an International Relations professional, supporting a Chairman as
Chief of Staff in the EU and the Middle East. Having studied and worked in several
countries, Mellissa's exposure to global cultures is extensive. Whats more, her curiosity
and passion for learning are boundless.
During a program at Harvard, Mellissa Riddle studied Middle Eastern culture through
religious context and social studies. Additionally, Mellissa's time living in Israel and the
UAE have inspired her to reconsider the divisive conflicts and lack of resolution existing
within the region. It was this inquiry which lead Mellissa to seek social entrepreneurs
and to expand her advocation for human rights. Mellissa shared one of the social
programs she examined, which serves to address the regions cultural divide; Women
Reborn in a Muslim Palestinian village in Northern Israel is a program funded by a grant
from the Clark Charitable Trust in England. Women Reborn reflects an ongoing
collaboration among local Muslim women, Jewish Israeli feminists, and internationals.
About Women Reborn
Women Reborn indicates one effort to construct conditions of “positive peace” in context
of an ongoing conflict. The notion of positive peace has grassroots activities like
economic development and advocacy that contribute to creating stable, just and
peaceful societies. Women Reborn illustrates some of the specific ways in which
women make a unique contribution to peacebuilding efforts.
Impact of the Program
Women Reborn has served over 250 women in empowerment, skills training, and
vocational courses. An estimated 1,500 women have participated in community events,
field trips, lectures, and community organizing activities in Fureidis and two neighboring
villages.
Impact on participants and their family members

2. It is evident that the women have increased in self-confidence, ability to participate in
domestic decision-making, independence, and personal mobility.
Impact on Fureidis and surrounding communities
Women Reborn has started to have an economic and social impact in the broader
community. With their successful venture into electoral politics at the end of the first
year, the women established themselves as a force for change.
Impact on Israeli society
While there is no way to measure the impact of Women Reborn on Israeli society as a
whole, it is clear that it is having an impact on the Israeli women’s movement. The
women of Fureidis have increased their visibility and participation in women’s activities
across the country, and have begun to play leadership roles outside of their community.
Read more about Women Reborn Program at SHIN (http://www.shin-women-
equality.org.il/?page_id=24).