Hope Amidst Devastation: Building a School for Gaza’s Orphans

Following two medical missions to Gaza in late 2023 and early 2024, Duke University neurosurgeon David Hasan began sharing his vision for a village that could house, feed, teach and care for children orphaned by the Israel-Hamas war. After more than a year of work to rally volunteers, donors and potential partners, Hasan has opened the Academy of Hope, a school and feeding center in the city of Deir al-Balah. Its supporters include chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, which is providing the school's meals. His nonprofit organization has also taken over a nearby shelter medical clinic and augmented the small staff with telehealth services through a network of physicians around the world, while also making efforts to import baby formula and other foodstuffs. Dr. Hasan will share his story of bringing hope to a region devastated by war through the Gaza Children's Village and Academy of Hope. Sponsored by the Provost's Initiative on the Middle East.