For seven years, Nour Abu al-Qaraya barely stepped from her Gaza home, except to go to a hospital, after one of her relatives threw acid on her during an argument over her father’s inheritance. This deliberate act of cruelty destroyed Abu al-Qaraya's face and partially blinded her. She has had eight operations, but the scars on her face erected a barrier between Abu al-Qaraya and the rest of the world, turning her into a recluse.

Abu al-Qaraya’s life changed, however, after she joined the Alorkedea (Orchid), an initiative in Gaza that provides psychological support, health tips and networking opportunities for women with scarring and other disfigurations. It also hosts a number of activities to integrate affected women, who often refrain from going out, providing them opportunities to comfortably socialize. The women who take part in Alorkedea have birthmarks or birth defects, burns or war-related injuries.

In 2018, Alorkedea won second prize in the Peace Innovation Challenge: Palestine, a project sponsored by Masarat: The Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies and the Finnish Crisis Management Initiative. The challenge supports local projects that leverage women’s participation in community peacebuilding efforts. Alorkedea used its award as seed money to boost and manage its online presence, to get the word out to women like Abu al-Qaraya, and to retain experts to offer health advice. 

Abu al-Qaraya told Al-Monitor that Alorkedea has helped her build self-confidence and reintegrate into society. “I will never hide my face again,” she said, after years of seeing no one except for some family members. Abu al-Qaraya hopes Alorkedea will finance travel for her outside Gaza for additional cosmetic surgery unavailable in the besieged enclave.