RANA AHMAD NOFAL

Rana works as a Head of Programming & Data Department of MOH and also she works as a Lecturer at Al Quds Open University in Palestine. She has a broad range of experiences in a various aspects in the Information Technology field at Palestine. Since joining M.O.H in June 2004, Rana has helped the organization by creating the best development in technical field. She has working primarily in PHP, MySQL, Oracle and JavaScript. In addition to that, she has the knowledge of commercial and open source software/database engineering tools, design techniques and security standards. She has maintained systems quality by carrying out reviews, performing continuous tests, analyzing feedback, and managing software integration.

“Don’t fear failure”

Q: TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, AND ALSO YOUR LIFE'S STORY!

I am from Palestine. Palestine is a region rich in history, culture, tradition, and holds treasures of great importance for three major world religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Which today draws interest from people around the world. The Palestinian people are known for their hospitality, fascinating cultural traditions and warm welcoming of visitors. Handicrafts are a vital and significant part of the Palestinian cultural treasure. The Palestinian transmitted them from one generation to another. They reflect the creativity of Palestinian people and proof for their national identity. We have various forms of arts and crafts are popular throughout the country, such as embroidery, pottery, glass and soap making. Palestine is a magical place that truly draws attention and love from people all around the world!

I was born in Dubai; it’s a city in the UAE in the Middle East. I lived there for most of my childhood, raised with five brothers. I moved to Palestine in mid-2000 to start my study at university. My experience in university has given me a chance to sharpen my skills in my field of choice. There have been, and there will continue to be, many opportunities to learn more ways of improving my craft as a result of my time in university, which I am truly thankful for. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Birzeit University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from An-Najah University in Palestine.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD AS IT IS TODAY? AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF A BETTER WORLD?

A better world is a world where it is good to love, irrespective of the class, gender, colour or language. A world where the others don't despise your happiness; where people don't bring you down just to see you fall. A world brave enough to go after what they believe in. A world where you make a difference, for the better.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES IN YOUR SOCIETY?

There are various challenges facing society. And it's all because of the complexity of humans as a species. For example, lack of economic opportunity and unemployment, income inequality. Also, lack of equality between races and genders. Worldwide, women are still fighting for equal representation, credibility, and even the right to their work. And, lack of compassion, creative thinking and addiction to the digital world is one of the biggest challenges. People associate social media with a happy life. Kids are playing more online games than outdoor ones.

Q: AS A YOUNG INDIVIDUAL WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE HURDLES THAT YOU HAD TO OVERCOME UP UNTIL TODAY?

In my work, we were getting a lot of complaints about late delays of employee benefits. I met the involved staff in the Human resources department and I found out that the problem was in the system which has the responsibility of reminding the employees of human resources about the employees' benefits before they must be paid in a good time to be programmed. So that the requests for benefits were not processed fast enough. As a good solution for this problem, we were able to design a special system for the employees' efforts - this system works on analyzing and sorting out the benefit requests and sending alarming messages for the HR employees to deal with benefit requests in their right time.

Q: WHY IS THE ROLE OF A MENTOR IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

A mentor is someone who helps me glide my way to success while reducing the probability of committing mistakes as they have tasted the burn themselves. My mentor can provide me with a wider perspective which I may lack. When and if I lose confidence in myself, a mentor will motivate me and give me that little push. Mentor will polish me in a way that helps me make better and more informed choices. Mentors can be connectors. They can provide access to those within my industry, offer their skills and expertise, introduce me to the talent that can fuel my business and help me get closer to my target audience. The mentor can share his network with me, take me to events and make introductions that will lead to many opportunities I would not have otherwise had. Mentors are invaluable for many reasons; they inspire me, provide me knowledge, motivate me and touch me in a way no one else can.

Q: NAME A PROJECT, A FOUNDATION OR A PERSON IN YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU THINK IS DOING GREAT WORK IN HELPING IMPROVE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!

Tomorrow's youth organization is a worth mentioning foundation that doing great work in helping improve people's lives. The foundation mission is to enable children, youth and parents in disadvantaged areas of the West Bank. They are providing the families they serve with the resources to take care charge of their future. Tomorrow's youth organization creates safe spaces where all community members, especially the most disadvantaged, may enjoy varied programs based on local needs and interests. It also offers high-quality early childhood programs to enrich children’s social, intellectual and physical development as creative and engaged citizens. According to that, TYO has many programs such as early childhood education, Core child Program, Academic Assistance, Youth Development and Women's Empowerment.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN IN YOUR COUNTRY FACE AND WHAT EFFORTS ARE MADE TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY?

Equal Pay - until now, women in Palestine continue to face a wage gap. In fact, women will need to work more additional days each year just to catch up to the earnings of men. Palestinian women earn 27 per cent less than their male counterparts on average. Also, women with equal qualifications to their male counterparts were less likely to be promoted to higher-paying positions.

Government policies work to spread gender awareness and a culture of equality in Palestinian society and take concerted measures to bridge the gender gap in different sectors such as positive "quotas" for the allocation of appoints to decision-making positions and various senior positions.

Q: SHARE WITH US A PHRASE, A POEM OR A STORY THAT YOU LOVE OR YOU FIND INTERESTING!

My favorite quote is “You must do things you think you cannot do”.

Q: TELL US ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR MENTOR.

Here are two of things I have learned:

1. Don’t fear failure. Fear regret. Life is short. Do the things you want to do. What you should fear is missing out on the opportunities.

2. Ask for what you want. Iva has always told me that there’s a polite way to do so.