Marilyn Garson has spent most of 18 years working with excluded communities in war-affected areas, focusing on economic empowerment: Afghan women, Cambodians with disabilities, Gazan university graduates. She spent most of her time launching long-odds, locally-owned social enterprises to create jobs. In 2011, she was invited to move to the Gaza Strip. Friends warned her that nothing worked behind the Gaza blockade. Unable to resist that challenge, Marilyn became the Economic Director of a large NGO programme, leading an ambitious young Palestinian team.

As a child, Marilyn Garson was wired to notice power and vulnerability. She studied political science and philosophy, and then set off to apply them. Working with people who support their families at the edge of war, Marilyn has established creative and technology social enterprises.

Marilyn has just published "Still Lives - a memoir of Gaza", telling the story of four years of work (2011 - 2015), two wars and one very unlikely social enterprise led by Gazan women. Here is a quick video to get a sense of her perspective here, from TV1's Breakfast show: Click here for video