Our Story

Our Story

Our story begins with our founder Shady Kassis, whose journey towards becoming one of Israel's most prominent health advocates began with his Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis at the age of nineteen.

Shady quickly realized that his disease had implications not only for his health, but for his social standing in the Arab society. He set out to create  an organization that would help diabetes patients come out from behind the shadows, deliver care and increase empathy and understanding towards diabetes patients in their communities.

Shady named the organization  Ashuja'an, which is Arabic for "the brave-hearted". Our name speaks to the real courage that Arab children must gather up in order to properly care for themselves, despite society's fears and misconceptions about the disease. Ashuja'an is improving health outcomes for hundreds of Arab children in Israel, and aims to grow and inspire  Arab children in Israel and beyond become inspired to be "brave-hearted" and live the full lives they deserve.