SCREENING OF “GAZA’S SILENT THREAT” AT WASEDA UNIVERSITY

On January 26, 2026, Liaison hosted a screening of UNICEF’s documentary “Gaza’s Silent Threat” at Waseda University’s Toyama Campus. It was an evening full of heartfelt and meaningful discussions about why polio eradication is both a key global health goal and a moral imperative.

We kicked off the event with opening remarks from Professor Kazuhisa Takemura of Waseda University and a powerful video message from the documentary’s director and producer Maria Fernanda Lauret, which reflected on Japan’s role in funding the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the responsibility we all share to eradicate polio once and for all. 

Following the screening, Dr. Abdelraouf Elmanama of the Islamic University of Gaza delivered a deeply engaging keynote presentation on polio and vaccine preventable diseases, offering comprehensive insights from the ground. Joining us live from Gaza, he answered audience questions and underscored what is at stake when access to healthcare is obstructed. 

Dr. Wrishmeen Sabawoon, Liaison’s Senior Advisor, fielded questions for Dr. Elmanama and also provided closing remarks to reiterate that polio is preventable and outbreaks like this should compel us all to amplify this critical issue and act. 

We must ensure that Dr. Younis and Fairouz’s stories do not end with this film and we must continue to listen to and learn from voices on the ground, from those in the documentary, to Dr. Elmanama, and beyond. 

Thank you to everyone who attended the screening! We also would like to extend a special thank you to Professor Takemura for supporting our vision and securing the venue, and to his students for assisting us on the day. We would also like to thank our partners at the Japan Committee for UNICEF for their support and encouragement. We are also indebted to our partners at Rotary International for their assistance and engagement.

Lastly, we would like to thank our keynote speaker Dr. Abdelraouf Elmanama for taking the time out of his busy schedule to not only pre-record his lecture, but to also join us live on the day of the event for a Q&A. We are incredibly grateful to have gotten to know him and to learn about his experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Please check out Dr. Elmanama’s YouTube channel to learn more about this research: https://www.youtube.com/@abdelraoufelmanama7966/featured 

For more information, please visit UNICEF’s website where you may watch the film: https://www.unicef.org/stories/films/gazas-silent-threat