Of the nearly 1.2 million Syrian refugees currently sheltered in Lebanon, 52.3% are women, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Coming alone or with their families, they are often subject to violence, but some have been able to find help from the many nongovernmental organizations in the country. One of them, Basmeh wa Zeitooneh, helps Syrians find stability and dignity in sewing and embroidery.
"Women are strong," proclaims Rihab, a Palestinian Syrian who fled Yarmouk a year and a half ago with her family. "My husband doesn’t work. He only eats and sleeps all day." Like the 60 other women assisted by Basmeh wa Zeitooneh, she became the breadwinner out of necessity. "Now, Syrian women bring money home. It's harder for men." UNHCR provides only $30 a month for each registered refugee in Lebanon, forcing families to scramble to find other sources of income.
Fifty-five women share the studio and equipment in shifts of three hours daily to give everyone a chance to work. Mariam, from Homs, considers herself lucky: Her husband was able to find a "precarious job as a daily worker in construction," which is enough to pay the one-bedroom apartment’s $250 rent, the most affordable to be found in Beirut. For her part, she has embroidered for 10 months, earning as much as $150 per month, enough for her to take care of the rest, "although three hours a day are not enough."
The initiative is the creation of Basmeh wa Zeitooneh in the Shatila Palestinian camp in Beirut’s suburb. The Syrian organization was founded in March 2013 and has since spread to Bourj el Barajneh and the Bekaa Valley. "At first, we went door to door in the camp to see what the families needed, and we provided them with what they asked for," recalls Reem Al-Haswani, an architect from Yabroud. George Talamas and Fadi Hallisso, the other two co-founders, soon developed long term programs: a medical clinic for women and children; a cultural center; lessons for children and adults in reading, writing and computer skills and an embroidery workshop. "We found a trainer and managed over time to bring women to work. We pay them monthly for each piece produced, and then try to sell them."
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