“A person does not know to which countries and paths one’s life might lead.” This is what Olive believes in. While she was growing up, she never heard of a country named Lebanon. Olive was born in 1990 in Kenya, in a family of 8. She had 6 siblings,...
We have heard many stories of Syrian women during recent struggles, and even before that; but, Najla’s story stands out among others from different Syrian regions. Hers is a tale of education, activity, and struggle. Originally from the city of A’zaz, North of rural Aleppo, Najla and her...
Born in Derna, to two Libyan parents, an oil engineer in an exploration company and a social studies teacher, Noura was the middle-child in a family of seven, with two older siblings and two younger ones. Due to the nature of her father’s work, the family lived in an...
In a café located in the ground-floor apartment of an old building, a charming place in the Egyptian neighborhood of Al-Zamalek, Yahya was waiting both calmly and comfortably, with his coffee and laptop, to greet his interlocutors. However, his unsuccessful attempts at hiding the sadness from his face were apparent....
With the start of the Nakba, Omar's grandparents left Lubya, a Palestinian Arab town located ten kilometers west of Tiberias, to settle down later in what became known as Yarmouk camp in Damascus. Meanwhile, Rana's grandparents came from Al-Tira, south of Haifa, to Sidon, situated in...
In weary Aleppo, which was undergoing many transformations at the time, the heroine of our story was born. In 1987, two engineers, who had their own firm, welcomed their third-born, a new sibling to their boy and girl. From the very young age of 5, it seemed that the family’...
Ilham was born around 34 years ago in the governorate of Raymah in western Yemen, not too far from the Red Sea. The area was known for its rugged terrain and the kindness of its people. She receives visitors in her office located in Istanbul, within the building of the...
Yasmine, the middle child in a family of 9, was born 38 years ago in the village of Al-Husn, mainly known for its historical citadel and the beauty of its nature described by some as one of the most stunning in Syria. Her father was a “concrete finisher”, working between...
At our first meeting, slim and brown-skinned Youssef was wearing a wrinkled shirt that mirrored his busy celibate lifestyle. Upon his arrival, he sat down quickly, and after some classic greetings, began to narrate his story as if he was writing a new book. Youssef was born in the countryside...
Hala and I met in “Workshop 13”, a cultural café of her choosing, located in Al-Mina area in Tripoli. Not being far from the sea, the humid breezes emanating from there reach it quickly. This place does not resemble the stereotypical image of Tripoli, as it is made up of...
Aid worker and community leader Qadriyah struggled through war, poverty, displacement and a patriarchal society to find herself as a Syrian refugee in Lebanon. One act of defiance turned her life around and saw her assisting other refugees, particularly women, access education and have hope for the future. Here is...