Aisha Arrabi – International Women’s Day 2020 Profile

Aisha Arrabi is currently a volunteer coordinator at a women’s empowerment group in Burj El Barajneh Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon. Their objective is to raise awareness among women in the camp on the many issues which affect their lives, their bodies and their futures. Aisha says,

“I want to encourage each and every woman to never stop learning and to jump at any educational opportunity she encounters. Not only will these activities teach you how to become a better version of yourself, they will broaden your perspective and show you the importance of community and developing ourselves and our homes.”

The Leaders of Change women’s group that Aisha is part of is just one of many that Anera has organized in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The groups are composed of women who are influential within their communities who Anera has trained on public health, sanitation and community work.

Like the rest of the world, people here in Lebanon are following the spread of a new coronavirus with concern. Aisha insists that the role of women during times like these is particularly important, as they can educate their communities and assist grassroot organizations in raising awareness about proper hygiene and prevention methods.

In addition to being a homemaker and mother of four children, Aisha has long been active in her community. She has volunteered with many organizations over the years, most recently at the Women’s Programs Association, one of Anera’s strongest local partners in Lebanon.

Aisha has also taken Anera’s UNICEF-funded recycling and public sanitation training. She says the training changed her perception of trash and opened her eyes to the environmental crisis and the importance of recycling and reuse. She and her friends have even created crafts and decorative items from the recycling collected in the camp. She has a vision for what Burj El Barajneh camp could look like with improved solid waste management:

“My dream… well my dream is to live in a clean environment, a clean community, a genuinely clean and healthy society — to live a life with no pollution.”