The second-generation Palestinian refugee, Mariam Ismail Shaar, pursues her utmost passion in women empowerment with exceptional efforts in the humanitarian field.
Born and raised in Lebanon, the 49 years old Palestinian female pioneer ascertained her passion for gender equality at a very young age. Mariam is originally from Palestine, Acre and her journey started in the educational sector in which it lasted for 10 years until she radically changed the course of her career. Going from there, Mariam decided to start working with the people and the betterment of her community.
“I was a social advisor in the Bourj al-Barajneh center for 10 years and the focus of my career changed ever since,” mentioned Shaar.
In refugee camps, almost 57% of the houses are connected to the sewage system thus lacking healthy water and electricity. Even then, due to Law 11614 that was revised in 1969, Palestinian refugees lost the right of owning real estate in Lebanon.
“When you’re born in a camp, you start thinking that your world is that camp,” she said. “I didn’t go to university but I got to experience and witness how life is like outside the camp, yet still, we consider the camp as our alternate homeland,” Shaar told Kayani Project.
Mariam wanted to be a journalist or a lawyer but she never got the chance to have a university education. Today, Mariam has become the Director of Women’s Program Association in Lebanon.
“I had dreams as a kid and when I grew up and started working, my network circle began to expand as I connected with more people and was then introduced to things I never believed it already existed,” she said. “So, I’ve always wanted to be the voice of these people.”
A few numbers of Palestinians are granted work permits; and if they are, it is usually obtained through bribes they are forced to pay. The unemployment rates are very high, leading to 20% of refugees in camps suffering from chronic health illnesses and the same percentage suffering from mental disorders.
Witnessing the impact of collective inequalities practiced against Palestinian females inside the camps was a major trigger for Shaar to establish Soufra Project to enthuse women to reach their independence.
In fact, Soufra also came as a product of women’s need to work, as most of them didn’t have a university degree. Their love and passion for cooking, along with Mariam’s persistence, made the project possible. Soufra wasn’t the only project though, they also invested in a food truck that isn’t working for the time being because of the pandemic and the economic crisis in Lebanon.
“While filming a documentary on Soufra, it took us two years to get through the legalities of buying the truck where we needed several lawyers to make it work,” she said.
At first, people in Mariam’s community started calling her a “businesswoman” as they sensed how strong-willed she was. As time passed, people around her went back to fearing strength and wanting to put a limit to the empowerment she gave other women.
“They believed that I’m someone to be trusted with their daughters, but they also requested that I don’t try to change their traditions and values,” added Mariam. “Unfortunately, people tend to fear strong women.”
Throughout her journey, Mariam succeeded in inspiring lots of women to stand up for themselves, work confidently, and become active members of their own community.
“Some women come to me saying they want to name their daughter Mariam, others send me messages of inspiring things they’ve done,” Shaar told Kayani Project.
In regards to Palestinian lives in refugee camps, Shaar asks for basic rights and job opportunities for all women.
“By giving us our basic rights to at least start our new projects, we will be able to generate money and have higher chances of becoming successful female leaders. Therefore, I encourage every woman to persistently believe in herself as it’s the only way to achieve self-actualization,” Mariam ended.