Born to a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother, Rouba Mhaissen is a 28-year-old economist, activist and development practitioner who works tirelessly on behalf of Syrian refugees through her Sawa Foundation. She holds a BA in Economics from AUB, an MA in International Development from LSE and a PhD in Gender and Development Economics from SOAS, yet since 2011 she has dedicated her life to supporting Syrian refugees, not just through her organisation but in helping draft laws and establish lobby groups to pressure international and regional political actors.
Sawa follows an unorthodox approach for an NGO, founded as it is on three principles: dignity, ownership and involvement. "Our work is not charity," Mhaissen says, "it is social work with and for society. Our activities are paid for by the communities in the camps, and abroad. They are the ones who choose, run and manage the projects. Our role is just to provide material and psychosocial support."
The foundation runs a remarkable breadth of work: a relief programme providing food baskets and health kits, a development programme establishing centres in the camps for social support, educational programmes supplying premises, curricula and teachers, alongside grants for housing, micro-financing and university scholarships. Despite all this, she receives almost no institutional funding and must rely on private donations.
She is no shrinking violet. She has given numerous fiery speeches, including one at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference 2016 that went viral on social media, attended the World Economic Forum at Davos and written powerful editorials to advance her cause. Her rhetoric offers constructive criticism and concrete solutions for peace-making and for rebuilding a viable Syria.
