Rouba Mhaissen
Rouba Mhaissen (born 1987/1988) is a Syrian-Lebanese economist and activist. She is the founder of Sawa for Development and Aid, a grassroots organization which serves Syrian refugees in Lebanon,[1] and the British-based Sawa Foundation.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Mhaissen was born in Beirut. She has two brothers and a sister, of whom she is ten years younger.[1] Her mother was a Lebanese homemaker, while her father was a Syrian businessman.[1] As a child she frequently visited Syria to see family.[2][3]
She attended the American University of Beirut, earning a degree in economics, and then the London School of Economics, where she earned a master's degree in development studies. She was persuaded to study economics by her parents, rather than to pursue her love of theater.[1] She also holds a PhD in gender and development from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.[1]
Activism[edit]
In 2006, Mhaissen worked with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon; in later years, she worked with Lebanese refugees in Syria.[1][3]
In December 2011, Mhaissen founded Sawa for Development and Aid.[1][4] The organization provides support related for basic needs to Syrian refugees in the Beqaa Valley, such as shelter, blankets, and food. It also organizes workshops to educate refugee women.[4]
Mhaissen has promoted grassroots activism over international aid efforts.[4]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2016, Mhaissen received the Marsh Award for Peacemaking and Peacekeeping from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.[3]
In 2017 she was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 list of the most influential people in Policy and Law.[5]
In 2019 she was given the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award, and the Rafto Prize “for defending human rights from the local to the global level for people living as refugees”.[1][6]
In 2021 she was given a DVF Award.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Mhaissen is married and has two children.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Browne, Malika (2021-12-01). "Defender of the displaced: Rouba Mhaissen puts the world to rights". The National. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ a b "Head of civil society organization: The world has failed Syria". Al Arabiya English. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ a b c "Rouba Mhaissen Shows Up the International Community and is Honored by Britain". Enab Baladi. 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ a b c "Activist says international aid not always reaching Syrian refugees". Al Arabiya English. 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ "30 Under 30 Europe 2017: Law & Policy". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ "Norway's Rafto Prize awarded to Syrian-Lebanese champion of refugee rights". The Arab Weekly. September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Inside the 2021 DVF Awards". Vogue. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1980s births
- Living people
- 21st-century economists
- 21st-century Lebanese women
- 21st-century Lebanese people
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- Alumni of SOAS University of London
- American University of Beirut alumni
- Lebanese activists
- Lebanese economists
- Syrian economists
- Lebanese people of Syrian descent
- Lebanese women activists
- People from Beirut
- Women economists