AL-JANA Center is Seeking a Volunteer: “Ein El-Helwat: Stories of Empowerment and Social Transformation lived by the Women of Ein al-Hilweh 1982-1984″

AL-JANA center is seeking a volunteer /intern to help in the transcription, indexing, and digitalizing of its active memory archives of Palestinian oral history and culture in exile.

“Ein El-Helwat: Stories of Empowerment and Social Transformation lived by the Women of Ein al-Hilweh 1982-1984″

“Our house was totally destroyed like the other homes of the camp and we were determined to rebuild it. I used to stand up over the rubble and reconstruct the house in my mind; where the door was, where the window was placed, where the backyard stood… That’s how I and the wife of my imprisoned brother rebuilt the house.” Adla, a nurse from Ein El-Helweh.

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are a people without a voice.  Their narrative is rarely heard. With each generation that ages and passes away, a part of the history is dying. And what’s more, the chances of resolving the old conflicts to build a better future are thinning. How can conflict be resolved if one does not know who to forgive and for what? How can conflict be resolved without individuals and communities gaining a strong sense of their own standing in the world?

This project stems from the belief that stories of success and community spirit can encourage more of the same. AL-JANA sees high value in memory and narrative documentation among marginalized communities.  Historical memory of exceptional community spirit and organizing can be a catalyst for positive change and hope. One of the stories waiting to be told is the story of Ein El-Helweh refugee camp in the period during and after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, at a time when women’s contribution to the survival of the Palestinian community was unmatched. Their sacrifices and sense of determination were invigorating, and their stories deserve recognition. 

The story of the women of Ein El-Helweh at that time stands out in the history of Palestinian refugee women in Lebanon. After the Israeli invasion, most men of the camp between the ages of 12 and 60 years were imprisoned. The remaining refugees were forced out of the camp, which was completely destroyed. Families were left without homes and many without any means of support. It was the women of the camp who shattered social and religious traditional roles in order to rebuild their community. This era is seen by the women as a turning point in their personal development. Women physically rebuilt the camp in the course of two years time and kept their community functioning. 

Ein El-Helwat project works to document the experiences of these determined women and produce a film focusing on the history of the women of Ein El-Helweh camp in Southern Lebanon between the years 1982-1984.