Palestinian refugees from Syria
Oshana has always supported Palestinian refugee women from Syria alongside our Syrian sisters. As violence grips the Middle East again, we believe that the the only way to peace is to ensure the freedom, dignity and equality of everyone in the region - including the refugees.
“I am terrified for our families inside Gaza, we don’t know anything about what happened to them. I am terrified for my children in the West and the backlash the Palestinians are facing. We are already devastated by being made refugees twice; my children are dispersed all around the world, I haven’t seen my son in nine years. I am alone, helpless. Only this work is keeping me going at the moment.” - Fedwa
Fedwa is one of the most active members of our artisan community, a mother and a friend to many. She is also a Palestinian refugee from Syria, along with many other of the women we support, such as Nariman, Taghrid and Fedwa’s daughter Faten.
Millions of Palestinians have been living as refugees for 75 years, having been forced from their homes in the violence following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. They are living under siege and bombardment in Gaza, under military occupation in the West Bank, systematically deprived of rights in Lebanon, and either in fear of their lives in Syria and Iraq, or forcibly displaced for the second, third or fourth time. They have found no safety or security. They have been sidelined and forgotten, but they are human beings with hopes and dreams and rights.
In our work we are constantly reminded that it is not enough just to keep breathing, life has to have meaning, it has to have hope. This is as true for Palestinians as it is for Israelis, Syrians, or anyone else. They have to have hope. The international community must act for a future of justice, freedom and prosperity for everyone in the region, in order to end the brutal cycle of violence. This must include the refugees.
All human life is precious. We have been horrified and heartbroken by the attacks on Israeli civilians, and by the attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza in recent weeks.
Right now, at Oshana, we are doing what we can to support the Palestinian members of our community through these dark times. Coming together with others to do crochet and embroidery, to talk and cry, helps to keep going through the pain and fear. To end with the words of Fedwa’s daughter Faten, words we have shared before but ring so true right now:
“My family are Palestinian refugees from Syria, and it is forbidden for us to work in Lebanon. So I began knitting, and I really loved the work. I love making things that are beautiful and will be useful to someone, and I love that it is a way of emptying the stress out of your body. When we work, we forget a little the crises that we went through. My message to the person who buys my work is that it was made with love. I hope it reminds you of me.”
Photos taken in 2021. Photo credit: Aline Deschamps.
