Tha'Irat Community Kitchen
Bar Elias, Lebanon

In the Bekaa Valley, we accompany women from Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Bedouin communities—often living in precarious conditions and with limited access to rights or a voice.

Together with The Great Oven Lebanon, we create spaces where women not only receive food, but are also heard, seen, and empowered:

• Community Kitchen in Bar Elias, Bekaa: Over 300 meals prepared daily for the most vulnerable across different communities—cooked by women from diverse backgrounds as a symbol of solidarity.

• Women’s Lunch Tables in Bar Elias, Bekaa: Weekly gatherings where women cook together and talk about rights, trauma, and self-determination—without pressure.

• Beirut – Lunch Tables for Migrant Women: Since 2026, bi-monthly gatherings at the migrant-led REMAN Center—combining cooking, education, and exchange to strengthen women living under the Kafala system.

In the Bekaa Valley, thousands of women from Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Bedouin communities live in difficult conditions—often without legal protection and with limited opportunities to shape their own lives. Many carry the burden of poverty, displacement, and social expectations that frequently silence their voices.

Together with The Great Oven Lebanon, we create spaces where women not only receive food, but are also heard, seen, and empowered. At the heart of this work is the community kitchen in Bar Elias, led by Rawda Al Mazloum—a Syrian refugee who has transformed her own lived experience into a source of strength for others. Every day, five women from different backgrounds cook more than 300 meals together for the most vulnerable across communities—an expression of solidarity and connection.

Through the weekly lunch tables, we provide a safe space where women can talk about topics that are often taboo: rights, trauma, everyday struggles, and self-determination. The sessions take place in Rawda’s living room—not like a formal seminar, but like visiting a friend. Here, women learn that it is okay to prioritize themselves. Over tea and cake, they share worries, relief, and hope—and gradually reconnect with themselves.

The Tha’irat Project Expands to Beirut – Lunch Tables for Migrant Women under the Kafala System

Since 2026, we have supported our local partner The Great Oven Lebanon in expanding its activities to Beirut in order to work with migrant women living under the so-called Kafala system. This sponsorship system strips domestic workers of basic labor rights: they have no minimum wage, no limited working hours, and can change employers only with their employer’s consent. Their passports are often confiscated and their freedom of movement restricted—a situation that is widely described internationally as a form of modern slavery.

Together with the migrant-led REMAN Center in Beirut, we organize bi-monthly lunch gatherings. Women take turns cooking dishes from their home countries, learn about their rights, recognize forms of exploitation, and develop strategies to protect themselves and strengthen their autonomy.

To further strengthen women’s self-determination, we also encourage exchange between the groups in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut. Through shared cooking, encounters, and the telling of their stories, a network emerges that builds solidarity—and amplifies women’s voices.