volunteers
volunteers
Know more about our volunteers! Apply for volunteering
Volunteers are a great resource and bring important contributions to our work, whether they are local or international.
Here below is a list of some of our current and past volunteers. Click on the name to find out more about their experience with Naba’a!
"I have been working for Naba’a for 4 months, and I hope I will manage to find the right words to explain how far working, living and sharing experiences here in Lebanon, among the Palestinian refugees community, unexpectedly changed my life and the vision I had of the world.
| After my studies and jobs in International Marketing field, I felt the need to put my management skills at the disposal of a cause I truly believe in: the defense of human rights. So I let everything behind me to come and join Naba’a for almost one year. Still today, it is difficult to me to describe the warmth I was welcome with. In spite of my lack of experience on the field, the trust my current colleagues gave me and the interest they always have in ideas coming from abroad enabled me to take initiatives and build whole project proposals right from the beginning… to the point of being considered as an “advocacy expert” today. Therefore I feel very committed in each of my assignments, and my short immersions inside refugee camps just drove the point home. |  |
I found out how even more absorbing, and somehow meaningful, working for the rights of people you can put faces on and feel attached with is. Moreover, traveling across Lebanon within the framework of needs assessments or meetings with other NGOs is the best way to discover the country from the inside. And believe me, there is a lot to discover from a cultural, religious, and political point of view.
Be sure you will receive a hundredfold the energy and the passion you will instill in your work. For my part, I gained a family."
Ali wrote:
| "I worked with Naba'a on a strategic review of their child rights program. The first stage involved a preliminary assessment of the different elements of Naba'a's existing program. Following this, focus groups were held across the country with both Palestinian and Lebanese children and stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of Naba'a's activities to date and the outstanding needs of the children against the ambitions of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. It is a testimony to Naba'a's expertise and dedication that there was universal praise for Naba'a's work, where the only criticism was simply to ask if Naba'a could hold even more activities for even more children. Children in Lebanon face particular difficulties and being invited to talk with them about their lives, the issues they face as well as their hopes for the future, was both challenging and inspiring. |  |
It was a privilege to be involved in something of such significance to Naba'a and to work closely with both the Executive Director/ Yasser Dawoud and the Child Rights Coordinator/ Imad Abd Alraziq. I was also privileged to be able to utilise my professional legal expertise in advising Naba'a's on its contractual relationships with an international NGO involved in the reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared camp. The tragedy at NBC is a particularly poignant example of the suffering endured by Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and it was immensely rewarding to be able to assist Naba'a as their in-house counsel for this project. Of course, volunteering at Naba'a is not just about the day-to-day work but the people and the friendships formed. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know many of the people here, from those in head office to all those who work out in the field offices, and to see them laughing, smoking and drinking endless cups of coffee whilst they get on with the extremely tough job that they have taken on. Taking part in the Beirut Marathon with children from the north area was a particular highlight for me and, whilst I have only been here for a relatively short time, I know that my relationship with Naba'a will continue for long afterwards."
Laura wrote:
"It is difficult to explain with words how much the time I spent volunteering with Naba’a has meant to me. I will try…
| I lived and worked in Saida - where Nabaa’s head office is located, for 6 months. During my stay I mainly supported Hiba – the energetic and always busy fundraising coordinator, and Yasser – perfectly described by Greg as “Nabaa’s visionary North area coordinator”. My main task was to write project proposals to submit to donors for the funding of new projects, but I also had the chance to work with other members of the team, helping Imad – the Child Rights program coordinator, reviewing the Child Rights Country profile about the situation of rights of Palestinian children in Lebanon, and supporting Ismail – Nabaa’s publishing officer, in developing and reviewing some of the contents of the new website that was recently launched. I also met many of the local volunteers, field workers and beneficiaries while working on the Annual Report 2008. |  |
What I really enjoyed about working with Naba’a is that there is always plenty of work to do and the variety of tasks gives you the chance to put into practice your skills, learn new things and never get bored! I gave my best and I learnt a lot, not only from a professional point of view, but particularly on a personal level. I will never forget the contagious energy of the people I met here, whom from the very first moment shared everything with me and did their best to make me feel at home. When you are so far away from home, in a country so different from your own, it is normal sometimes to feel lonely. Being a woman in Lebanon is also very different from being a woman in Europe. Saida is a quite conservative town and I had to adapt my behaviours to some rules completely new to me.
The people I had the chance to meet, both in the office, in the camps, during the focus groups and also in my daily life (neighbours, shopkeepers, taxi drivers) made this time in Lebanon unforgettable and I treasure every second of it."
Elisabeth wrote:
"My main motivation behind coming to Lebanon and working with Palestinian communities was to learn more about the mostly neglected Palestinian refugee population in Lebanon which constitutes one of the more vexing problems. Everyone knows about the situation of Palestinians in Gaza or the West Banks, the vast Palestinian refugee population in host countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, however, is mostly forgotten and ignored in international politics.
| Having had the opportunity to go abroad and spend my summer in the Beddawi refugee camp working with the amazing team of Naba’a, in North Lebanon, has opened my eyes to a totally different world and to the hard reality of refugees living in the camps. When I first came to the main office in Saida and then was transferred to the North Office in Beddawi, close to Tripoli, I did not know much about Palestinian communities in Lebanon and about the great work Naba’a as local NGO does in every single aspect. My main work during the placement was to assist in the research work for a new needs assessment 2009 of the two camps in the North. |  |
During my focus group research I got to know so many amazing and fascinating people whose influence is still with me since then. Furthermore, I helped in the summer activities programme as well as in the work that was going on in the Nahr el-Bared camp where Naba’a was working together with other NGOs. All this work experience not only had an immense impact on me but the most impressing thing during my whole stay was to meet so many energetic and friendly people working for Naba’a. I made really good friends with them and can only share Greg’s view that Naba’a is like a big family and has taken good care of me during my three months in Lebanon. Thus, I want to thank all the team and particularly the great team leaders in Saida and Beddawi for letting me be part of their life, even if it only was for very short three months."
Tarek wrote:
“I joined Naba’a through a friend. I worked with other organizations before, but I enjoy volunteering for Naba’a because all the activities are planned and well organized. I help running different kind of activities in the children center, like the workshops on how to communicate with children and peers which I find very useful for young people but also for parents, as they teach how to actively manage conflicts within the community.
Since I started to volunteer with Naba’a I changed the way I behave with children and people in general. I am aware of the existence of human rights and children rights. I had the opportunity to travel and to meet people from different cultures and religions, for example when I took part in a summer camp in which I got to know children and youth from a village in the North of Lebanon. I became good friend with many of them and it was good to exchange ideas and find out that we are not different after all.
Now I am more involved in the community life and I want to continue volunteering and working for the benefit of the community. I talk with my friends about Naba’a and I bring new volunteers when I can. Also the relation with my family changed: I know how to communicate with my parents in a more constructive way now and I feel they respect me more and they take my opinions into consideration. They give me more responsibilities. I get on with my brothers and sisters better now.
Also with friends in the neighbourhood I discovered new things to talk about other than the usual silly subjects.”
Mike wrote:
| “I worked in Nahr el Bared Crisis Project in Beddawi, North Lebanon on reporting in English of the activities run with the children, teenagers, women and men including daily activities for school children, various awareness activities, psychosocial activities, and needs assessment reports every few weeks. I had worked with Naba’a very closely during my time teaching at the UNRWA schools with Unipal in Nahr al-Bared in 2005 and organizing the same teaching in 2006. I had found they were the most professional and cooperative NGO and that the team was very open to the idea of working with volunteers from abroad. |
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I had been planning to work in Lebanon during the summer of 2007 since about January of that year, but when news of the crisis in Nahr al-Bared reached me, initial hesitation about the security aspects of working in Lebanon were overcome by a clear need for serious work to be done in the area and with the displaced Palestinian populations. I knew that if I wanted to understand what was happening and to be able to help in some way, I would need to be there, and the best people to be there with were the Naba’a team.
Having worked previously in Nahr al-Bared for over a month in 2005 and spent 2 weeks in Lebanon organizing the Unipal 2006 program, then evacuating the team during the 2006 War, I knew Lebanon, and Nahr al-Bared in particular, quite well. I was therefore immediately shocked at the amplitude which the crisis took as of the first weeks – with over 30,000 people being displaced from their homes and the consequent destruction and desecration of a majority of these homes. The condition in which the Palestinians were forced to live and work in and around Beddawi was also terrible. However, the more I worked with the Naba’a team in Beddawi and the other Palestinians, Lebanese and foreigners working in this situation, the more amazed I grew at how much energy, optimism and force people could have despite living in very difficult situations with a very uncertain future. It was a lesson to me which I will never forget and which has helped me in many situations since – watching people who had lost their homes, all their belongings, their jobs and even family members and yet were at work every morning with a smile; watching children who had lives through weeks of bombing attend the activities Naba’a ran for them and grow from being traumatized, shocked children to open, smiling and playful again.
Since working with Naba’a in 2007, my desire to work with the Arab world has been confirmed. My attachment to Lebanon, and in particular the Palestinians in Lebanon, is especially strong, and I know I shall work closely with Lebanon in the future. In the meantime, I have followed in the work I was doing with Naba’a on the monitoring of human rights but now for the entire Arab world with an organization called Alkarama for Human Rights which works very closely with the UN’s OHCHR. The same ideas which Naba’a held of cooperation, tolerance and not duplicating work done by others are also at the foundation of Alkarama’s work. Thus my time with Naba’a and with the people of Beddawi and Nahr al-Bared helped me confirm the path I wanted to follow, and has been an inspiration for me in overcoming many of the challenges I have faced since.
It is important for anyone wanting to volunteer to think of this not as a volunteer-ship but as a job. When you arrive in a new culture, with new people, where you don’t speak the language, and in a climate often very different to your own, the only attitude that will make the stay worthwhile is to apply yourself fully to the work at hand, work cooperatively and take the initiative as much as possible. You will need to earn the respect of those you work with, and show how you being there can help them.
Those of us who have worked with Naba’a before can only confirm that if you take this attitude, not only will your work be appreciated but you will become part of the family. It is impossible to explain on paper the friendship, hospitality and warmth that is habitual among Palestinians, but especially among the Naba’a staff and volunteers. I wish anyone who volunteers with them all the best, and am happy to respond to any questions.”
Greg wrote:
“I worked for Nabaa in North Lebanon during and after the Nahr el Bared conflict, during which the refugee camp was almost completely destroyed; thirty thousand Palestinians were displaced to nearby Baddawi camp and the surrounding area. Naba’a worked tirelessly to alleviate the hardship of those displaced right from the start, with initiatives ranging from the distribution of hygiene kits, winter clothes and heaters to a programme of psychosocial activities for children.
We also produced an important report on violations of child rights during the crisis. I was lucky to be involved in most of the projects in some way, working closely with Saliha, our courageous and intelligent local manager, and Yasser, Nabaa’s visionary North area coordinator. Not to mention the brave and committed band of volunteers and social workers, most of whom were themselves displaced from Nahr el Bared. My duties included producing needs assessments for and evaluations of projects, communicating with our international partners and writing reports, as well as representing Nabaa at UN cluster meetings.
My involvement with Nabaa will be lifelong, because Nabaa is not just an NGO, it is a family, and one that I am very proud to be a part of.”
Mohmmad wrote:
“I joined Naba’a 5 years ago and I enjoy my job very much. I work with children and youth as well as their families and I enjoy the fact that I can see clearly the good impact that Naba’a activities have on them. I like the way Naba’a works because the activities are very different and they target different groups of the community addressing different needs. Since I joined Naba’a I am more familiar with the concepts related to human rights and children rights; I believe it is important to continue to spread such information in the local community. Thanks to my job in Naba’a I have a different attitude towards my family and I feel they listen more to my opinions, because, among others, I gained useful skills on how to communicate better with people.”
Latifa wrote:
“I live in Jal al-Baher , which is considered to be one of the worst gatherings in Tyre; there are no activities for girls, no training centers, no schools, no spaces for youth. Naba’a gives children and youth the possibility to express themselves and to enjoy their time with educational and recreational activities which improve the quality of the everyday life. That is why about one year ago I decided to start to volunteer with Naba’a and do my best to support its activities. I help in setting up workshops about communication skills and child rights. Naba’a staff is very supportive and they always treat me with respect. I always try to discuss what I do and what I learn with my family and friends and my parents became more open minded than they used to be.”
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