"Every woman is an agent of change. We can design our world, so don’t be afraid to dream" - Ten questions for Nuna Matar on how to #BeBoldForChange

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Each year on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day encourages us all to forge a better working and more gender inclusive world.

Children on the Edge works with local partners to restore the ingredients of a full childhood to some of the most vulnerable children worldwide. A big part of this is working towards equality in opportunities and an end to discrimination for the girls we work with.

The theme for the 2017 International Women's Day is #BeBoldForChange and we are privileged to be partnering with a number of truly inspirational women, who constantly use boldness and strength to bring about change for women and girls in their communities.

Nuna Matar is the Director of Triumphant Mercy , the Lebanese NGO we partner with to provide education for 500 Syrian refugee children in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. We interviewed Nuna about what inspires her to be bold in creating change, what changes are possible, and how she overcomes obstacles and barriers in her work.

1. Can you describe why you first wanted to help Syrian refugees in your community? 

We started the NGO in 2006 and then started working with refugees in January 2013. I guess I would call it a nudge in the spirit to reach out to the refugees in our area. It wasn’t work I particularly desired, but more of a compelling call from within to go ahead and do something and bring a change.

 2. Have there been things that have happened in your life that have inspired you to do the work you do now? 

I lost my parents when I was young. My mother died when I was 10 due to sickness and my father was shot during the Lebanon civil war by a sniper when I was 15. I know what it is like to live in pain or in need. I look at people as people who are in need and my response when I see a need is to do something. With the refugees it was initially hard for me to even consider reaching out to Syrian people. Because of our country’s history, they would naturally be my enemies. Syria had occupied Lebanon for years and had really mistreated the Lebanese people. At the end of the day though people are people, and when we look at individuals as human beings, not as a race or ethnic group, when we encounter their misery, look at their trauma and understand their fears, this completely changes our perspective.
 
3. Have there been barriers you have had to overcome to achieve what you are doing now? If so, how did you overcome them?

A big barrier has been the lack of resources and expertise. When we started we were just a church humanitarian branch with no structure and no system, but then we moved to become a separate organisation. Still we didn’t have many resources and we started out simply going out playing with refugee children, taking a football or beads. 

We were seeing so much need but at the time we couldn’t do much about it as we didn’t have a structure in place, didn’t know any of the NGO requirements and policies, so I had to have an accelerated learning program ‘on the job’, learning in few weeks what it takes years of university to learn.

I learned by trial and error how to open a school for refugees in the camps , I learned things ranging from building a tent with my own hands, to coordinating with other NGOs working in the area, to dealing with camp leaders, to understanding a culture that is so different than mine. Deciding to have Syrian teachers was the right thing to do, but it is a challenge! Now we have four schools running and a community centre. We have about 500 children that we are educating and a growing number of adults that are taking language classes with us.

The most difficult thing is prioritising the urgent versus the important. It is always a hard thing to dismiss immediate needs, so ensuring sustainability can be hard . Funders tend to think in terms of years or nice neat projects so it’s always a challenge to know who will stay by your side for the next phase. Designing an exit strategy is hard in a protracted emergency! We just keep planning, we keep people motivated, and we don’t lose sight of our goal.

​4. Are there any situations in your work that are made either harder or easier because you are a woman? 

I live in a society that looks down on women, yet I am a camp leader (about 47 tents with 400 people), the head of four refugee schools in informal camps and the manager of a community centre in Beirut. Doing all these things in a culture that has a strong middle eastern view that women are inferior is a challenge. I have to deal with angry men, take hard decisions and many times have a very tough attitude.

In the Syrian community, and especially in camps where we work, most people are illiterate. The women’s roles are just to get married when they’re 16 or 17 and have children. It is a disgrace for women if they don’t have lots of babies. So women are not part of decision making, or any leadership. I have to get the balance between really being tough, whilst at the same time trying to show compassion, this is a very difficult combination as a woman.

On the other hand, as a woman I can easily build relationships with women. As a camp leader, I have to deal with men a lot, but I have the advantage of also being able to work with women. Usually a male camp leader can only deal with men. All our school principals and most of our teachers are women and they find it easier to talk to me as a woman. I think I am in inspiration to them. As they see me do what I do, they get the boldness to step up into their own roles.

5. What are some of the hardest moments you have experienced in what you do? 

Becoming independent! As an NGO leader I began this work as an implementing partner for international NGOs. This was quite convenient as we didn’t have to worry about salaries, rent etc, but when the program ended and a new phase of being an independent NGO came, there were hard decisions to make. I had to decide who to keep, how to sustain the work, what to do next, and basically know in my guts how to lead the ship. Previously I had projects predesigned but I needed to start designing my own projects.
 
6. What are the most inspiring or happy moments you have experienced with what you do?

The happiest thing is when I am able to be an instrument of change. Seeing people with restored hope, being able to help people envision a brighter future, seeing people smile and bringing back childhood to children is really rewarding. 

Now I look at the schools and our community centre where we have about 500 children learning and I see the children happy to be there. They are feeling safe and secure, and looking forward to being in classrooms. I also look at the Syrian teachers we have employed (about 24 teachers) and I am very proud of what we have achieved for them. Some of them have only made it to high school and never worked in their life, they wouldn’t have got these opportunities as women. Now they feel useful, they are eager to learn more and I feel we are resourcing them for a new life.
 
7. What change would you like to bring in your community and the people you work with? 

Hope and vision. There is always a tomorrow. Hope keeps us looking for a brighter future. I seek to bring hope into the lives of people, because once they know things can change, hope can inspire them for both their todays and their tomorrows.

8. Can you describe any ways in which the women and girls you work with have changed, or overcome obstacles?

Many of the women and girls I work with are being brave enough to take new opportunities, to learn and to do things they are not expected to be able to do as a woman. It’s like learning to jump in the water. Sometimes I have to push them in the water and see if they learn how to swim. Sometimes they need rescuing and sometimes they do great. I try to share with them as much as possible about the projects, so they can participate, be part of the process and be able to give their input. I make sure to give them new challenges and new responsibilities not only to take things off my shoulders but also so that they own the projects for themselves.

9. Are there situations where you have had to be brave or bold to bring about change? How do you overcome your fears?

Definitely, nearly every day! I call them steps of faith! Every new project, every new employee hired, every step is a step of faith. When I have fears, I seek trustworthy people who can be holding my hands in battle. I seek to surround myself with people who can counsel me and speak wisdom into my life. By working with others I can look at a situation and say ‘we can overcome it’.

10. What would you say to encourage women who would like to make a difference in the world? 

Don’t be afraid to step up! When you have a dream in your heart believe that the one who put this dream in your heart is able to perform it through you! You will make mistakes but don’t give up!
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Every woman is an agent of change. We can design our world so don’t be afraid to dream!

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