Mahmoud Hamada and Amjad Shawwa with Wejdan Jarrah, launching Palestine Localisation Lab
//English below//
The NEAR MENA Summit kicked off on Monday –
3 packed days and a locally designed and led agenda by NEAR members from Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen.
We started the day with collective processing – reflecting on the past 15 months – legitimising each other’s suffering and pain without judgement or comparisons. Colleagues spoke of nearly escaping death, losing loved ones and dear colleagues, without time for mourning or the luxury of feeling sadness. All of this grounded by a deep determination toward supporting their communities.
We rejoiced with our colleagues as they launched new localisation labs in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen – learning about how these leaders are contextualising their movement building and goals according to the localised needs and priorities of their communities. “It is the communities that guide us on solutions they want;" and "Labs provide a room for knowledge-exchange and enhance experience-sharing to come up with solutions that improve people's lives" were some of the reflections from their launches.
We engaged with critical reflections and questions of these leaders’ lived experience:
“Donors act as though we are contractors. We’re not ready to practice the meaning of localisations”, and “Are we capable of changing anything or are we sedating ourselves? Where’s our energy going?”
A leader in Yemen compared their journey as akin to that of climbing a mountain while rocks are being thrown at them which they must add to their load on this arduous journey. And even in this hardship, these leaders expressed solidarity with each other and their communities, inspired us with their commitment, and remain optimistic. "We, local organisations, are capable of making a change.”
The vision for and manifestation of a global system of solidarity beyond aid dependency lies with each one of them and not the current disappointing and crumbling aid system.
Wejdan Jarrah, NEAR’s MENA Regional Representative.
Hisham Derani, Syria Localisation Lab Host, launching the Syria Lab.
Asia Al-Mashreqi during the MENA Summit discussions.
Nadine Saba, Lebanon Localisation Lab Host, launching Lebanon Lab.