Rouba’s Manifesto is a new short film from Already Alive
Earlier this year, Already Alive worked in tandem with Vital Voices to create a film to celebrate and honor the incredible work that Dr. Rouba Mhaissen has done on the Syrian Refugee crisis. Her message is simple, but poignant. “We are all refugees.” Her firm belief that we all hold the compassion, empathy and capacity to change the world as we share the same human experience, is the driving force of this piece. Rouba’s hope is to show the great potential that lies within all of us to make a difference. For Rouba, and for us, this film is not just about the refugee crisis. It’s about something bigger. Everything is interconnected. What can we do as just one person? How do we change the world?
As a part of the Vital Voices “Global Leadership Awards” we came together to create “Rouba’s Manifesto” as an homage to Rouba herself, as well as to champion the strong women around the world who are putting in immeasurable work to make change in their communities. Dr.
Rouba Mhaissen is the founder and director of SAWA For Development & Aid in Beirut, Lebanon. SAWA is a civil society organization that works with individuals and communities to support the right of Syrian refugees to live in dignity and freedom, and to be proactive in their host communities by connecting them with job and educational opportunities, as well as contributing to many agricultural and environmental projects in the Bekaa Valley. Since its inception in 2011, SAWA has made a significant impact on the lives of those in the Bekaa Valley, but there is still much to be done.
For “Rouba’s Manifesto” our team traveled to Lebanon to meet Rouba, her team, and speak with them about what is being done, and what still lies ahead. We wanted this piece to capture a different side of the refugee camps than you may normally see in mainstream media. Of course, there are dark moments, but there is so much beauty and hope everywhere you turn. We we had the great fortune to be able to see that through Rouba’s eyes. Creating this film with Rouba opened our eyes to an awareness we thought we previously had. We hope it brings a new sense of understanding to those who watch, and that it inspires people to make positive change in the world, even in the smallest of ways.
Rouba Mhaissen is the founder and director of SAWA for development and aid in Beirut, Lebanon. Mhaissen is a Syrian-Lebanese economist, activist, community mobiliser, and development practitioner who works on development issues in the MENA region particularly forced migration and the Syrian refugee crisis. She is the Founder and Director of Sawa for Development and Aid (founded in 2011), a Non-Profit Organisation that supports Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Sawa Foundation UK (founded in 2016). Chosen as one of the 30 under 30s by Forbes in 2017.
SAWA is a civil society organization that works with individuals and communities to support the right of Syrian refugees to live in dignity and freedom, and to be proactive in their host communities by connecting them with job and educational opportunities, as well as contributing to many agricultural and environmental projects in the Beqaa Valley.
Rouba holds firm in the fact that humans have the capacity to share in one another’s experiences, utilize their empathy and compassion to serve each other, as well all are connected in this human existence.
Already Alive is a studio and production company based in Western Massachusetts, NYC, and LA. We work to create impact and share human experiences through the medium of film and visual storytelling.
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