Soufra Cookbook
Recipes From A Refugee Food Truck
[Limited edition print run for Asia - Available in Singapore Only]
Generously supported by HP and Pixel Tech. 100% of the proceeds go to the Children’s Centre in the Burj El-Barajneh Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon.
This cookbook, and the affiliated documentary film also titled Soufra, by Rebelhouse Group, accompanies Mariam Shaar on her journey of empowerment by developing a thriving business that employs the incredible women of the Burj el-Barajneh refugee camp in Lebanon.
“Refugees like us know that charity isn’t enough. We’re tired of it. You need to empower people to make them self-reliant. You need to teach them how to fish. That is what the food truck means to us. There is great potential for this kind of model to empower refugees elsewhere. ”
MORE THAN JUST A REFUGEE
SOUFRA follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of intrepid social entrepreneur, Mariam Shaar - a generational refugee who has spent her entire life in the Burj el Barajneh refugee camp just south of Beirut, Lebanon. The film follows Mariam as she sets out against all odds to change her fate by launching a successful catering company, “Soufra”, and then expand it into a food truck business with a diverse team of fellow refugee women who share this camp as their home.
BURJ EL BARAJNEH REFUGEE CAMP
The Burj el Barajneh refugee camp was established in 1948 and is the oldest refugee camp in the world. The camp’s population of mainly Palestinian refugees was initially estimated to be 3,500. However, that number has grown to over 50,000 as more refugees moved in due to the destruction of several Palestinian refugee camps during the Lebanese Civil War and the Syrian crisis. The rapid expansion of the camp saw an increase in construction despite inadequate foundations resulting in narrow roads and placing great stress on infrastructure. Additionally, two out of three Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in poverty with roughly 56% of refugees being unemployed. Job opportunities and job security are extremely rare, especially for women refugees as well.
*Sources: UNRWA.org & Alfanar.org
SOUFRA’S IMPACT
Women Empowerment: Created employment opportunities for Palestinian & Syrian Refugee Women by establishing the catering, food truck & cafe businesses.
Education: Helped build the first independent, non-religious Child Care Centre in the camp, providing educational opportunities to Refugee Children.
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