Dance theatre project for refugees and asylum seekers in London (2022)

RDF provided a grant to Protein Dance, described as one of the most distinctive voices in British dance theatre, to fund a workshop for refugees and asylum seekers to develop the piece ‘There and Here’ about the urgent desire of the 21 participants to rebuild their lives in the UK. The piece was performed to an audience of around 300 people at The Place over Easter 2022. Through dance, live music, signing, storytelling and humour, ‘There and Here’ was also a celebration of their respective identities and cultures, and of their creativity, resilience and contribution to the cultural life of the UK.

The project was awarded Community Project of the Year in The Stage Awards 2023.

Women’s theatre project and documentary in Lebanon (2021)

In 2021 RDF teamed up with a specialist in theatre and play-based learning with marginal communities in Lebanon, Seenaryo, funding a women’s theatre project that culminated in a performance at the Sunflower Theatre, Beirut, on 3 July 2021.

The devising process began in March 2021 when Lebanon was emerging from a three-month lockdown. After self-isolating and taking PCR tests, the ensemble of fourteen women – who live in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley – met halfway up the mountains at Hammana Artist House where they stayed for a two-week theatre residency and created a home. Led by Seenaryo’s Head of Arts, the women played, moved, wrote and devised a physical theatre play.

Seenaryo has also created a documentary regarding the project which it is hoped will be showcased at a major London arts venue as part of Human Rights Watch Film Festival in 2023.

Fostering Stabilisation and Social Cohesion in Lebanon through Women’s Engagement in Conflict Prevention and Management (2019-2020)

On 25 March 2019 RDF announced the winner of its second call for proposals. This was UN Women, with a proposal entitled “Fostering Stabilisaton and Social Cohesion in Lebanon through Women’s Engagement in Conflict Prevention and Management”. The Foundation received over 70 proposals, which were reviewed by RDF directors and external international development experts with regional experience in a three-tier review process.

The aim of this pilot project was to promote women’s roles in furthering social cohesion and conflict management through mediation. It provided skills training and on-the-ground support to 100 women mediators, selected from diverse groups including Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian refugees, people with disabilities, and youth in South Lebanon. The project has successfully developed networks of women mediators at the local level in conflict-prone regions of Lebanon to ensure the inclusion of gender perspectives in conflict management to decrease tensions and promote peace, stabilisation and greater social cohesion.

UN Women carried out this project with UNIFIL (which has outreach to communities in South Lebanon), UNRWA (whose mandate is to support Palestinian refugees) and the Center for Professional Mediation at the University of Saint Joseph. The project also involved work with women’s civil society organisations, municipalities and governorates, political parties, the national women’s machinery and the Lebanese Ministry of Interior.

Due to Covid-19-related changes to delivery of the programme, and to allow the trained women mediators to use their skills directly in the community in light of the additional pressures brought about by the crisis, this project was extended until the end of 2020.

The Foundation is delighted to have fully funded this project, not just because of the novelty of this type of project (with the aim of increasing female participation in dispute resolution forums) in Lebanon and the opportunity this provided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of ground-breaking United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, but because Rebecca herself was deeply concerned about the causes of conflicts between people and communities, and passionate about finding ways to heal them.

It is testament to the project’s success that in 2021 the Government of Finland provided a substantial grant to expand the pilot project across the whole of Lebanon.

Protecting Victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence and promoting Women's Empowerment at KAFA's Shelter (2018)

RDF’s first project took place between June and December 2018, in collaboration with Christian Aid and local Lebanese women’s NGO KAFA. The project provided support to victims of sexual and gender-based violence (“SGBV”) and promoted women’s empowerment at KAFA’s Shelter and Support Centre. It was awarded pursuant to a two-round bidding process involving the review of a total of fifteen applications by panels comprised of RDF directors and external international development experts.

The primary objective of the project was to ensure the long-term provision of protection services at KAFA’s safe Shelter in Mount Lebanon, a space dedicated to SGBV survivors including victims of sex trafficking, labour trafficking and emergency cases of domestic violence. The services included empowerment workshops, medical care, legal assistance and counselling. Significant refurbishment works were also undertaken at the Shelter, including the installation of a new power supply and air conditioning system. Throughout the project, a total of 47 female victims of SGBV were supported at the Shelter, including 39 women who had been trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour.

The project also secured vulnerable women across Lebanon with access to a 24/7 emergency helpline. During the duration of the project, the helpline helped address 194 urgent calls related to the potential trafficking of women in Lebanon.

The project also funded group support activities and protection services, including social counselling, therapy sessions and legal assistance, for girls at high risk of SGBV at KAFA’S Adolescent Friendly Space and Support Centre in the Bekaa region – a region hosting the biggest number of arriving refugees in the Lebanon since 2010. During the project period these services were provided to a total of 39 survivors of SGBV, including 10 cases of early or forced marriage.

On 16 August 2018, RDF hosted a webinar with Christian Aid and KAFA at which those working on the project on the ground explained the impact the project was having on women's lives. A podcast and slides can be found here.