About Ibdaa

Ibdaa, which means 'to create something out of nothing' in Arabic, is a grassroots initiative of Dheisheh Refugee Camp. Its mission is to provide a safe environment for the camp's children, youth, and women to develop a range of skills, creatively express themselves, and build leadership through cultural, educational, and social activities that are not readily available in either the camp or occupied Palestine.   Ibdaa strives to empower participants with the confidence and knowledge to face their difficult future, while educating the international community about Palestinian refugees.

Ibdaa began in 1994 as a cultural exchange project with a French organization. Thirty children from Dheisheh traveled to Paris and performed a dance piece that used Palestinian folkloric dance, debka , and theatrical choreography to express the plight of Palestinian refugees.   Following the success of the tour, Ibdaa initiated a few youth empowerment programs for the young dancers and then rapidly grew into a multi-program institution that serves the needs of the larger Dheisheh community.   Today, Ibdaa serves over 1,500 children, youth, and women per year. It provides income to over 100 families in the camp through employment and income-generating projects.

Social Struggle

Despite a tradition of gender segregation in Palestinian society, Ibdaa is determined to provide a progressive environment for Palestinian children by bringing girls and boys, women and men together in an open setting that emphasizes human rights, equality, and justice. Since 1994, Ibdaa programs and participants have challenged the conservative social agenda in the camp and have slowly affected not only the attitudes of families involved in Ibdaa but also the mind-set of the larger Dheisheh community.

Ibdaa is a democratic and secular civil society organization. It has become one of the most successful, active, and popular grassroots institutions in Palestine. It is an example of effective community organizing and has played a crucial role in the community's survival and vitalization. As a result, Ibdaa has appeared in numerous articles and reports in local and international media and is the subject of at least four award winning documentary films, including "Frontiers of Dreams and Fears" (Masri, 2001) and the Academy Award nominee "Promises" (Bolero, Goldberg & Shapiro 2001).

Solidarity

Ibdaa's extraordinary achievement is attributed to the successful integration of grassroots work in Dheisheh with the solidarity work of the international community.   Ibdaa's alliance with activists and organizations overseas goes beyond a traditional relationship based on financial support. Instead, international activists and organizations also support Ibdaa through education, advocacy, and solidarity.