17 June 2025 | Baalbek, Lebanon [ADRA Europe]
At 45, Moud’s life has been shaped by conflict, flight, and survival. Born in Palestine, she fled to Syria as a child, only to be displaced once more by the war there. She arrived in Lebanon hoping for peace but instead faced yet another crisis—displaced once again by the country’s escalating instability.
In Lebanon, she married. But with no relatives by her side, no safety net to fall back on, and a body weakened by repeated spinal surgeries, even daily life was a struggle. Moud’s health kept her from finding stable work, and the isolation of her displacement weighed heavily on her spirit. Still, she carried on.
Would you ever discover you have an extraordinary gift if all you ever had time for was survival? Such was Moud’s story. Years passed in the shadows of war and worry, leaving little space to explore her identity, her creativity, her worth. But everything changed the day she joined Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) programme in Baalbek.
Surrounded by other women with similar stories of hardship and resilience, Moud took part in vocational training—learning knitting, crochet, make-up artistry, and entrepreneurship. It was during one of those sessions that her hands found thread and a hook… and her heart found purpose.
To everyone’s surprise, Moud turned out to be exceptionally gifted. She picked up crochet with ease, weaving delicate patterns with precision and care. From that moment on, Moud was no longer only a refugee, or a woman living in pain. She became an artisan, a businesswoman, a creator. She began receiving online orders and selling her handmade pieces. With her new skills came not only income but a transformation far more powerful.
“I am valuable. I’m talented. I can do this. I am empowered.”
Through ADRA, Moud found more than training. She received dignity and hygiene kits, took part in awareness sessions on health and gender equality, and joined psychosocial support groups that reminded her: she was not alone. ADRA believes that women like Moud—so often displaced, overlooked, and unheard—deserve more than aid. They deserve the tools to rebuild, the chance to lead, and the recognition that they are vital to their families and communities.
On this World Refugee Sabbath, 21 June, we honour the thousands of women like Moud who carry untold strength. Women who stitch their lives back together in the quietest and most beautiful ways—one thread, one step, one dream at a time
Project EMBRACE
The EMBRACE project, implemented by ADRA Lebanon in Baalbek, supports vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugee women and girls—many of whom have faced multiple displacements and are at high risk of period poverty and economic exclusion. Through a combination of vocational training (crochet, make-up, weaving), entrepreneurship coaching, dignity kit distribution, and psychosocial support, the project empowers participants to gain income-generating skills, improve hygiene practices, and rebuild their confidence and independence.
[Photos: courtesy of ADRA Europe]
