Basma’s Journey as Roouh’s founder

Hi, Marhba. I’m Basma, and in Arabic, my name means smile, and Roouh is my idea for the refugee artisans in the camps. My story goes to the date my grandparents were expelled from Palestine, and they became refugees in Lebanon. They resided in Rashideh camp, one of the 12 Palestinian camps, for all their life until they both died. So, I inherited refugee status from them and my parents and became one of the third-generation stateless Palestinian refugees. I lived in Rashdieh camp with my parents and grandparents, who have been living there and have been living for 76 years so far.

My inspiration for the culture and heritage of Palestine through needlework and products goes back to when I was seven years old, seeing my grandmother, mother, aunts and other refugee women sewing and making embroidered products for us as a child to wear during winter or as a special gift to their children and beloved ones.

My heart, mind and eyes were opened to the beautiful history of this embroidery and its meaning to the journey of my mother, grandmother and other refugee women in the camps. My memories go to women’s gatherings in front of our houses in the summer or inside the homes in winter around a cup of tea or coffee. I remember my grandmother and other women gathered together to embroider,  with a basket of balls of thread in the middle and started working and laughing and sharing news and updates about their lives in the camp. This act of stitching has been for centuries and ages, and it is still the case nowadays with refugee women, their daughters, and younger generations.

It was eye-opening about their displacement journey, the history of their heritage, and the importance and commitment to sharing and teaching it with other generations of refugees. So, at that time, I dreamt of setting up a project to empower these incredible women to preserve this culture and earn income from it to continue thriving while living in a camp.

But life took me a bit far from achieving this dream to diverse paths, and recently, after coming to the UK and started wearing my traditional and hand-made products, people in the UK were interested and keen to learn about the history and meaning of this heritage. Such encounters were the right moment for me to start thinking of achieving my dream of establishing a project to share this heritage. And so, Roouh was created in 2022.

Roouh’s story is extended through ages, and it is not new; however, I hope Roouh will go beyond a marketplace to a movement that brings together individuals & businesses to support our cause. Our vision is the power of and for people. You cannot see the change that you want unless you are that change.

Look at our online shop channels and see how you can be part of this change and our incredible journey.