The struggles of refugees, displaced communities and marginalized groups of society has always resonated with Naz and Nad, the sister duo behind social enterprise Beadlebug. The sisters make ethnic-inspired jewelry, centred on an appreciation for mother earth’s natural elements and their quest for social justice. Through Beadlebug, it strives to raise awareness of different global issues while supporting communities through sustainable programs.
by Toh Ee Ming
Why Refugees?
Beadlebug co-founder Naz first became aware of the refugee issue while completing her Bachelor. She took an online course on human rights and refugee rights by Amnesty International and attended talks by humanitarian workers and lawyers here.
“At that stage I was a little more politically aware and was wondering why Singapore as a country was not doing more to support refugees and their human rights,” she says.
After graduating, she worked at a startup company but soon realized she wanted to do something more impactful. “It seemed crazy to me that just because I was born here, I was living in safety and security while someone exactly like me who was born in another socio-political circumstance, was fighting for survival,” she said.
Determined to do more, Naz completed a Masters in Development Studies and International Relations, and specialized in Global Refugee Studies. A classmate from Brazil told her about a 2-week-long international summer camp organized by Lajee Center, a grassroots center for refugees, where she could learn about the situation on the ground.
The center runs programs for greater environmental health and accessibility of healthcare, achieving water and food security, and educational and recreational activities for children and traineeships for recent college graduates.
Naz wrote to them and before she knew it, she was on a plane to Bethlehem to work with Lajee.
“I met so many incredible human beings in my time there. They truly embodied the human spirit, its strength, its love and its selflessness. Being surrounded by them really made me reevaluate my own life and gain a new perspective into what was truly important,” says Naz.
Why Children?
When the sisters found out that Lajee was establishing its own kindergarten, they jumped at the chance to help the initiative in any way possible. The Lajee Center Kindergarten, which will provide pre-school education for 100 children from Aida and Beit Jibrin refugee camps, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2021. The proceeds from the Beadlebug’s products will go to the construction of the kindergarten’s physical space.
Nad, a kindergarten educator, firmly believes in the power of early education.
“For refugee children, education brings hope. Hope is a very strong human emotion that ultimately leads people to do great things, despite dreadful circumstances,” she says.
An education will provide children with the ability to “make sense of the circumstances around them”, make informed choices, inculcate important personal values and create constructive change.
Early childhood education helps to develop a child’s social, emotional, psychological, cognitive and physical needs in a holistic way. This is especially important for refugee children who are living, learning and growing in active areas of conflict and often experience trauma from a young age.
“It has the potential to groom children to become leaders in their communities who will in turn do their part in promoting good education for generations to come – breeding hope and change through healthy solutions,” she says.
Why Border/Bother?
As part of AFR-SG’s annual refugee awareness event, RAW2020 invites members of public to join the hashtag campaign #WhyBorder, to show solidarity, spark conversations and add their voice to the movement.
Here’s what Naz and Nad has to say:
NAZ: “Refugees are human beings. They are people like you and me. The only difference is, their lives are in danger and they were forced to leave their homes! If I was hurting, and if my life was in danger, I would hope and pray that someone would bother to show me some compassion. This issue is a human one and we as humans have an obligation to look out for one another.”
“I once attended a conference once about walls being built at geopolitical borders. A lot of the arguments that day championed the tearing down of physical walls for the sake of humanity. Towards the end of the conference, a lady approached the microphone. She had grown up next to the wall in Mexico. She said it did not matter if we tore down all the walls in the world, because the walls exist in our minds. That’s something I think everyone should ponder on.”
NAD: “Borders are just man made lines. We all came from one source. There should not be a difference to our access to basic rights. It is the right of every child to have an education. And I believe we are here on this Earth to help one another.”
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