9 hours ago
'They don't need our pity': Creators share refugee stories, call for dignity over aid
At a refugee camp in Lebanon, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Karen Wazen met a young girl whose image has stayed with her ever since. No older than five, the child was caring for her toddler sister, tying her shoes, running after her, and keeping her safe with a sense of responsibility far beyond her age.
'I remember thinking, I'm a grown woman with every privilege, and I still wonder if I'm getting motherhood right,' Wazen said. 'And there she was, doing it all, with nothing.'
The Lebanese content creator has spent nearly eight years working with refugee communities in Lebanon and Kenya. What began as an effort to lend support, she said, turned into a deeply personal transformation. 'I thought I was going to help them. I didn't realise they would be the ones changing me.'
As the world marked World Refugee Day on June 20, Wazen's reflection offered more than just a moment of solidarity; it served as a reminder of the individuals behind the numbers.
More than 120 million people are currently displaced globally, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the highest number ever recorded. Countries across the Middle East and Africa continue to bear a significant share of this responsibility, including Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen.
This year, a campaign titled Creators for Purpose was launched in partnership between Meta, UNHCR, and Creators HQ to draw attention to refugee experiences through digital storytelling. The campaign aims to raise both awareness and funds.
'People want to give back, now more than ever,' said Mon Baz, Director of Global Partnerships at Meta for Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. 'When creators share real stories with empathy, it cuts through the noise. It reminds people that behind the word 'refugee' is someone just like them.'
The initiative focuses on humanitarian emergencies in countries such as Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and among the Rohingya population, with funds directed toward cash assistance, relief items, and services like education, protection, and psychosocial support.
Between surviving and living
The campaign also reinforces a shift in how refugee needs are understood, not just in terms of survival, but in terms of dignity.
In a statement, Alya Al Musaiebi, Director of The Big Heart Foundation, noted that needs evolve depending on context. 'In refugee communities, needs multiply in proportion to loss, of home, of safety, of control,' she stated. 'The need is not just to survive, but to feel alive.'
Al Musaiebi called on the humanitarian sector to move beyond simply meeting basic needs. 'Without dignity, even food and medicine lose meaning. Aid must preserve self-respect and empower people as active participants in rebuilding their lives.'
This philosophy is also reflected in Wazen's own approach to advocacy. 'When I first started, I felt something was missing in my platform,' she said. 'I was sharing fashion and lifestyle, but it felt empty. I realised that having a voice, having reach, comes with responsibility.'
Cost of showing up
Wazen, whose online following exceeds eight million, admits that regularly engaging with humanitarian causes also comes at a personal cost.
'There are days I ask myself: what does this even mean? I post a story, and people are dying somewhere else. What am I doing?' she said. 'But I remind myself that we all need balance. Even bringing a smile to someone's face is a kind of solidarity. That too has value.'
Al Musaiebi echoed that sentiment, stating: 'Genuine solidarity is not measured solely by what we provide, but by what we help keep alive within the individual, passion, dignity, and the ability to dream.'
As the campaign gains traction, Wazen hopes it will help shift public perception of refugees away from passive recipients of aid. 'They don't need our pity,' she said. 'They need us to see them.'
The message, repeated by advocates and campaign organisers alike, is clear: refugees are not a 'special case.' They are individuals whose needs mirror our own, security, belonging, opportunity, and whose futures must be shaped by dignity, not dependency.
As Al Musaiebi put it: 'When dignity is restored, aid becomes partnership. Shelter becomes a home. The refugee becomes the architect of their future.'
