About Ms. Rabab Sadr

08/03/2018

On International Women’s Day
Ms. Rabab Sadr
She grew up in a family that is totally dedicated to justice and social change. She is married to Lebanese author Hussein Charafeddine whom she has four sons. She has PhD. in Philosophy, from the Lebanese University. She speaks three languages: Persian, Arabic and English.

Since her early youth, and having worked closely with Imam Moussa Sadr on several social issues, she had set her vision to unwaveringly participate in the empowerment and development of the marginalized population, especially in Lebanon and its South.

Chairperson of the Imam Sadr Foundation, a community-based, non-governmental organization, Rabab Sadr had been able to skillfully steer the Foundation during all the difficult times Lebanon had witnessed in the last forty years. After the sudden abduction of her brother Imam Moussa Sadr in 1978, she worked constantly to keep the Foundation active despite all the political crises, financial distresses and security unrests. She had to deal with challenges one after the other boldly but successfully. Under her leadership, the Foundation was able to set milestones in social change and equity at grass-root level by working closely with local communities in Lebanon on health, education, empowerment, and promoting a culture of dialogue and reconciliation.

Rabab Sadr’s determination has always been to empower those who have no opportunity and to advocate their rights by equipping them with skills to become self-dependent and productive members of their communities through sustainable development. With a focus on rural areas and local communities, orphans, youth, children with special needs and women, assisted by multi-disciplinary team of few hundreds, the majority of whom are women, she had been to work on the empowerment of thousands of people in the last four decades.

To realize her vision, she systematically focuses on establishing long-term partnerships with local and international communities and agencies. The Foundation is now affiliated to many regional and international networks including the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), and the umbrella organization for several local organizations, such as the Lebanese Women Leagues, Sadr Foundation USA, and Early Intervention Center (ECIL) and the alumni associations.

To expand her horizons and share the experiences of the Foundation, Rabab Sadr, has made trips to several countries all around the world. She had visited countries all around the Middle East, the Gulf, Africa, Europe and Asia in addition to several visits to the United States and Canada.

As the founder and chairperson of the Imam Mussa Sadr Center for Research and Studies, she has also worked and lectured on different themes such as freedom, reform, human rights, human development, dialogue, family, rights and the role of women.

But the closest award to her heart is the flourishing hope in the eyes of children she takes care of, the one given to her by the people themselves; an award of renewed trust and confidence in the work she is carrying out with them.