In Beirut Refugee Camp, Jiu Jitsu Coach Trains Palestinian and Syrian Women to Reclaim Confidence
Why It Matters
In Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps, where economic hardship and displacement have persisted for generations, a martial arts program is offering women and girls a framework that extends well beyond physical self-defense. The initiative addresses gender-based vulnerability in communities where discussing sexual abuse and assertiveness remains largely taboo.
What Happened
Inside a modest gym in the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp on the southern edge of Beirut, coach Mirella Atallah recently wrapped up a two-month Brazilian jiu jitsu course aimed at women and girls from Palestinian and Syrian refugee families. The camp is home to descendants of Palestinians displaced during Israel’s founding in 1948, many of whom have never been permitted to return.
Atallah, a Lebanese-Canadian and former world champion in the sport, frames the program not as a self-defense class but as what she calls women’s empowerment in public spaces. The curriculum teaches participants to scan their surroundings rather than shrink from them, to hold their heads up, make direct eye contact, and use their voices — skills that can be genuinely difficult for young women raised in environments that discourage assertiveness.
“I had a woman in the program who tried to scream for help and couldn’t — her voice wouldn’t come out,” Atallah noted, describing a common challenge among participants.
Among those completing the course was Aisha Saqqa, 18, a first-year business management student who said the training shifted her outlook within weeks. “After two weeks I felt I was changing — not just in sports but my mental health and everything,” she said. Saqqa, who hopes to launch a perfume business after college, described a new drive to develop public-speaking skills and participate in campus activities.
Another participant, a teenager named Malak, is training alongside her friend Hanan. The two met through the program and have grown close enough to call each other sisters. Malak plans to enroll in a technical school to pursue work as a beauty specialist. Also in the class are three Syrian sisters — Rim, Rama, and Chahed — who, according to Atallah, initially struggled to believe they were physically capable of executing the techniques. Building that confidence, she said, took approximately two years of consistent work.
One participant, Ola, trained alongside her daughter Hadeel. Ola said her family fled the camp earlier in 2026 when Israeli strikes hit the area, but returned to continue the program. “I want her to be strong, independent, and not scared of anything,” Ola said of her daughter’s participation.
About the Coach
Atallah’s own path to martial arts was shaped by financial hardship and social exclusion. Raised in a low-income Lebanese household, she was bullied in school and told by her parents that judo — a sport her brother practiced — was inappropriate for girls. After working multiple jobs while studying, she spent eight years completing her university degree before relocating to Kuwait for marketing work.
By the time she moved to Canada, her health had deteriorated significantly. She turned to yoga and meditation, then to kickboxing, and eventually to Brazilian jiu jitsu — a ground-based discipline distinct from traditional Japanese judo. Six months after her first training session, she entered competition and won. She is now a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and the first Lebanese woman to reach that level. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
“Jiu jitsu gave me a voice,” Atallah said. “I was very shy, and when I started I felt empowered — like I could do anything.”
Zoom Out
Programs pairing martial arts with psychological resilience for displaced or at-risk populations have expanded in conflict-affected regions across the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia in recent years. The approach reflects a growing recognition among development and humanitarian organizations that physical confidence-building can complement mental health support, particularly for women in communities where formal counseling carries social stigma. For students navigating trauma and displacement, the intersection of physical and psychological development echoes challenges documented in education research on emotional and behavioral support systems.
What’s Next
Atallah continues to run similar programs for women and marginalized communities internationally. The Burj al-Barajneh cohort has completed its two-month cycle, and participants are expected to advance to the next phase of training. No formal timeline for program expansion has been publicly announced.