In episode 35 of the Disruptors for Good podcast, I speak with Noora Sharrab, the Co-founder and CEO of Sitti on creating a social impact soap brand inside of a Palestinian Refugee Camp.

In 2014, Noora Sharrab and Jacqueline Sofia began working with a motivated group of women in Jordan’s Jerash “Gaza” Refugee Camp to build the foundation for a social enterprise that would educate, employ and empower the community’s women and girls.

Today, Sitti maintains its commitment to providing fair wage employment to its all-female staff, as well as providing financial and in-kind support to several beneficiary programs that contribute towards the enterprise’s social mission.

The Sitti product line, which began with a signature square bar of handmade, cold-pressed olive oil soap, has since grown to a line of 10+ popular skincare and home good items; including curated products through partnerships with ethical brand names.

Sitti has evolved into a multi-national brand that can be found in the shops of retailers and distributors across the Middle East and North America.

Noora Sharrab is the co-founder and CEO of Sitti. Sharrab, whose ancestral family is from Gaza, has always felt a special bond with the women of Jerash “Gaza” Refugee Camp in Jordan.

As the co-founder and regional director of Hopes for Women in Education, an international NGO and one of several Sitti beneficiaries, she has worked tirelessly to provide educational opportunities to refugee girls and women throughout the MENA region.

In addition to her work in Jerash, Sharrab also worked for several years in humanitarian development with the United Nations regional Jordan office.

She received her M.A. in Political Science with a specialization certificate in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies, as well as her B.A. in Political Science from York University. She currently lives with her family in Toronto, and works between the Middle East and Canada.

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Interview Transcript

Grant: Hey, what’s up everybody, this is Grant from Causeartist. Welcome to the 35th episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast. Today, we’re chatting with Noora Sharrab, the co-founder and CEO of Sitti Soap. Sitti is one of those brands I’ve been following for a long time.

Back in 2014, Noora and her co-founder Jacqueline began working with a group of women in Jordan’s Gaza refugee camp to build the foundation for a social enterprise that would educate, employ, and empower the community of women and girls there.

Today, Sitti maintains its commitment to providing fair wage employment to its all-female staff and supports several other programmes that contribute towards the company’s mission. Their product line began with a signature square bar of handmade olive oil soap and has since grown to include 10 popular skincare and home goods items.

Noora has always felt a special bond with the women of the Gaza refugee camp, as much of her family is originally from Gaza. In addition to co-founding Sitti, she also co-founded Hopes for Women in Education, an international NGO focused on providing educational opportunities for refugee girls and women in the region.

Noora has a strong background in humanitarian development, with years of experience working with the United Nations, a Master’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from York University.

02:16

Grant: Let’s start with your journey to where you are now. How did you get introduced to refugee camps, and how did that lead to starting your company?

Noora: I grew up in Toronto, Canada, but my roots are in Palestine. My parents were born in Gaza and later lived in Egypt. I was born in Dubai and moved to Canada when I was very young. Although I grew up in Canada, I always had a strong connection to my Palestinian heritage.

It wasn’t until I was in university, during my Master’s program, that I really started to explore this part of my identity. I was doing research on identity politics and decided to focus on Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan. Despite being Palestinian, I never lived the refugee life.

I never had a Palestinian passport because of the stateless identity we were born into. Moving to Canada gave us a new life and the opportunity to have citizenship, but I wanted to understand what it meant to be a refugee and live in a refugee camp.

So, I traveled to Jordan, lived with host families in the refugee camps, and that experience really shaped my path. It led me to start my NGO, Hopes for Women in Education, and eventually Sitti Soap.

04:13

Grant: So the NGO came first, right?

Noora: Yes. After finishing my Master’s thesis, I relocated to Jordan and started Hopes for Women in Education. The NGO focused on providing higher education scholarships for refugee women because I found that many women in the camps were marginalized and unable to continue their education due to socio-economic disadvantages.

They couldn’t afford to take out loans or save enough money to attend university. I met women who would complete one semester, then drop out to save money, and it would take them years to finish their degrees. It was unfair that money was such a barrier to education, so Hopes for Women aimed to create a fund to support these women who wanted to further their education and make a difference in their communities.

05:55

Grant: Was it after that first trip to the refugee camp that you decided to start the NGO, and how did that lead to Sitti?

Noora: Yes, after that trip, I realized there was more to be done. I met a lot of women during my research who were struggling to continue their education, and I felt a strong need to help.

After relocating to Jordan, I started the NGO to support higher education for refugee women. But after a few years of working in the camps, one of the local volunteers approached me with a box of soap made by women in the camp. She asked if I could help them sell it.

At first, I was skeptical because I had never been in the business of soap, but I quickly realized that it was more than just a bar of soap. These women were using their skills to create something to support their families. That’s how the idea for Sitti Soap started.

08:19

Grant: Sitti Soap is such an amazing social enterprise. It really exemplifies the power of business to change lives. Can you explain what the brand is all about and how it has evolved since you started?

Noora: After that first visit, I partnered with Jacqueline Sofia, who was also working at the refugee camp. We both saw the potential in what the women were doing and decided to combine our efforts. For us, it was important that Sitti wasn’t just about pity purchases. We wanted people to buy our soap because it’s truly the best olive oil soap on the market.

We use premium quality ingredients, traditional methods, and produce it in small batches. Everything is done in the camp, and we’ve even established a dedicated Women’s Centre there for production. This way, we can maintain the quality and provide a safe, accessible space for the women to work.

11:37

Grant: Can you tell us more about the Women’s Centre? How did you set it up, and what does it look like?

Noora: The Women’s Centre was crucial for us. Initially, the women were making soap in their homes, but we needed a dedicated space to ensure quality and consistency. We ran a crowdfunding campaign and reached out to local donors in Jordan to raise the funds to establish the centre.

The centre is located within the camp itself, which was important because many of the women have mobility issues and can’t travel far for work. The centre allows them to work close to home, and it’s fully equipped for soap production. We have supervisors who oversee the process, and the centre has become a hub for the community.

19:03

Grant: When you first started, there was some skepticism and doubt. Has that changed now that you’re five years in?

Noora: Yes, it has. We now have over 50 women trained in soap-making, with 10 full-time employees. The brand’s success has really changed the narrative. When we first started, some people were skeptical because the soap was made in a refugee camp.

But we were determined to create a high-quality product that could stand on its own. Today, our products are sold in luxury boutiques in Canada and on the shelves of Whole Foods in Ontario. We’ve been able to surpass the idea that Sitti is just a brand from a camp—it’s so much more than that.

22:55

Grant: The shift towards social impact brands is becoming more prominent, and consumers are recognizing that these products are often better than mass-produced alternatives. How did you navigate that transition from just making soap to expanding your product line?

Noora: We started with just a single bar of soap, but as demand grew, especially for wedding orders and gifts, we realized there was potential to expand. We wanted to create more giftable products that stayed true to our brand.

The name Sitti means “my grandma” in Arabic, so we focused on creating products that would be grandma-approved—authentic, high-quality items that reflect the traditions and skills of the women in the camp. We now have a range of skincare and home goods that align with our mission.

32:34

Grant: Does the NGO you started, Hopes for Women in Education, still connect with Sitti in any way?

Noora: Yes, there’s definitely a connection. Sitti started as a project under the NGO, and some of our alumni have joined us as soap makers and artisans. The Women’s Centre is more than just a production space—it’s a community hub that encompasses various programs.

We have women of all ages working with us, from young graduates to grandmothers. It’s not age-restrictive; it’s about their ability to produce the product and contribute to the process.

34:34

Grant: Looking ahead, what’s your vision for the next five years?

Noora: Our vision is to expand our centre, hire more women, and continue to grow our partnerships and sales. We’re looking at purchasing a larger property because we’re outgrowing our current space. We want to double, triple, or even quadruple the number of women we employ and continue to reinvest in the refugee community.

There’s so much potential in the corporate gifting industry, and we want to tap into that to help scale our impact. Ultimately, our goal is to inspire other companies to follow in our footsteps and create sustainable opportunities for marginalized communities.

36:39

Grant: Thank you so much, Noora. It’s been amazing to hear your story and see the incredible impact Sitti is making. I’m excited to see where you and Jacqueline take the brand in the future.

Noora: Thank you, Grant. It’s been a pleasure sharing our story with you and your audience. We’re so grateful for the support from Causeartist and look forward to continuing to grow and make a difference. People have the power to create change with their dollars, and it’s inspiring to see that message spreading. Thank you!