From Refugee to CEO: Najwa Al Abdallah Reflects on Her First Year Leading Amna

For Najwa Al Abdallah, completing her first year as Amna’s CEO is marked by happiness at what has been achieved, but also deep concern as she watches her home country, Lebanon, endure another crisis. We invited Najwa to share her reflections on this year, marked by incredible growth through profound challenges.  

Under Najwa’s leadership, this year at Amna we were able to reach more refugees in new geographical locations and strengthened our commitment to centering refugee communities in everything we do. As someone who grew up in extreme poverty during Lebanon’s civil war, Najwa experienced multiple displacements, and it is her own lived experience as a displaced person that drives her commitment towards Amna’s refugee-led approaches.   

For her, leading an organization so deeply rooted in refugee leadership and localization has been not just a professional milestone, but also a personal calling. "I feel at home at Amna," she shared. "We are committed to working with local communities because we know that they are best prepared to respond to the needs of their own people." 

Leading with Lived Experience 

Najwa’s personal history has a deep influence on her leadership style and approach to challenges. "Until the age of 14, I was stateless and my family was displaced multiple times,” she recalls.  

Among Najwa’s earliest memories is being barely five years old and piling into a car with her family to flee their village. “I remember wondering why we had to leave everything behind, why we couldn’t bring our clothes and toys. It’s very hard for a child to understand these things and for parents to explain-especially when they are themselves under enormous stress and fear.”   

But she also recalls moments of love, joy and happiness. “War brings out the worst in people, but it also brings out the best. There is a lot of care, empathy, a lot of people wanting to protect others, to open their homes”. 

Milestones in a Year of Growth 

Over the course of the year, Amna has made significant progress on our five-year strategy, designed to deepen partnerships with local communities and expand our reach. We established crucial hubs to support refugees impacted by the war in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan. These hubs are critical in providing psychosocial support to communities facing some of the world’s most challenging crises. Earlier this year, Amna launched a training programme for front-line workers in Palestine, responding to the urgent need for psychosocial support amidst escalating conflict and violence.  

"We are three-quarters into the first year of our strategy, and I’m very happy to say we’ve achieved what we set out to do," Najwa notes. "We’ve built partnerships in three key regions, and although Palestine wasn’t on our initial work plan, we responded to the need and provided vital psychosocial support."

Najwa also led the important work of strengthening Amna’s systems and policies, growing our board of trustees and enabled Amna to hire globally to become a truly remote organization and offering the flexibility needed to allow people with lived experience to work at Amna.  

Overcoming Challenges  

However, this year has also been one of immense challenges for Najwa, as the global context of war and natural disasters deeply impacted both Amna’s work and the team on a personal level. “There is a feeling of helplessness when you hear the accounts of frontline workers. They ask us how they can tell a child that they’ve lost a limb or their whole family? That has an enormous impact on not just me but also on my team. We have colleagues from Palestine, Venezuela and Afghanistan and they are under great emotional distress,” Najwa shared.  

Now watching the bombardment in Lebanon and worrying for the safety of friends and family has been difficult. "It has brought back painful memories from my childhood.”  

However, despite these emotional challenges, she emphasizes the resilience and hope that remains at the center of Amna’s work. "What gives me hope is the strength of our team and the commitment to the communities we serve, especially my colleague from Gaza who is working through great emotional distress. Her resilience gives me strength,”.  

Leading with Empathy and Vulnerability 

As a woman from a minority background in a leadership position, Najwa feels a responsibility to lead in a different way. “The leaders I have come across in my career tried to not show vulnerability. I feel like we should be able to talk about our struggles. I say to my team ‘I am new to this role, I am still learning, I am making mistakes, and I am working on myself’”, she said. 

 “It is important to be truthful and vulnerable with colleagues, it gives them permission to do the same,” she added.  

Finding Joy in the Journey 

At Amna, healing is not just about overcoming trauma-it is also about rediscovering joy and belonging. Reflecting on what healing and joy means to her, Najwa said "Healing is a long journey, but it’s about finding joy in the small things—whether it’s seeing a baby smile, watching a plant grow, or spending time with colleagues. That’s how I know we are healing." 

Looking forward, Amna remains committed to ensuring that mental health and psychosocial support are integral to humanitarian efforts. "The impact of trauma, of loss, of displacement is lasting and often intergenerational," Najwa says. "But with the right support, refugees can heal, find hope, and rediscover their sense of belonging."