Sharq.Org benefits from the expertise of professionals across the globe and recruits and forms teams on a project by project basis to ensure that the needs of each initiative are fully met by a collaborative group of professionals whose skills and experience complement each other.
ACTIVE TEAM
Reem Maghribi, a UN communications consultant and gender specialist, is the executive director of Sharq.Org. She oversees the implementation of Sharq.Org work and is lead author of a number of the organisation’s research studies
Omar Alshikh, a poet and journalist, is a full-time producer at Sharq.Org and principal curator of the Sharq.Org collection of stories on belonging, and collections of interviews on multi-religious cooperation and the impact of conflict & migration on identity
Yara Chehayed, a cultural practitioner and researcher based in Beirut, is a full-time associate researcher at Sharq.Org, engaged in both Sharq.Org’s donor supported and client work
Dr Monzer Hayek, a professor of history and theology, is a research associate, and has been primarily engaged in Sharq.Org research into belonging, identity and multi-religious cooperation
Anna Ogden Smith is co-founder of design firm bananamonkey, with which Sharq.Org happily collaborates on various projects, including the development of the Tarikhi platform and app
Yara Nahle, a journalist based in Beirut, is an associate researcher for a Sharq.Org study on the cultural sector in Lebanon
Nour Nasra, a poet and writer based in Syria, is translating texts about belonging and multi-religious cooperation
Malak Abdelghafour, a social worker based in Beirut, has been an associate producer at Sharq.Org and is currently assisting with translation
DIRECTORS
Our directors come from diverse backgrounds and boast experience and expertise in the fields of culture, media, development, education and law.
Sabine Choucair is a Lebanese humanitarian clown, storyteller and performer. She holds qualifications in performing arts from London and social therapy from New York. Founder and director of non-profit Clown Me In, Choucair has been working with different communities around the world, finding real stories and transposing them on stage or in film.
Nawal Traboulsi is a leading expert on children’s literature and reading habits. She co-founded and was for many years director of Assabil, the Friends of Public Libraries in Lebanon. Among Traboulsi’s published work is the book “Recipes to Spice Up the Taste of Reading”, a guide for librarians and teachers.
Jailan Zayan, a UK graduate of law, has been based out of Cairo since 2000, where she established her career as a journalist, and becoming deputy bureau chief of Agence France Press. After years of reporting on Egyptian politics and society, before, during and after the 2011 uprising, Zayan left the newswire and now focuses on various creative endeavours while working as a freelance writer.
Jorn De Cock is a Belgian writer specialized in the Middle East. He studied Ancient History and International Politics at the universities of Leuven, Belgium, and Cologne, Germany, before traveling around the world as a newspaper correspondent and book writer. He previously lived and worked in Berlin, Damascus and Beirut.
Tom Boegart had a career as a human rights lawyer for over a decade, working with the Belgian government refugee agency, UNHCR and Amnesty International, before becoming a conceptual artist. His work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions in New York, Geneva, Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Jerusalem, Casablanca, Algiers and Kigali.
Lukman Derky, a poet with many published collections to his name, Derky has also written for tv, theatre and media. He founded Alif magazine for new writing, co-founded satirical newspaper Al‑Dumery, and enjoyed a popular following as a columnist at Syria’s Baladna newspaper. Based out of France as a result of the war, Derky continues to work as a journalist for various Arabic publications.
INTERNS
Sharq.Org has hosted, mentored and benefited from the enthusiasm and dedication of a number of Arab and international students. Among them:
Pascale Jallouf completed a two-month internship with Sharq.Org in 2019 while studying for a degree in theatre. She was assistance producer of the play ‘I Am Not a Vase’.
Amelie Petersen joined Sharq.Org for five months in 2019 while studying for a Masters in anthropology. She assisted in the development of the oral history collection on the ‘Migration & Peaceful Coexistence’.
Omar Moslem joined Sharq.Org for two months as part of his MEPI Fellowship in 2018. He assisted in the production of the book ‘Syria & Its People’.
Kristine Kure was a student of Advanced Migration Studies when she joined the Sharq.Org team for a three month internship in 2017.
Fatima Mahmoud joined Sharq.Org over the summer of 2017 in between studying for a degree in journalism..
Amina Merkbawi completed a summer internship with Sharq.Org in 2017 before beginning her postgraduate studies in international development.
Looking for an internship opportunity? Join us!
COLLABORATORS
Sharq.Org has collaborated with well over 100 professionals to produce content, train young professionals, develop creative outputs and host community event.
