Yara Mansour is our Project Officer for the MENA region. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Public Health, plus holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from Erasmus University. Prior to joining Aflatoun International, Yara worked for various emergency and development programmes in Lebanon around the topics of education and peacebuilding. Before that, she was working in the environmental field for the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, as well as for a local consultancy, Geoflint.   

She strongly believes in the importance of working through collaborative efforts and the power of partnerships, which drove her more and more towards the direction of development and, finally, to join the Aflatoun team. 

Why do you work for Aflatoun International?  

I recently joined the Aflatoun team to take part in on-going projects and to support its mission. I strongly believe in the importance of partnerships and development through learning, which has been Aflatoun’s mission for the last decade.  

What is your role at the organisation?  

I am a Project Officer within the MENA region and I work alongside the MENA Programme Manager. 

How would you explain what you do to a 5-year-old?  

“Hi, Darling! At Aflatoun, my colleagues and I work with teachers and other teams to strengthen their ideas on rights, responsibilities, money and work. We love to work with our friends in every country to give children and their families a better chance tomorrow”. 

Why is social and financial education important?  

In a world where financial opportunities are scarce for the marginalised, it is important to reach them and equip them with a set of skills that can help them to find their ways. On the social aspect, it is important to build on notions and capacities that allow people to gear fairly and righteously within their communities and eventually in the world of business. 

What do you like most about Aflatoun International?  

Aflatoun works through its tightly woven network that is rich with a whole spectrum of organisations and offices, and it reaches the children and youth strictly through partnerships which is a route that I believe to be the most effective and sustainable.  

What is something NGOs have to deal with that you want to fix?  

It would be good if I/we fix the lack of sharing and lack of interactions among and between organisations that work around the same notions and that have a similar scope of work. I believe this is an aspect of NGOs work that needs to be optimised.  

How do you see the future of Aflatoun International?  

I hope to see Aflatoun reach new countries and areas, and to see its’ curricula and approach incorporated at national levels around the world! 

Who is a hero of yours? / Or please share with us a motto or quote close to your philosophy of life.  

My mum is my hero!