In memory of Maher Alabrsh (1989 – 2024)

Maher Alabrsh was a dedicated and gifted humanitarian whose unexpected passing last week has come as a shock, and is an immense loss to the people he served in Syria and the Middle East, and the sector as a whole.

We had the pleasure to meet Maher in-person at HNPW in 2023, and we’ll remember him for his kindness, his smiles, his sense of humour, and his consistent enthusiasm to volunteer his time and knowledge to help others. As a panellist in one event, he shared his passions for sustainable agriculture and climate-smart humanitarian programming.

To meet Maher was to become friends with him, and he will be sorely missed at HNPW this year where we were looking forward to sharing the week with him.

Maher was one of our most active trainers; not only facilitating countless workshops, but creating, training and mentoring a pool of trainers in Syria. Through his training, public speaking, advocacy, and other activities, Maher truly exemplified what it means to be a Sphere Champion.

Our thoughts at this very sad time are with Maher’s family and friends, including the trainers he was mentoring through whom his legacy will, in some way, live on.

Photo: Maher at HNPW 2023