Beyond Conflict
A talk given by Najwa Al Abdallah, CEO Reading Refugee Support Group

“She doesn’t know it yet, but she will become a director of several charities, visit 41 countries, and make a new home in the UK.

I was born in the heart of a war that still ingulfs my country Lebanon, I was displaced three times by the age of five and lost family members. I grew up amid extreme poverty and witnessed invasions and liberations and re-invasions! I saw the lasting scars wars leave, children missing on education and play, women dressed in black, young men forced into battles they never chose. Homes destroyed, livelihoods lost, communities fractured. And yet, within the ruins, I also discovered something extraordinary: joy! Joy can be a powerful act of resistance. When the bombing begins, neighbours would gather at my uncle’s house, not only to seek shelter, but to reclaim our humanity: playing games, listening to music, preparing food. In that circle, a sense of community becomes a lifeline. People rush to aid one another, and hope travels faster than the rockets.

When the bombs stop, the impact of war doesn’t. Landmines and unexploded ordnance linger, claiming more lives and severing futures. This is when I lead a team to survey landmine survivors, from there, I moved into emergency responses in other conflict-torn places like Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. Where I’ve learnt that peace and democracy can’t be build on the back of Tanks, or by removing a dictator to be replaced by another, or by referring to children being killed as “collateral damage”, or by ceasefire agreements that are not adhered to. Peace is built in small, steadfast acts of care, one family, one neighbour, one community at a time.

As we speak there are over 130-armedconflicts raging globally with roughly 60 countries involved, the highest number since World War II. With a projection of 136 million of forcibly displaced and stateless people by the end of this year.

For some, before the dust settles, they rush back to repair their homes and rebuild their lives, for many going back is not an option so they take very dangerous journeys to reach safety.

I am privileged to lead the Refugee Support Group, where we provide holistic support to sanctuary seekers as they rebuild their lives. Our work is about more than survival; it is about reawakening joy, restoring belonging, and helping people find their place in a community that chooses to see them: Berkshire and beyond.

To every person who carries a story of loss, I want to offer this: resilience is not a single moment of strength, but a path walked with others. It’s the quiet courage to reimagine a future, the daily acts of kindness that knit us back together, and the unwavering belief that hope is contagious.

If my life has shown me anything, it’s that the future is brighter when we gather, listen, and act together. Thank you for giving me the space to share this journey and for standing with all who seek safety, dignity, and a place to belong. Today, we choose hope beyond conflict and we choose it together.”