In loving memory of Dr Olfat Mahmoud

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr Olfat Mahmoud, FHN Steering Committee member and General Director of the Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organization. Olfat was an inspirational leader, committed feminist humanitarian, talented writer, and champion of refugee rights - particularly the rights of Palestinian women refugees. A member of the FHN since its inception in 2017, Olfat played a significant role in growing our young Network as part of the FHN’s strategic leadership committee, where she generously shared her experience, skills and knowledge. We, her feminist family at the FHN, mourn her passing but also celebrate her life and her incredible achievements.

Dr Olfat Mahmoud was a Palestinian refugee born in Lebanon. She described her life’s mission as being to fulfill the dream of her parents and grandparents to return to their hometown “Tarshiha” in Palestine. 

She began her career as a qualified nurse, working with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, before training in Clinical Instructing in London and then Community Nursing in Australia. However, having witnessed the horrors and atrocities of war, Olfat eventually decided to leave nursing and return to academia, helping others through her words and activism.

In 2010, Dr Olfat Mahmoud joined the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Beirut Arab University where she studied Psychology, going on to complete a Master’s in Special Needs, a diploma in Women’s Studies, and in 2016, a PhD in Positive Psychology and Personality. In addition to her academic work, Olfat was also General Director of the Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organization, and worked with Palestinian refugees living in camps in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

Olfat published several academic studies and numerous articles in support of Palestinian and women’s rights. She also wrote a book “Tears for Tarshiha”, the first step on the road to return to her family’s village. In 2015, she was selected to represent Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon at the UN celebration of the foundation of UNRWA in New York.

“Refugees must not be forgotten. The international community tends to forget those who have been refugees for a long time, and it’s not fashionable to remember them. We suffer a lot. I want the international community to think of suffering as bleeding. I hear people say, “During the war, we had better services.” – don’t make people wish for war. Refugees need resources. They need to be supported.” –  Dr Olfat Mahmoud

In 2020, in the wake of the devastating explosion in Beirut, Olfat met with other Feminist Humanitarian Network members from across the globe to share her leadership, and bolster response efforts, as her organization led critical humanitarian action following the disaster. That same year, she also shared with the FHN her reflections on how the world sees refugees, her own experience of living as a refugee – calling for a transformational change in the current humanitarian system to better uphold the rights and dignity of displaced people. You can read her powerful words on the FHN website here.

As a member of the FHN Steering Committee, Olfat worked to develop platforms for members’ to share their experiences and the obstacles they were facing in their work in order to collectively build feminist solutions. Olfat's leadership helped the Network create spaces for open dialogue around the biggest hurdles facing WROs today, connecting members from around the world to share their unique knowledge, skills and learnings on how to overcome such barriers and drive change within the humanitarian system.

We are heartbroken at the loss of our dear friend, sister and colleague, we will deeply miss her kindness, warmth and leadership. We will always remain inspired by the huge impact she has had in building the Feminist Humanitarian Network, and her legacy that continues in the work of the Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organisation and in the FHN. The entire Network shares our love and condolences with Olfat’s family, friends and loved ones.