Beyond Conflict & Sir Terry Waite: Christmas event at London Stock Exchange

By Edna Fernandes, Co-Founder/Director.

In January 2026, Beyond Conflict marks its 8th birthday.

The idea for Beyond Conflict was inspired by the testimony of two young Iraqi refugees I heard back in September 2016, whilst writing a book about the war on Islamic State. As a journalist and writer of more than 25 years, usually I stayed on the sidelines of the story. This time, their stories demanded action. One refugee was a young Yazidi girl and the other was a 10 year old boy who lost all his family – both escaped ISIS and endured horrors no child should see. Both were mentally scarred by their experiences.

“We are drowning in memories,” the girl told me.

Beyond Conflict began with a small team who shared a vision for a mental health charity for  victims of war. We officially became a charity on 3 January 2018. Over eight years we’ve seen more talented people join from all faiths, all walks of life.

The silent war

At the core of our mission is this: we believe there can be no lasting peace unless we deal with the psychological fallout of war. We aim to make mental health a frontline humanitarian service for victims of war and the frontline workers who serve them. Victims of war suffer from suicidal thoughts, depression, panic attacks and thoughts of self-harm. Theirs is an invisible war, raging inside the mind.

Without help, this will echo through future generations of children across the world.

Beyond Conflict is making an impact. Here are some of our the people we’ve helped:

Highlights of our work

* Thousands of lives impacted through projects in London, Iraq, Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, Israel and Bangladesh. We’ve helped:

* Widows and orphans in southern Iraq.

* Frontline workers, children and mothers in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh.

* Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border as well as disabled young people in Lviv, Ukraine.

* Ukrainian frontline workers and young people via a music therapy project in London at the Ukrainian Welcome Centre.

* Hundreds of Palestinian families and frontline workers in the West Bank.

* 2,800 children in Gaza.

* Hundreds of victims of the Nova attack by Hamas and the hostage families in Israel.

Advocacy in Action

Beyond Conflict advocates as well as fundraising for projects, via events including:

* A Requiem Concert for Children of War at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, London.

* An Evening on Hope & Resilience with Sir Terry Waite at the London Stock Exchange.

*A gala dinner for Beyond Conflict at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, with Martin Bell OBE, former BBC war correspondent, MP and UNICEF Ambassador.

* A Child of War Exhibition in London, with the Ukrainian Welcome Centre and War Through Children’s Eyes.

* An online panel discussion co-hosted with the Geneva Graduate Institute on mental health in conflict zones.

Public Recognition

The Family of John Lennon, Yoko Ono Lennon and Sean Lennon, selected Beyond Conflict as one of their 50 top charities in the world in 2023, awarding a limited edition recording of Give Peace a Chance.

International Humanitarian Charity of the Year, 2025  – Acquisition International’s Non-Profit Awards

Best Mental Health Charity for Victims of War, 2024, Acquisition International Non-Profit Awards.

* Echoes of Hope, a short film on our work, shortlisted for the Geographical magazine’s Better World Awards. The winner will be announced in spring 2026.

So to all those who believe in our work; to our partners who are the heroes delivering projects in war zones around the world;  to every donor, large and small:  Beyond Conflict thanks you.