Community co-designed digital literacy project empowering refugees and asylum seekers...
About Us
Who we are.
Social By Design is a UK-based community interest consultancy, led by lived experience, specialising in digital literacy, storytelling, and training design for refugees, youth, and marginalized groups.
Our Mission
We design solutions with communities, not for them—creating inclusive, multilingual, and impact-driven programs.
Our Projects
Inclusion and Wellbeing Project in Manchester
Creating safe, inclusive spaces for Arabic-speaking refugees and migrants to...
The Content Creation Playbook – Arabic Edition
Arabic Content Creation Playbook developed for refugee and host communities...
Digital Security Training for Women in Peacebuilding
Digital security training delivered to Beyond Borders Scotland empowering women...
Peacebuilding & Social Cohesion Workshops
Peacebuilding workshops across MENA equipping youth with conflict transformation, dialogue,...
Storytelling for Change – Training Youth & Refugee Leaders
Storytelling training project in Egypt empowering youth and refugee leaders...
Meet our team
Founder and Director
Alaa is the founder and director of Social By Design, Alaa brings over eight years of experience in the international development sector, working with NGOs and UN agencies across Europe, the Middle East, and the UK.
Managing Partner
Over five years of experience in fundraising, partnership development, and project management within the social impact and sustainability sectors.
Research and Development Manager
Suzanne Alfares is a senior operations and programme specialist with 15+ years of experience across the Middle East. She focuses on programme design, livelihoods and early recovery, and humanitarian response, with a strong track record in managing large-scale projects and multi-stakeholder coordination. Suzanne is also a certified trainer in areas including humanitarian negotiation, data protection, and emergency response, and has worked with organisations such as the World Food Programme, Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and Danish Refugee Council.
SAMER KILANI
Information Security Manager
With over 20 years in IT and cybersecurity, this highly credentialed professional holds certifications such as CISSP, CISA, ITIL Expert, CEH, and MCSE. Certified as an Instructor in the “Cybersecurity Specialist” Program at “Al Mobdioon Center” at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, providing industry-aligned knowledge and skills to the next generation of cybersecurity specialists.
Nour Edrees
Administrative Assistant Volunteer
Nour is an experienced professional specializing in administration, project management, and organizational support. With a strong background in coordinating processes and providing essential documentation, Nour excels in ensuring smooth operations within teams. Skilled in translation and interpretation between Arabic and English, Nour is dedicated to fostering cross-cultural communication with a focus on accuracy.
Associate consultants
Economic Recovery Specialist and Leadership Advisor
Edward is a humanitarian consultant with over 15 years of experience in Financial Assistance, Economic Recovery, and Market System Approaches (MSA). His expertise includes policy development, external engagement, thematic research, and strategic analysis.
M&E Specialist
With over 10 years of work experience in research, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (RMEAL), I am passionate about empowering children and communities through data-driven and participatory approaches. As the MEAL Manager at Save the Children Poland, I oversee the design, implementation, and quality assurance of RMEAL systems and processes for various projects in Poland.
Research specialist
Fatima is an MSc student in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics (LSE), with over five years of experience working with international NGOs in Syria, including Action Against Hunger and the Aga Khan Development Network. Specializing in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), Food Security, Livelihoods, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Fatima brings a wealth of knowledge to her humanitarian work.
Education Specialist
Currently a global education advisor with Concern Worldwide supporting education programmes in the Middle East, Asia and Francophone countries. Specific areas include education in emergencies, inclusive education, continuous teacher professional development, and measurement of education outcomes.
Financial and Project Management Specialist
Talal is an expert in financial and grants management with over ten years of experience in the international humanitarian sector. He holds an MSc in Political Economy of Development, an MBA, and certifications in CMA, PMP, and PRINCE2. Talal has worked extensively with institutional donors, managing complex funding processes, ensuring compliance, and overseeing financial operations.
Graphic Design Trainer Consultant
Art Director and Design Lead at APCO Worldwide in Abu Dhabi, with over a decade of experience in graphic design, advertising, and social media content creation. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Al Baath University.
Gender and Social Inclusion
Reem is a MEAL specialist with extensive experience in humanitarian and international development contexts. She has led large-scale needs assessments, gender analyses, and program evaluations, particularly during the Türkiye-Syria earthquake response for Oxfam GB.
