Country of Origin: Yemen

Main Focus: Mental Health, Human Rights, Gender Justice, Peacebuilding, Support for Survivors of War-related Trauma

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Dr. Kawkab Alwadeai, with a Ph.D. in Mental Health and Counselling, founded Bridges to Peace and Solidarity, focusing on tele-mental health and support for war-related trauma in Yemen and beyond. A survivor of the ongoing 8-year war in Yemen, she has turned her attention to the urgent needs of individuals and communities experiencing trauma from war.

In 2017, she was the "Activist in Residence" at the Centre for Women and Security at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the UK. Through her organization, she builds capacity in crisis intervention and community trauma response.

As a researcher and practitioner in human rights, mental health, gender, peace, and security, she also collaborates with the Community Mobilizations in Crisis project at the University of Ottawa and is a Member of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre. Her expertise extends to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, Canadian policy towards Yemen, and the drivers of violent extremism.

With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Alwadeai has worked on awareness, community coalitions, and educational training in mental health, dialogue, peacebuilding, and human rights. Her work has reached adults, youth, and governments at various levels.

Her expertise in Yemen's context has allowed her to work with international organizations such as the UNDP, UNESCO, Islamic Relief, and Search for Common Ground. In both governmental and non-governmental organizations, she has been actively involved in women's rights, gender justice, gender auditing, gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Her activities include case studies, strategic planning, capacity building, and implementing training workshops in Yemen and beyond.