Edna Fernandes

Edna is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Conflict, the mental health charity for victims of war, formed in January 2018. Beyond Conflict has supported work in five countries since its formation for: widows and orphans in southern Iraq; Rohingya refugee camp frontline workers in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh; Ukrainian refugees in the UK, Lviv and on the Polish border; Palestinians in the West Bank impacted by the ongoing regional war and humanitarian crisis;  and youngsters and families affected by the 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel. 

Prior to setting up Beyond Conflict, Edna was an author and former correspondent for the Financial Times, Reuters and Associated Newspapers. Her books are: Holy Warriors, a finalist for the Index on Censorship Prize and India’s Ramnath Goenka Best Book Award;  The Last Jews of Kerala, a finalist for India’s Vodafone Crossword Literary Prize and a UK Sunday Times Travel Book of the Year. In 2018, Edna published her third book, The Hollow Kingdom.  Whilst writing this last book, she learned about war-related trauma and the lack of mental health support for civilians in war zones like Iraq, which inspired  the formation of Beyond Conflict.