Lya is from Lebanon and for the last six years has worked with local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Turkey. Her work in the humanitarian field focused on gender based violence, psychosocial support, child protection and empowering the LGBTQIA community to strengthen their resilience. Lya is also an artist in music and theatre, and is developing a Music Therapy programme to support creative expression amongst distressed and marginalised populations.