Helena Nassif/ SWANA region: Researcher and Consultant in Development

12 October 2026 

One of the very special people I worked with early in my career, Youssef was the first person I met who had left his studies for the clergy to return to lay life. 

He was also the first boss I knew to experiment with co-leadership, sharing responsibilities with two of his colleagues. 

They operated as a three-man team of coordinators at a time when no other organization in Beirut used a co-leadership model. 

Youssef brought deep experience from wartime emergency response, alongside a clear vision for long-term, child-centered approaches to education and public health. 

With him, we never felt the barriers of age or experience, he was an example of someone carving out their own life with independence, dedication, and deep meaning. 

May you rest in Love.