Bio

Zaina Erhaim is an award-winning Syrian journalist who has trained about 100 citizen reporters---a third of them women---to report on the Syrian civil war. Many of Erhaim’s students, who come from all walks of life, have been published in major international news outlets.

She also has helped establish emerging independent newspapers and magazines in her war-torn country.

Erhaim is a senior media specialist for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), an international organization that supports journalists in countries undergoing conflict, crisis or transition.

Erhaim directed a documentary series called “Syria’s Rebellious Women.” The documentaries describe the lives of ordinary women propelled by the war to perform new civic duties such as taking over in hospitals and training centers.

In 2017, Erhaim received the first Anita Auspurg "Women Rebels Against War" award from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. In 2016, she received the Freedom of Expression Award from the Index on Censorship. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism and was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women by Arabian Business. She currently lives and works on the Syrian-Turkish border.