ABOUT US

Firefly believes that the best way to support children whose lives have been affected by war and its aftermath is to work with small, local projects and people who know what is needed on the ground making sure our work has the greatest impact.

 

Based in the UK and run by a part time team with active volunteers and trustees, we monitor and support the organisations to whom we donate money.

 

Our work consistently proves that these collaborations have improved the lives and futures of children living in some of the world’s most devastated countries. 

 

Please click HERE to watch a short film about Firefly’s work before and after the recent earthquake and featuring our patrons Rose Leslie, Joanna David, Sophie Thompson and Pandora Colin.

Our story
Our people

OUR STORY

1995 - The beginning

Ellie Maxwell worked as a youth aid worker in Mostar and started a youth project for displaced children doing art classes.

1998 - Firefly is born

Ellie Maxwell founded Firefly Youth Project in Brčko, North-Eastern Bosnia.
(after the Bosnian conflict (1992‐ 1995). During the conflict, Ellie was an aid worker, and through her experiences, she came to believe that shared creative activities and contact with the outside world play an important part in reducing tensions linked to sectarian violence.

2003 - Svitac

Firefly Youth Project in Brcko became Svitac (Bosnian for “Firefly”, pronounced “Sveetatz”) locally managed and registered in Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the leadership of Gordana.

2003 - Firefly International

Firefly’s operations in the UK become Firefly International, a Scottish charity.

2007 - Collaboration with Highlight arts

Firefly International began to co‐ordinate Reel Festivals (now Highlight Arts), arts festivals designed to bring people from around the world together, break down barriers and increase communication

2009 - Ellie Maxwell

Ellie our founder sadly died aged 32, of complications from cancer, she was a quietly spoken social activist with a grace, laconic wit, and purposefulness that guided her life and work. At 21, she founded Firefly International, a Scottish charity whose mission is to foster multi‐ethnic youth projects in Bosnia and elsewhere.

2010 - Firefly in Syria

Firefly curates the first International Refugee Film Festival in Syria

2011 - The Ellie Maxwell Centre

A permanent space for Svitac purchased by friends and family in Brčko opened in July.

2013 - Project Hope and Firefly partner in Nablus Palestine

2014 - Firefly International Becomes A Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)

We open an office in Edinburgh.

2014 - Firefly and Kitabna

Firefly supports Kitabna to produce culturally appropriate and inspirational books for child refugees in the Middle East.

2014 - Firefly in Lebanon

Firefly supported Matar a theatre project Antigone of Syria for women refugees in Lebanon.

2016 - Firefly for Syrians starts

March 2016 the project begins in Antakya with 25 children and one member of staff.

2019 - Twentieth Anniversary of Firefly International

Firefly at 20 celebrations in Edinburgh

2019 - Ellie Maxwell Award

This is launched as part of the twentieth-anniversary celebrations.

2019 - Firefly in Gaza

A new partnership is formed with ACT International and IMET2000 providing a much needed locally-led service for children suffering from PTSD.

2021 – Firefly for Syrians 5 years

2021 – Firefly for Syrians 5 years

Firefly for Syrians celebrates it’s 5th year anniversary.

2020 - Global Pandemic

2020 – Global Pandemic

The global pandemic forces the closure of all face-to-face teaching. We set up WhatsApp
groups and a YouTube Channel to continue lessons. Numbers increase exponentially.

2023 – Earthquake in Turkey and Northern Syria

2023 – Earthquake in Turkey and Northern Syria

The devastating earthquake in Turkey and Northern Syria causes massive disruption and loss of life. Firefly for Syrians regroups, lessons being again for our children.

2023 – Firefly in Gaza

2023 – Firefly in Gaza

New local NGO formed in Gaza offering trauma counselling to children. Developed from previous successful pilot project.

 

Currently suspended.

OUR PEOPLE

UK based
TURKEY
bosnia
Trustees

UK BASED

Jane Critchley Salmonson
Director

Jane joined Firefly in October 2021 and has had a very distinguished career in the charity sector. She stepped down as Chief Executive of Scotland’s International Development Alliance last year, having previously held senior roles at both L’Arche and Mercy Corps. Jane read PPE at Oxford and has two Masters degrees from Edinburgh focusing on international development and peace building.

tor
Victoria Crawley
Charity Manager

Victoria (Tor) first joined Firefly as a volunteer in February 2014 before becoming Charity Manager and expanding her role into fundraising as well as handling all aspects of the charity’s administration; branding, correspondence, book keeping, managing the donor database, newsletters, running events and much more! Previously a TV producer, Tor started her career at Thames TV moving to Channel 4, and then became a freelance commercials producer, before taking a career break to bring up her children. Tor’s TV skills are much appreciated by Firefly as she creates all our films.

Maria Chambers
Maria Chambers
Projects Coordinator

Maria is a teacher, artist and CATT (Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapy) trainer. She has worked closely with Fadia since February 2016 setting up the Antakya center and Firefly’s work with Syrians. Recent work also includes training mental healthcare workers how to treat children with PTSD in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Armenia. She has delivered teacher training as a consultant for the Norwegian Refugee Council in refugee camps in Jordan and Palestine as well as coordinating educational activities for Kitabna. Previously Maria taught in UK schools for over ten years.

Rosie Staniforth
Social Media Intern

I am currently a third-year student at the University of Edinburgh studying Geography. I grew up in Nottingham and enjoy going back during the holidays to see my dogs and family. I love playing hockey for the university as well as running and going out with my friends. Excited to be a social media volunteer for Firefly. 

Ella
Ella Freeman
Social Media Intern

Hi I’m Ella a third year student a the University of Edinburgh, studying English and Scottish Literature. Aside from uni, I was born and raised in North Leeds with two brothers and a Scottie dog called Mac. I like to keep myself busy by playing hockey, travelling, reading and spending time with my friends. I’m super excited to be involved with Firefly.

TURKEY

Fadia Shaker
Fadia Shaker
Project Director for Firefly for Syrians

Director of our Educational Centre for Syrian refugee children in Antakya (Turkey), Fadia has lead the centre since the project started in March 2016, recruiting staff and developing the programme to serve the needs of her local Syrian refugee community. Fadia previously taught Maths in Syria, and was a manager for a Syrian teaching institute. She has had training in disaster resilience leadership and capacity building for Syrian youth and women.

Eyad Zreik Farhat
Eyad Zreik Farhat
Administrator

Eyad joined us in 2018 as administrator for our center and outreach programmes. He is an Economics graduate from Latakya university, Syria. Eyad worked in Saudi Arabia from 2003 to 2013 as manager of Student affairs at Dr Soliman Fakeeh College for Nursing and Medical Sciences and also as a marketing administrator for engineers in real estate development. Since 2014 he has been in Antakya working with Syrian refugee children and youth.

Rasha Bitar
Rasha Bitar
Arabic language teacher

Rasha is a fully qualified primary school teacher from Syria, she also studied psychology. She leads our Arabic language programme for younger children. She is passionate about increasing literacy skills in mother tongue for Syrian refugee children. She has been teaching at our Antakya center since 2017. She was a voluntary teacher in Khirbet al Jowz refugee camp in Northern Syria for the two years before arriving in Turkey.

BOSNIA

Gordana Varcakovic
Gordana Varcakovic
Director of Omladinska organizacija, Svitac

From 1999 to 2002 Gordana has managed a team of up to 13 employees, coordinated general administration, motivated and promoted group and individual work.
Gordana has also run courses in English Language for children and young people. In 2001, she coordinated a project facilitating the re-integration of children from the Roma community into Brčko schools in cooperation with the schools, UNDP and municipality.
She coordinated a multi-ethnic festival in Brčko in 1999, the first multi-ethnic event in Brčko since the war, creating the programme, choosing groups to participate, and getting OHR and Municipality approval. She has been in charge of the Svitac’s overall development as a local NGO since June 2003.

Milos Popic
Miloš Popić
Project Officer and Voluntary Service Coordinator

Miloš joined Svitac (Firefly Bosnia) in 2012. His primary responsibilities are coordinating and mentoring, designing, planning, participating and deploying seminars, training and youth exchange projects. He is also responsible for coaching sending/hosting volunteers to overcoming the obstacles that might occur during their volunteering experience.

Regarding peacebuilding in the local area, he is one of the coordinators for the network “Promote Positive” who is fighting against all shapes of hate speech in Brčko District which is supported by the mission OSCE for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 2012 Miloš graduated at the University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Economics Brčko of the District, Department of Business Informatics.

Edina Vošanović
Edina Vošanović
Coordinator of the youth centre activities

Edina joined Omladinska organizacija Svitac (Firefly Bosnia) in Brčko 2007. She is also Svitac’s (Firefly Bosnia’s) representative at the Brčko District Youth Centre, in addition to being in charge of the coordination of ongoing activities, summer arts and crafts camps, administrative support, local and international volunteers. In 2012 Edina graduated at the University of Tuzla from the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of German Language and Literature.

TRUSTEES

Sebastian Chambers
Sebastian Chambers
Chair of Trustees

Sebastian is the Chair of Trustees of Firefly International, having actively supported the charity for many years.
He combines volunteering for Firefly with his business career and mentoring young people.
Sebastian is a non-executive director of Neptune Europe, CIL Management Consultants and STL Tech and he advises a number of early stage businesses.
Previously he was the managing partner of CIL; operating in Somerset, London and Chicago.  CIL specialises in helping high growth business with their growth strategy and gaining investment.
Sebastian started his career with PwC in London and went on to run a factory making door and building panels, before joining CIL as a partner in 1999.
Sebastian is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.  He has a degree in Economics and Social Studies from Manchester University.

Ben Maxwell
Ben Constable Maxwell
Trustee

Ben is the brother of Firefly Founder Ellie Maxwell and has been a trustee of Firefly International since 2016. He is particularly closely affiliated with Svitac (Firefly Bosnia), which he has visited a number of times, mainly as a volunteer at Svitac’s youth summer camps. Ben also works to support Firefly’s fundraising efforts, including via a fundraising bike-ride in 2009 through Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia which ended at the old bridge at Mostar, where Ellie originally developed the idea of Firefly. As well as being a trustee, Ben sits on the event committee for Firefly’s annual gala concert which helps to raise awareness and funds for the charity’s various projects. Ben works in sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) at a leading European investment management business, where he focuses on addressing the environmental and societal impacts of the firm’s investments; he sits on the company’s Staff Charity Committee, which directs donations raised by staff members towards a range of charities in the UK. Ben graduated from Newcastle University in 1998 with a degree in Classics, and is a keen photographer, having supported Firefly by taking and exhibiting his photos.

Diana McMicking
Diana McMicking
Trustee

Diana McMicking joined Firefly in 2018. She has worked in the education sector for 30 years, initially as a teacher and latterly for educational charities. From 2005 to 2016 she was Learning Director at Jupiter Artland, co-creating, managing and developing a charitable foundation. She has held several charitable trusteeships and has consulted on various short-term projects helping with fundraising and audience development.

Henrietta McMicking
Henrietta McMicking
Trustee

Henrietta is a journalist with a particular interest in the Middle East. She made documentaries for Al Jazeera TV, which included six months in the Balkans followed by 12 years with BBC News. She has worked with several organisations that support Syrian civilians since 2011. She is currently launching a podcast for children.

Henrietta studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics at Durham University, during which time she volunteered in the West Bank, teaching English to Palestinian teenagers.

Dr Malaka Shwaikh
Trustee

Malaka is a Palestinian academic from the Gaza Strip, based in Scotland’s St Andrews University where she teaches and researches prisons as spaces of power, resistance, and peace building. Much of her research has been on the dynamics of prison hunger strikes. In addition to her research commitments, she is a trustee of BRISMES, Firefly International, and STEPS. In 2021, she co-founded Freelancers in Gaza with Candace Amani to connect youths in Gaza with clients around the world and provide them with mentorship. In her spare time, she loves to spend time hiking in Scotland or swimming in the North Sea whenever it is warm enough. And she has recently become interested in yoga and meditation. She finds purpose in giving back to her community, whether it is through teaching, mentorship, volunteering in organisations that fit her life purposes, or simply taking good care of the people she loves and herself to stay able to give back.

Fenella Dawnay
Trustee

Fenella is a producer of arts in the public realm. Working with local authorities, artists, communities and institutions to create ambitious arts projects and events, her work is often responsive to social events and landscapes. She has produced visual arts, theatre and multidisciplinary events on a local and national scale, including festivals, campaigns and theatrical performances.

Specialising in outdoor arts and performance, she is currently Senior Producer at Trigger in Bristol and has previously produced for Artichoke TrustGood Chance TheatreThe Great Get Together and Belarus Free Theatre, where she was Producer/General Manager for 3 years.

Saska Haramina
Saška Haramina
Trustee
Saška Haramina has been involved with Svitac since its inception. At the time of Ellie Maxwell’s early visits to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Saška was working in Mostar as a war reporter for Agence France Presse, from 1995-1997. After completing MA Philosophy & Politics (Edinburgh University) and MA Human Rights & Democratisation at Bologna (Italy) & Sarajevo (Bosnia), she proceeded to work for Mladi Most, the UN, and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, tirelessly working towards creating media space in which voices for peace can be heard, and towards bringing together communities torn apart by ex-Yugoslav wars. In the UK, Saška worked in Social Care (with adults with complex HIV/addiction issues) and in the Arts. Saška currently runs a zero-waste sourdough bakery in Edinburgh, and works in events promoting Balkan music and culture.

PATRONS

To view a short film featuring some of our wonderful patrons, please click HERE

  • The Rt Hon The Lord Alderdice
  • Sarah Anderson
  • Adrian Beidas
  • Viscountess Bridgeman CBE FRSA
  • Patricia Broke
  • Rosemary Chambers
  • Pandora Colin
  • Virginia Constable Maxwell
  • Lady Julia Craig Harvey
  • Sir Andrew Cubie CBE
  • Joanna David
  • Charles Fitzherbert
  • Professor Colin Green PhD DSc FRCVS
  • Dr Patsy Hickman
  • Caroline Hornyold MVO
  • Lady Zara Jellicoe
  • Adrienne Kennedy
  • Rose Leslie
  • Sally, Countess of Malmesbury
  • Neil Stuke
  • Sophie Thompson
  • Dr Jeremy Wildeman
Ellie Maxwell

ELLIE MAXWELL

Ellie Maxwell, who died in 2009 aged 32, of complications from cancer, was a quietly spoken social activist with a grace, laconic wit and purposefulness that guided her life and work. At 21, she founded Firefly International, a Scottish charity whose mission is to foster multi‐ethnic youth projects in Bosnia and elsewhere.

To fund Firefly in the beginning, she enlisted fellow Edinburgh University students to canvass the neighbourhood. Edinburgh pub-goers were the most generous early givers. Later, the Princess of Wales Charitable Trust joined the list, giving substantial support. As Firefly grew in impact in Bosnia, Ellie was awarded Young Achiever of the Year (1997) at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, by the Queen, and Catholic Woman of the Year 1998.

“For social change to occur,” Ellie wrote, “people’s networks of friends, acquaintances and colleagues must cross the boundaries of race, nationality or language, along which they are often based”. Ellie’s life was cut short, but her work continues. Through her initiative, Firefly & Svitac continue to thrive.

An excerpt from Ellie’s obituary by John Stickney published in The Guardian, 28 April 2009

See the full article from The Independent here.

THE ELLIE MAXWELL AWARD

The 2024 Award

Applications now open.

Click HERE to enter

Closing date: 12th April 2024

Winner announced: 3rd May 2024

Ellie Maxwell was an amazing and inspiring young woman whose short life was dedicated to helping children whose lives had been devastated by war.

As a student, at Edinburgh, she worked as an aid worker in Bosnia in the aftermath of the devastating civil war in the 1990s. Through her experiences, she came to believe that shared creative activities and contact with the outside world play an important part in reducing the tensions linked to sectarian violence. As a result, Ellie founded Firefly believing that the lives of children from places of conflict would be transformed through integration, education and mentoring. In her memory and to celebrate the innovative work of Edinburgh students in the charitable sector, the trustees now give an annual award to a student or group whose work exemplify Ellie’s legacy.

Background

The award was launched in 2019 at Firefly’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
Awarded annually through Edinburgh University. It has been funded for 5 years by the Maxwell Family and friends to honour work being done by young people in some of the most challenging areas of the charitable sector.

The Award

The Ellie Maxwell Award aims to encourage and support an Edinburgh-based student or group of students who have helped promote social change and inclusivity with their project. Ellie Maxwell’s work started when she was just a student at the University of Edinburgh and eventually expanded to produce meaningful change in Bosnia and more recently Palestine, Turkey and Syria. This prize is also part of her legacy: encouraging and rewarding young students who go out there and get involved with their community – whether it is local or global.

Who is eligible for this award?

  • Undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, aged 17-30, studying at the University of Edinburgh. Online and distance learning students are welcome to apply.
  • Their project has been running for one to two years and there has been some evidence of meaningful impact and social change. There is also some early evidence of sustainability to build upon.
  • Project focus is on social change, promoting tolerance and inclusion
  • Projects could be working in the field of Human Rights, the environment, children protection, gender equality, education or any other work which promotes tolerance and inclusion.

The 2024 Award

Applications now open. Click HERE to enter

Closing date: 12th April 2024

Winner announced: 3rd May 2024

What is the award?

The prize consists of £1000 of seed funding for your charity, organizational support, mentoring and connection to Firefly International’s network.

The winning charity will present a report after a year to demonstrate the impact of the funding and support on their project.

Previous Winners

2019 Maisie Palmer for mxogyny

2019 Moh Al Haifi and Pauline Libsovar for Colours of Edinburgh

2021 Forget Shareka for Life Hope Future Association

2022 Saloni More for Mahim Aboli Foundation

2023 Joana CG Rodrigues for In2MedSchool