Noraida Abdullah Karim

Ms. Noraida Adang Abdullah Karim was named Deputy Director for Philippine Programme in 2011, after serving as Mindanao Operations Coordinator since 2007. Living and working in Cotabato City, Mindanao, Ms. Abdullah Karim is responsible for managing all CFSI projects and initiatives in Mindanao, especially for communities affected and displaced by armed conflict.

Having experienced – and survived – repeated displacement firsthand in her childhood and young adulthood, Ms. Abdullah Karim began her life’s work by serving and advocating for displaced communities, particularly Muslims who fled war-torn Mindanao in hopes of safety in Manila. When a peace agreement was reached in 1996, she returned to Mindanao, worked for local civil society organizations, and resumed her studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from De La Vida College in 1999.

She joined CFSI in 2001 to participate in the emergency response to large-scale displacement caused by armed conflict. In 2007, her service excellence, character, and impact on the lives of displaced people were recognized internationally, and she was granted two highly prestigious awards: the Voices of Courage Award from the Women’s Commission on Refugee Women and Children; and the Social Justice and Social Change Award from the Catholic University of America (CUA). In 2013, she was one of nine women awarded the prestigious “The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service” (TOWNS) award. The award, conferred every three years by the TOWNS Foundation in the Philippines, recognizes outstanding Filipino women who have contributed positively to strengthening national capability and in shaping the nation’s future, and who have served as catalysts for economic, social, and cultural development.

Ms. Abdullah Karim obtained the Master of Teaching in Social Work (MTSW) degree in 2009 from the Catholic University of America through the Social Work Education Project (SWEP). Subsequently, while carrying out her duties at CFSI, Ms. Abdullah Karim completed the Mindanao Bridging Leaders program of the Asian Institute of Management.