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- Pearl Initiative and Shefa Fund hosted a four-day Athens learning trip, aimed at embedding governance into future philanthropic decisions of next-gen Gulf leaders.
- Partnering with IOM as the on-ground partner, participants visited multiple humanitarian sites across Greece, witnessing operations supporting over 305,259 beneficiaries.
- The trip translated field exposure into actionable long-term governance frameworks for more accountable philanthropic decision-making for future giving.
Pearl Initiative, together with the Shefa Fund and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), brought together next-generation philanthropic leaders from the Gulf region to Athens for a four-day learning journey. The trip focused on placing governance at the heart of philanthropic decision-making.
Dana Juffali and Haya Juffali, Board Members at the Shefa Fund, jointly stated:
“At the Shefa Fund, we believe philanthropy is not only about providing resources, but about cultivating compassion, responsibility, and a lifelong commitment to service. The Next Gen Learning Trip reflects our focus on partnership, learning, and community-led impact by engaging young leaders directly with the organizations and communities they support. We are especially excited to be here in Greece, learning from and alongside inspiring local partners.”
UN statistics show that 305 million people in 2025 required urgent aid as conflict and climate-related disasters escalated. In Greece, IOM has supported over 305,259 beneficiaries since 2020, demonstrating the scale and complexity of migration and displacement.
Participants visited selected humanitarian facilities and operational sites to see how humanitarian operations work in practice. This exposure aimed to strengthen their ability to apply governance and accountability to future-giving decisions. The firsthand experience translated into insight on how strong governance frameworks improve effectiveness, build trust and support long-term philanthropic impact.
The Pearl Initiative’s Governance in Philanthropy Programme team accompanied the learning trip. The trip supported participants in understanding the roles, responsibilities and coordination mechanisms that support effective humanitarian service delivery.
IOM served as the on-the-ground partner. Participants saw the operational realities of migration and displacement in Greece through site visits to Reception and Identification Services (RIS), Safe Zones for unaccompanied children, health and integration programme centres, and other humanitarian facilities.
Mohammed Abdiker, IOM’s Chief of Staff, said:
“Responsible philanthropy starts with listening to communities and understanding their rights and priorities. When leaders see operations first-hand and engage directly with the people affected, support becomes more accountable, more targeted and more effective in protecting dignity and delivering lasting results.”
Guided discussions and facilitated workshops translated field experiences into practical governance frameworks that can support more strategic, accountable and long-term philanthropic decision-making.
Ralph Choueiri, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative, said:
“This learning trip was about grounding philanthropy in reality. Through our Governance in Philanthropy Programme, participants gained a deeper understanding of humanitarian operations and experienced first-hand how governance, accountability and strategic partnerships should be embedded into future decision-making to achieve sustainable, long-term outcomes.”
The trip’s agenda focused on the importance of long-term thinking in humanitarian giving, with emphasis on how clear governance structures can strengthen outcomes over time. Peer exchange among participants reinforced the role of collaboration and shared learning in building a new generation of value-driven philanthropic leadership in the region.
This trip formed part of Pearl Initiative’s broader efforts to promote transparency, accountability and good governance across the philanthropic and private sectors. By combining real-world exposure with structured reflection and governance frameworks, this journey aimed to equip next-generation philanthropists with the knowledge needed to choose the right partners, ask the right questions and make more effective decisions in complex humanitarian environments.
