Rania Al Namara (Elhelo) is a communications professional who has worked in the Middle East, particularly in the West Bank and Gaza, for the past 14 years. She has covered and produced various stories in print, television, photographs and social media. She has done cross-cultural work for international news agencies, humanitarian nonprofits and international aid organizations.
Rania covered public affairs issues to illustrate the impact of an international nonprofit (Anera) on humanitarian aid programs such as education, health, agriculture and medical relief through visual and printed storytelling. Her journalistic pieces are based on on-site visits, in-depth interviews and focus groups, as well as meetings with residents, partners and consultants.
In addition to reporting on humanitarian issues, Rania taught classes on media texts analysis, translation, television and radio production in English and Arabic at local universities.
Her research interest focuses on the role of human interest stories in reporting humanitarian crises in conflict zones with contents and textual analysis within nonprofit organizations. Broadly, she wants to explore the intersection between humanitarianism and journalism, and its impact and public awareness on global humanitarian issues. She plans to analyze further the growing involvement of international humanitarian nonprofit organizations and their roles in reporting global issues.
Rania graduated with a master's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2006. She is the mother of two beautiful girls. Her love for journalism and the Rocky Mountains have brought her back to pursue a new academic adventure as a doctorate student.
She has been documenting stories of vulnerable communities whose stories would otherwise remain hidden from public view. She wants to invest her future academic and professional projects to help people, including countless refugees, and promote peace and prosperity in the Middle East. She has contributed news articles and press releases on life in Gaza, authored op-eds and appeared on numerous podcasts. She has also participated in several academic research projects using her maiden name, Rania Elhelo.