Diala El Fil

Diala El Fil experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when her five-year-old son died in an accident in 2005. Yet, in that darkest hour, she made the extraordinary decision to create positive change and honor little Karim’s memory by founding Tamanna (“make a wish”), an organization that serves critically ill children in Lebanon. “We want to remind them that they are cherished, valued, and deserving of happiness,” said El Fil. Through her work, laughter and delight become part of the treatment for children battling life-threatening diseases.

Over the years, the organization has fulfilled thousands of wishes, including meetings with celebrities like Ronaldo, Messi, and Fairuz. Some of the most poignant requests, however, are not about famous people, presents, or trips. One young girl’s deepest wish was to see her father, who was away in Italy. What she did not know was that her father was in jail there. Yet El Fil and Tamanna were able to secure his release and bring him back to Lebanon, allowing father and daughter to spend two unforgettable months together.

El Fil has developed a system for identifying eligible children through partnerships with hospitals and doctors across the country. She earned advertising and graphic design degrees from LAU and furthered her education in 2015 with a TRIUM Executive MBA while simultaneously running the NGO. She has guided the organization’s growth, inspiring staff and everyone involved in the wish-granting process with her dedication and enthusiasm. “LAU gave me an excellent world-class academic foundation to build on,” she said. This, combined with her creative genius, helped save the organization when Lebanon’s multiple crises wiped out all sources of funding in recent years.

In an inspired move, El Fil transformed the Tamanna office building in Beirut’s Gemmayzeh district into a beautiful guesthouse, the proceeds of which help sustain the wish-granting mission. To design the interiors of Beit Tamanna, she enlisted 13 highly regarded architects, giving them free rein to develop their own concepts. The results are storybook-like: colorful, lush rooms that evoke travel to far-off places. The project, completed this year, has been a resounding success.

El Fil’s work is centered on giving back to others. She views her alma mater as an opportunity to do so as well. “It’s important to give back to LAU because they are building Lebanon’s next generation,” she said. “And with the current situation, this is even more important.”