Mariana Abdalla is a Brazilian communications strategist with 15 years of experience in humanitarian, climate, and social justice work shaped by a multicultural and international upbringing. A third-culture communicator fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish, she specializes in empathetic, impactful media and storytelling strategies that strengthen dignity, connection, and power.

She is also currently the Brazil Communications Specialist at 350.org, leading narrative and media strategies that connect climate justice, communities, and national policy debates. Previously, Mariana served as an Emergency Communications Coordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with field deployments to Mozambique, Türkiye, and Angola, and held communications roles with MSF in Brazil, Somaliland, and Kenya; Innovate Public Schools in the U.S.; and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative in Latin America.

Mariana is a documentary filmmaker whose work has screened internationally, including the award-winning Finn. Her latest project, We Saw Fire, an MSF production for which she was co-writer and assistant director, follows a family rebuilding their lives after fleeing conflict in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

She holds a Master’s degree in strategic and visual communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Rotary Peace Fellow. Her thesis, What’s Your Story?, examined how first-person, nonfiction narratives can foster empathy and behavioral change, including two short films co-produced for a local non-profit organization.

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+ Contact me at mari.m.abdalla@gmail.com