Simon Charles Boas (6 July 1977 – 15 July 2024) was a British aid worker who worked for development charities and the United Nations (UN). His writings about his terminal illness diagnosis—widely described as inspirational—were featured in British national newspapers and on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He delivered humanitarian aid to a refugee camp as a teenager and later earned a master's degree in international policy analysis. His early career took him across the Middle East and South Asia, first as a tour guide and then as a development professional working with international NGOs and the United Nations. Over two decades, Boas held senior roles in humanitarian and development projects, including with the Palestinian Authority and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in Gaza and Nepal. In 2016, he became executive director of Jersey Overseas Aid, while serving as a Samaritans volunteer, honorary police officer, and chair of Jersey Heritage. In 2023, Boas was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer. His candid essays on mortality, later collected in A Beginner's Guide to Dying, explored illness, acceptance, and meaning. Shortly before his death in July 2024, he received the Bailiff of Jersey's silver seal for his service to others, and posthumously …
Simon Boas
Author details
- Born:
- July 5, 1977
- Died:
- July 14, 2024
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Simon Charles Boas (6 July 1977 – 15 July 2024) was a British aid worker who worked for development charities and the United Nations (UN). His writings about his terminal illness diagnosis—widely described as inspirational—were featured in British national newspapers and on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He delivered humanitarian aid to a refugee camp as a teenager and later earned a master's degree in international policy analysis. His early career took him across the Middle East and South Asia, first as a tour guide and then as a development professional working with international NGOs and the United Nations. Over two decades, Boas held senior roles in humanitarian and development projects, including with the Palestinian Authority and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in Gaza and Nepal. In 2016, he became executive director of Jersey Overseas Aid, while serving as a Samaritans volunteer, honorary police officer, and chair of Jersey Heritage. In 2023, Boas was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer. His candid essays on mortality, later collected in A Beginner's Guide to Dying, explored illness, acceptance, and meaning. Shortly before his death in July 2024, he received the Bailiff of Jersey's silver seal for his service to others, and posthumously the Pride of Jersey's Gary Burgess Award.
