Our Team

Zarlasht Halaimzai

Founder and CEO

Zarlasht founded Amna in 2016 after returning from the Syrian border, where she had advised INGOs on education and child wellbeing, to help refugees dealing with the emotional fallout of violence and displacement. She has worked for several aid organisations, including Save the Children. In the UK she has worked for the Young Foundation, the Studio Schools Trust and the Skills Lab – an education consultancy where she was a founding director. In 2018, Zarlasht was selected as a Fellow of the inaugural class of Obama Fellows, a group of 20 global leaders in civic innovation. Zarlasht and her family were forcibly displaced from Kabul when she was eleven years old. She arrived in the UK at age fifteen and was granted asylum.

“When I speak to people about our work I try to help them to understand the experience of displacement. It isn’t just physical displacement from home – it’s also an emotional fracture: you are separated from your family, your friends, and your language. That alone is difficult enough – most of the people have also lost a loved one and seen unimaginable violence. Starting over is only possible if they are supported through the transition.”

Natalia Kyrkopoulou

Head of Operations

As Head of Operations and co-founder of Amna Greece, Natalia is Amna’s chief representative for all dealings with Greek agencies, including local government and non-governmental organisations. She has several years of experience in the field, both at large international NGOs and local grassroots organisations, and is Amna’s leading advocate for developing sustainable programmes within Greece. Natalia also leads Amna’s capacity building arm, which provides consultancy and training to organisations to assist them in implementing practices of service delivery and staff care that are both trauma-informed and identity-informed. She speaks French, Greek and English.

“It is so important now to keep focused on the ongoing humanitarian situation here in Northern Greece. The challenges the refugees still face are enormous and complex. We’ve been focusing on the challenge of integration, and for that we need help from two sides: we need practitioners who can communicate with the refugees in their own language; and we need local people who understand the Greek social services system and who can advocate on behalf of the refugees here in Greece.”

Gabriella Brent

Head of Programmes

Gabriella is Amna’s Head of Programmes and a counsellor and psychotherapist.

Gabriella oversees Amna’s international direct delivery, training and capacity-strengthening programmes. Her specialism is adopting a liberation psychology approach, taking therapy out of the therapy room to develop, test and advocate for more holistic systems of care for marginalised communities.

Before working with Amna, Gabriella worked across family law, criminal justice, mental health and drug treatment services piloting and scaling more humane, trauma-informed, systemic models of care. Outside, and inside of work, Gabriella loves to dance!

Hajra Daly

Partnerships and Capacity Building Manager

Hajra is the Partnerships and Capacity Building Manager at Amna where her role is to engage with new partners to promote Amna’s values based, trauma and identity informed approach for refugee communities in new countries of operations.

She was formerly the lead for Forced Migration at Comic Relief. In her role as the Portfolio Manager, Hajra designed and developed funding programmes including ‘Across Borders’, a programme to support people on the move as they made their migration journey from Middle East, North Africa into Europe.

Prior to that, Hajra has managed diverse portfolios on a range of issues including Violence Against Women and Girls, Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking and Vulnerable Young People. She is currently a volunteer interpreter for LGBTI people seeking asylum in the UK.

“I am excited to join Amna at a critical stage when it is launching its new 5-year strategy. I love collaborative working and am looking forward to being a central part of Amna’s expansion and building a network of partners in new countries and communities.”

Vassiliki Arabatzi

Training & Capacity Strengthening Manager

Iliana Dimoni

Finance Manager

Iliana is Amna’s Finance Manager and is responsible for ensuring Amna’s financial system supports and develops alongside its growing programmes and activities. She is passionate about guaranteeing that Amna can keep creating impact and supporting those in need.

Working at Amna for Iliana is similar to studying: she is constantly learning, having fun in a supportive environment and aiming to be her best every day!

Prior to joining Amna, Iliana has worked in the charity sector in London for eight years. She studied Finance and Accounting and has an MSc in Management of Creative Industries. She loves theatre, is a proud feminist and a mum.

Nsimire Bisimwa

Consultant, Supervisor & Trainer

Nsimire is a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist and Amna’s Consultant, Supervisor and Trainer. Originally trained as a medical doctor, she has more than twenty years of experience working with refugees and involuntarily displaced people in different organisations and settings.

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, her experiences have shown her the devastating effects that oppression, migration, dislocation, losses and trauma can have on the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of individuals and refugee communities.

Nsimire is a social justice and human right activist, and is against any kind of injustice, oppression, discrimination and human right violation. In her practice and teaching, she promotes ethical and anti-oppressive practices because she believes that there is a direct correlation between wellbeing, social inequalities and oppression.

Devika Kapoor

Trainer and Coordinator

Ben Du Preez

Trainer and Coordinator

Ben is one of Amna’s Trainer and Coordinators, providing capacity-building and wellbeing support to other humanitarian and grassroots organisations working with refugees.

Before working with Amna, Ben spent fifteen years developing survivor advocacy projects, supporting survivors of torture, trafficking, detention and statelessness to speak-out for the changes they wanted to the political systems that shaped their daily realities.

Alongside his work at Amna, Ben is training as an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist. He is also a great lover of sardines, all-things-audio and steam-rooms.

‘I am passionate about working with communities to come together to practice shared healing and grow their collective power in solidarity with eachother. For me, this is completely dependent on spaces built on trust, relationality and play – principles that are all actively celebrated at Amna.’

Laramie Shubber

Communications and Digital Content Lead

Laramie is a communications specialist with a background in media and fine art. She’s passionate about the power of communication to affect positive social change, including dispelling stereotypes and putting the microphone (or camera) in the hands of communities to speak for themselves.

Prior to joining Amna, she managed multi-media campaigns in South Asia and the MENA region and is excited about to use this experience to promote Amna’s mission and values.

Outside of work, Laramie loves to photograph and her work has been exhibited in six countries.

Hejer Ben Dhabi

Monitoring & Evaluation Lead

Hejer is Amna’s M&E Lead. She has eight years of experience in project management and M&E in the MENA region.

Before joining Amna, she was responsible for the implementation and evaluation of projects in relief, health, capacity building, and economic empowerment for programs in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.

Hejer joined Amna because she believes that psychological support is a fundamental need for every trauma-affected community, and she wants to be part of the healing process that empowers vulnerable groups to reach a better future.

She has a BSC in Engineering, and prior to entering the humanitarian sector, she worked in the aeronautical and automotive industries as a project manager.

Besides English, she is fluent in Arabic and French and aspires to learn more languages as she enjoys knowing different cultures and the way they see the world.

Dea Zaimaj

Administration and HR Officer

After ten years in the private sector, Dea joined Amna to fulfill her goal of joining the humanitarian sector, which represents the fundamental expression of the universal value of solidarity.

At Amna, Dea provides Administrative and HR support. She is passionate about cultivating a respectful and diverse work environment with open communication and indeed this is one of the reasons she loves working at Amna.

Dea has a BA in Business Studies from University of Derby with a focus in Management and Human Resources.

Christina Evgenidou

Youth Programme Lead

Christina is Amna’s Youth Programme Lead for the Dinami programme, based in Thessaloniki.

She is a clinical psychologist with a Master’s degree in Clinical and Mental Health Sciences and another one in International Criminal Law. She joined Amna because of her shared values with the organisation, both in her professional and personal life. 

Christina has been working with young refugees for the past 7 years, since the first refugees arrived in Greece. The area of youth is her expertise. She believes that the sense of community is a very powerful tool that people can use in order to overcome their traumatic experiences and form relationships with each other.

Outside of work, she tries to travel as much as possible and spend time with her friends doing various sports. 

Nunu

ECD and Youth Facilitator

Nunu is a ECD and Youth Facilitator at Amna. She enjoys being part of the Amna team because of its work engaging refugee youth to support their psychological wellbeing, build their skills and help them to create a community of support.

Previously, Nunu worked with various organisations that provide aid to refugees in Greece, including human rights projects, which involved helping children and organising activities for them.

Outside of Amna, Nunu is currently working on becoming a certified translator.

Hannah Powell

Grants Officer

Hannah is the Grants Officer at Amna where she works across the organisation to ensure effective and efficient grant-making processes. She joined Amna to fulfil her passion of working in human rights and refugee support.

Before joining Amna, Hannah worked as a freelance grant writer while also maintaining a full-time role as an administration executive in the charity sector.

Outside of work she loves to travel! Following her university graduation, she spent two years backpacking from Asia to South America. This trip is what catalysed her affection to work towards supporting disadvantaged communities.

Hannah has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Masters in Global Governance and International Relations.

Wajihah Zaman

Project Assistant

Wajihah is a Project Assistant at Amna. She works across teams and country offices in Greece and the UK supporting partnerships and programmes.

She joined Amna because of its values and the compassionate, empathetic care it provides to refugee communities.

Prior to joining Amna, Wajihah worked as a Fundraising and Social Media Officer. She also taught English to Afghan refugees which motivated her to support refugee communities. Outside of work she enjoys travelling, watching movies and reading.

She speaks Pashto in addition to English and has a Masters in Human Rights.

Tamer Ibrahem

Youth Facilitator

Tamer is Amna’s Youth Facilitator for the Dinami programme . He is from Syria and based in Thessaloniki.

Prior to joining Amna, Tamer worked in a legal office as an interpreter with refugees and other non-Greeks. He joined Amna because of his passion for overcoming communication barriers and facilitating intercultural understanding across communities.

Tamer also has experience in graphic design and enjoys finding new ways to communicate across communities and in different languages.

Maisan Maseeh

Executive Assistant

Maisan works as the Executive Assistant to Amna’s Founder & CEO Zarlasht, where she provides day-to-day support in several of Zarlasht’s responsibilities. 

Maisan hopes to contribute as much as she can to allow Amna to reach new heights, and achieve its mission. Amna’s equitable, intersectional, and identity-informed model of service is something that really excites Maisan and aligns with her values and passion for social justice. 

Outside of Amna, Maisan is pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence and spends her time volunteering at grassroots organisations combatting racial injustice and teaching Arabic to children. 

Alexandra Mylrea Lowndes

Executive Assistant

Alexandra is Executive Assistant to the Head of Operations and Head of Programmes at Amna.

Prior to joining Amna, she lived in Chile where she worked at the UN and in the Refugee and Resettlement department of the Government. She also has experience working in a variety of NGOs and teaching English.

Alex has a degree in International Relations and Spanish from Sussex University and speaks Spanish and English.
When not at work she can be found not-quite-following recipes, with her nieces and nephews or underwater searching for sharks.

Daniel Robinson

Chair of The Board

Daniel is a barrister with a broad practice encompassing crime, road traffic and regulatory work. He is predominantly based in the Crown Courts, where he both prosecutes and defends.

Before coming to the Bar, Daniel worked for NGOs in the UK, Rwanda and Jamaica. His work encompassed genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights in which he retains a strong interest. Daniel spent seven months working for the Council for Human Rights based in Kingston, Jamaica, and has advised defendants on Death Row as to their prospects of appeal to the Privy Council. He is experienced in representing defendants with mental health issues, addiction problems and vulnerabilities.

Cristina M. Finch

Trustee

Cristina M. Finch currently serves as the head of the Gender and Security Division at DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance. Cristina is a human rights lawyer and advocate with more than twenty five years of experience in advancing human rights in the areas of women’s and LGBTI rights, hate crimes, and discrimination. She is the former head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department at OSCE ODIHR and former managing director for the Identity and Discrimination Unit at Amnesty International USA, where she was at the forefront of successful efforts to expand human rights protections against sexual and gender-based violence.

Karim Bereksi

Treasurer

Karim is the board’s treasurer and an international development consultant. He advises clients including The World Bank, UN agencies and FCDO on a range of issues, working across a range of geographies; with a continued focus in fragile and (post-)conflict states. With a strong background in audit and finance, Karim focusses on assignments designed to help donors reduce fiduciary risks through improved oversight and governance mechanisms.

Karim holds a BSC in Mathematics and Finance and is a Chartered Accountant.

Lisa Jordan

Trustee

Lisa is a senior philanthropic executive with a twenty-year career focused on impact and systemic change. She serves as Managing Director of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, where she helps emerging organizations develop capacity and achieve impact, while also steering the Foundations overall strategy, thought-leadership, and outreach. Lisa is a senior philanthropic executive with a twenty-year career focused on impact and systemic change. She has worked with numerous foundations and family offices on program and portfolio development.

Abdulkarim Ekzayez

Trustee

Abdulkarim is a medical doctor and an epidemiologist from Syria. In 2013, Abdulkarim was training to be a neurosurgeon when his residency was interrupted by the war. He then worked in field hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib before joining Save The Children, where he led the health response in North West Syria until 2017. He is currently pursuing a PhD in health systems in war settings at King’s College London, in addition to his work as a research associate with the Conflict and Health Research Group at the same university. He is also an Associate fellow at Chatham House and serves on the board of two other organisations, Shafak, and Eyes to the Future.

Afsana Safa

Trustee

Afsana is a London-based General Practitioner (Family Physician) with first-hand experience of the European refugee crisis. Amna first met Afsana in 2016, when she travelled to Greece with the Syrian American Medical Society to set up and run medical clinics in refugee camps in the north of the country. She has also volunteered in Bangladesh with Rohingya refugees. Afsana’s other NHS roles include Clinical Cancer lead for North West London and Governing Body board member for Central London CCG.

Romy Wakil

Consultant Therapist

Romy is a qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist working within a trauma informed approach. She works as part of Amna’s therapeutic team in what she calls her ‘soul work’ – bridging the gap between mental health and human rights. Passionate about mental health being a human right, with Amna’s team of therapists Romy is developing Amna’s provision of therapeutic groups, collective healing spaces which provide refugees and asylum seekers with access to long term, identity-informed therapeutic support. Romy co-facilitates a weekly therapeutic group on Zoom for male asylum seekers and is developing trauma and identity-informed resources for psychotherapists and refugees. She has spent the last 8 years developing trauma-informed practices across multiple sectors. She was part of setting up free psychotherapy for asylum seekers in Cyprus. In London she works with clients recovering from developmental trauma, eating disorders and war survivors. Romy conducts psychotherapy in English, Arabic and French.

Avesta Panahi

Psychologist

Avesta is an Afghan counselling psychologist in training based in London, England. She has always had a strong interest in how humans communicate with each other emotionally and the impact of experiences and early relationships. This, coupled with her passion towards understanding the human mind, led her to pursue a professional doctorate in psychology. Alongside this interest is Avesta’s love for reading, listening to music and political discussions!

Sarah Helander

Integrative Music Psychotherapist

Sarah Helander is an integrative music psychotherapist from Finland with a specialisation in trauma-informed and multicultural practice. She has worked internationally with people in displacement, with children with special needs and on the autistic spectrum, and within the medical context, particularly with paediatric oncology patients. She has published and presented internationally.

Christina Gougouli

Dance Movement Therapist

Christina is a Dance Movement Therapist based in Larissa, Greece. She has been taking dance classes since a young age and this, along with her passion for psychology, led her to do an MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy.

She is passionate about body-mind connection and always curious to explore all the (untold) stories that are embedded in our bodies, in a safe space with honesty and a non-judgmental approach. Christina also loves the creativity and endless opportunities of exploration movement therapy provides.

Besides her studies and continuous professional development in the psychotherapeutic field, she enjoys traveling, and developing her understanding of her own body through yoga and Argentinian tango classes!