OUR TEAM

I’m Méline, the founder of aidóni. I’m a journalist graduated from the Erasmus Mundus Masters in Journalism, Media and Globalization during which I specialized in war and covering conflicts. I focus on human rights and social conflicts and have a specific interest in Latin America.

I have lived, studied and worked in France, the United States, Spain, Poland, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Chile. These experiences gave me the opportunity to meet amazing journalists and agents of change from all over the globe. They are the ones who inspired aidóni.

My apartment is full of novels and essays, and my suitcase is always ready to go. You can often find me sitting at a terrace enjoying life and some wine with my friends, walking around cities, or exploring museums.

Born and raised in São Paulo and a Londoner for more than 20 years, I’ve been a journalist and editor for quite a while. I have worked as a foreign correspondent and led teams and editorial operations in large media companies, in both Brazil and the UK. This includes 10 years at the BBC World Service, where I was Head of BBC News Brazil for five years. From my time as a reporter in São Paulo writing about the plight of street children to my research about social networks for my MA in Social Media, I’ve always strived to find new ways of using the media to tell people’s stories and effectively connect with audiences. aidóni is an innovative and bold journalistic venture that connects many dots I’ve painted during my career, so it’s really exciting to be part of this creative and truly collaborative team. My passions? Journalism, people, different cultures, music, cinema, travelling, and the planet we live on.

I am a senior editor and journalist with a background in international news and financial services. I have worked for BBC World Service, BBC Breakfast News; BBC local radio, and BBC Radio Four as both a reporter and a producer.

Other large communication organisations include the Financial Times and Reuters. Regarding the latter, I was headhunted as a senior business editor, tasked with restructuring Reuters TV output from C2C to C2B.

I am also qualified in project management, marketing, and content strategies and was the manager of thought leadership content for the US not-for-profit, The Project Management Institute (PMI).

I have established four businesses and am currently focused on projects which aid community cohesion, and offer individuals and organisations the opportunity to expand their knowledge and efficacy in their chosen fields of expertise.

I have lived in France, the United Kingdom, Tunisia and more recently in Armenia where I worked on implementing innovative and creative approaches to peacebuilding, conflict transformation and conflict prevention with local communities.

I am deeply interested in diving into interdisciplinary perspectives to promote human security, democratic governance and empowerment of vulnerable groups with gender and feminist lenses.

I choose to work at aidóni to combine my technical expertise of knowledge management, fundraising and partnership building with my programmatic expertise related to human rights projects in conflict affected communities.  

I am also a graduate from the MSc ‘Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe’ of the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

On a more personal note, as a true French person, I love tasting different kinds of food and dishes. Traveling is my passion and I love discovering off the beaten track places and having long and meaningful discussions with people around a coffee or a glass of wine.

I’m Yousr. After the Egyptian revolution in 2011, I was inspired to travel to Canada to pursue my bachelor’s in Political Science. My father’s side is Egyptian, and my mother’s side is Syrian. I loved traveling ever since I was 5 years old when we first traveled to Syria. Having different identities at home gave me the feeling that home is always bigger than where I am. I became interested in world affairs beyond Egypt and Syria and grew up with a passion for peace and social justice in 2000 as a little child. Similar to my generation in the Middle East, the second Palestinian Intifada in September 2000 marked an early engagement with stories of conflict and peace in the world, only for the Iraq war in 2003 to confirm such interest. My passion for knowledge production and translation stems from my curiosity to learn and to share. I pursued graduate studies in Political Science and International Development, and most recently in International Law. I worked as a graduate teaching assistant in Canada and Egypt. I worked as a researcher and as a program coordinator in Turkey and Egypt. I was also an Information Management Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). I spend my time collecting and weaving stories from books and/or the field to learn about different cultural, social, and political phenomena; writing is my cup of tea. I love meeting new people, and I often invite them to what I genuinely enjoy: cooking, preparing coffee, walking, and talking around my Alexandria.

I am a lawyer turned journalist and occasional comedian, trying to decide whether to report the hopeless despair of the world or write jokes about it.

I specialize in OSINT and investigative journalism, covering a broad spectrum of topics such as politics, social issues, cybersecurity, conflict zones, defense systems, and organized crime, among others.

I work as the executive officer of an independent digital media start-up called Lok Sujag (People’s Enlightenment) that believes in covering the voices of people at the margins of power. I have been an investigative journalist before this management role and have covered human rights with a focus on religious minorities, acid crimes, sexual violence, health and education. 

I am active in Pakistan’s feminist movement and in my free time can be found dreaming of an equal and just world. I love poetry, classical and pop music, and am guilty of hoarding stationary and art supplies.

I’m an independent multi-lingual journalist, editor, and translator based in New York. I am interested in examining the role of power structures and systems on those impacted the most. I have reported on social movements, migration, race, income inequality, and gender-based issues, among others, from cities in the United States, India, Ecuador, and Guyana, spanning seven years. When not staring at the light-emitting devices, I can be found reading and exploring unknown turfs.

I’m a multimedia journalist based in New Delhi, India, with work experience of seven years across print, broadcast, and digital media. My area of interest and work lies at the intersection of sports, gender, and human rights and exploring these in audio-visual formats. I received the Human Rights Religious Freedom Journalism grant in 2022 and produced a documentary exploring caste bias in grassroots cricket in India. I am also the producer-editor of aidoni’s first podcast “What’s The Word?”

I’m a sociology graduate with experience in media, communications and marketing. Culture, gender and migration have been my main areas of learning and expertise. I moved to Paris during my bachelor’s, then moved back to Istanbul and am currently living in Germany to pursue a master’s in global communication at the University of Erfurt. 

I am also a multi-instrumentalist (flute, piano, vocals) and a songwriter/producer under the moniker Dolphin Drama. When I’m not listening to music or mumbling a random melody, you might find me browsing are.na (it’s like pinterest for research-minded softies!) or on a walk to find the nearest body of water.

I am a Nigerian freelance journalist & fact-checker grounded in journalism, research and communications. I am the winner of the 2022 African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) Prize for Emerging Health Technologies Media Awards for Excellence (Online Category).

I am interested in humanitarian issues, conflict dynamics and how creative storytelling can be used as a tool to tell important stories in this niche.

My works have appeared on numerous platforms, including, The Continent, International Journalists’ Network (IJNET), Mail & Guardian, The Republic, Minority Africa, The Solutions Paper, Premium Times, More Branches, Dubawa, and elsewhere.

I have also garnered experience working on numerous projects through fellowship programs and consultancy for media companies like Global Media Registry, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, Journalism for Liberty Fellowship, African Foundation for Young Media Professionals, among others.

I’m Anne Mie, a freelance journalist from Denmark. I have a BA in English with a focus on sociolinguistics and discrimination, and a masters in journalism with a specialisation in gendered databias in healthcare. I am currently based in Copenhagen where I also freelance as a language teacher. 

My passion lies in meeting different people from different walks of life, which is one of the reasons why aidóni is so great to me. I seek the subjects that are anchored in human rights, social justice and rare lifestyles. 

Besides that I love music, going to concerts and my collections of old knick knacks and vinyls.

I’m Asukwo, a journalist and brand storyteller based in Nigeria. I started out as a freelance financial writer, with a specialization in cryptocurrency before becoming a news writer. Over the years, I’ve metamorphosed and taken on many roles across different newsrooms.

I enjoy storytelling and going the extra mile when carrying out research. One of my key traits is bringing unique angles when reporting.

When I’m not writing, I’m brainstorming with friends and family, always trying to find solutions that make people’s lives easier.

I’m Charlotte, a freelance journalist graduate from Concordia University (in Montreal) in Journalism with a minor in french literature. I’m currently based in Montreal and working as a journalist. I recently graduated from my master’s in journalism with a specialisation in totalitarianism and transition with Erasmus Mundus. I first decided to join aidóni because I love to meet new and interesting people. 

I’m passionate about the environment and climate change and I’m always on the hunt for the best documentary (bonus point if it’s about the environment). 

I love to travel and I’ve lived in a few cities and countries, and I’m hoping to continue to do so in the future!

I’m Hamza, currently working on my PhD thesis at the University of Vienna, studying the relationship between culture, politics, and journalistic identities. My media career began at 92 News during Pakistan’s 2018 election, leading me to co-found 9 news, an online news platform and aggregation service in Pakistan. I’ve avid interest in social justice and development programs, and previously collaborated with UNODC on Anti-Corruption initiatives in Africa. Alongside my research, I serve as Communication Lead for Madinah Foundation, an NGO which focuses on social upliftment and making quality education accessible in Pakistan. Outside writing pursuits, I enjoy travelling, making music, and playing football.

One day I was sitting in a lecture hall learning about the ideologies of brilliant thinkers as a philosophy undergraduate. The next day, I was discussing mass communication theories and chasing down story leads.  

I am Jennifer, an independent investigative journalist. I’ve always wanted to tell the stories that matter to people and make positive changes.  

Over the past four years, I have written and produced under-reported stories on public health, environment, business, and human rights that spur policymakers to make actionable decisions that address these issues in Nigeria.

I love journalism collaborations that have investigative edges to them.

As a journalist I have worked for different cultural publications and, during the last year, I have been collaborating with the Czech Radio reporting on everything from European affairs to life in Czechia. 

I am passionate about writing pieces on social and environmental issues and l love trying to find the best way to communicate them, whether it be written, video, audio or anything in between. 

I’m Nakshatra Yadav, a journalist-in-training and a cricketer by heart. My world revolves around the thrill of chasing stories, the adrenaline of the game, and the urgency of advocating for human rights and social and environmental justice. As I step onto the pitch or behind the lens, I’m not just playing or filming—I’m weaving tales of resilience, courage, and hope. I am on this exhilarating journey where every boundary smashed and every frame captured tells a story that resonates beyond the boundaries of time and space.

I am an International Relations graduate, born and raised in the UK. My family is originally from an indigenous region in Algeria called Kabylia, however, they grew up in Algiers. I have always been curious about various social issues, particularly on issues concerning decolonisation, conflict resolutions, and human rights. More recently I have also taken an interest in sustainability and democracy movements. My university research concentrated on the MENA region, including my dissertation which focused on Palestine-Israel and the ideas behind sovereignty and self-defense. In my free time, I read a lot of 20th century literature, enjoy listening to music across all genres, and occasionally write poetry and learn songs on my ukulele.

I am a South Sudanese Freelance Journalist based in Juba. Deprived of proper education by over two decades of independence struggle, I took it upon myself to never stop studying. After a year of focusing on Solutions Stories, I am glad several of my community solutions stories made it to the Solution Journalists Network (SJN) stories tracker. 

After years of self education, hard work and perseverance, I found solace in doing community solution stories, having mastered my craft by working with the best in the industry and always being  inquisitive. in times of conflict. That explains my love for the idea of aidóni.

I’m Iliana, a German-Greek hybrid with a passion for the intersection between culture and politics. I have a BA in European Studies and Masters in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe, where I have specialised in arts-based transitional justice mechanisms as an antidote to socialisation to conflict. My professional experience includes stakeholder management and policy research for international think tanks and NGOs. 

I joined aidóni because I believe in the transformative power of storytelling within the realm of conflict and human rights. 

Though I’m currently based in Germany, I have also lived in the Netherlands, the UK, Greece and Spain and you can always find me with a suitcase in hand ready to hop onto the next flight.

Senior content strategist which a background in education, content production, marketing, Saas and social media.

I’m Kriti! Fueled by a passion for excellence in fashion, management, and beyond, I bring a fresh perspective from my background in marketing, sales, and merchandising.

I’ve hopped on board with aidóni because I believe in questioning everything we hear. In a world where opinions are plentiful, I’m dedicated to seeking out the facts that truly guide the path forward.

In my free time, you can find me lost in a good book, delving into random subjects through research, hitting the trails on my trusty bike, getting my hands dirty with a paintbrush, or grabbing a drink with friends.

I’m a self-taught software developer interested in online privacy, data protection and human rights.