A diverse group of individuals who bring unique talents and perspectives to NADOE.
Lailuma Sadid
Co-Founder
Lailuma SADID, a pioneering figure in journalism and diplomacy, hailing from Afghanistan and a former diplomat in Brussels, received the prestigious International Prize of Humanism of Henri la Fontaine of Belgium in 2023.
Her dedication was noticed, as she was the winner of the award of the International Women’s Leadership Forum in the European Union in 2020 in Belgium. Lailuma currently serves as an Assistant for communication and journalism at ULB. She plays a pivotal role in the Media -Latitudes and Brussels Morning Newspaper.
She is actively engaged in supporting the UNHCR in Belgium, as well as facilitating the Umbrella, Women, and Afghanistan Refugees Committees. Next to her career as a journalist, she is a women’s and immigrants’ rights activist in Afghanistan and abroad.
With a remarkable career spanning nearly 16 years in journalism and over six years as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan, including her diplomatic role at the Afghanistan Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium Lailuma also worked for the ministry of foreign affairs in Afghanistan and for the Afghanistan Embassy in Belgium as a liaison officer and in charge to the NATO for one mandate.
She was a political journalist in her home country between 2002 and 2007, working for Pajhwok news agency and for IWPR, when she covered the conflicts of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, despite the direct and life-threatening risks that she faced due to her profession. Lailuma has also contributed to the field of media as a social media manager at Kaszer Network in Brussels.
She aims at continuing her work on Afghanistan women with NADOE. Lailuma SADID holds a Bachelor’s degree in from Kabul University and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).
Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar
Secretary-General
Dr Ahmad Wali Ahmad-Yar is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in the Department of Sociology. His research focuses on international migration data, refugees’ and migrants’ integration and participation, and European migration policies. He is also an expert in diaspora organisations and diaspora participation. Currently, he is studying the mobilisation of the Afghanistan diaspora in Europe while serving as the Secretary-General of NADOE.
At VUB, he is involved in three major projects, including the Horizon 2020 project ‘Enhanced Migration Measures from A Multidimensional Perspective’ (HumMingBird), Measuring Irregular Migration and related Policies (MIrreM), and a project on access to higher education for migrants, from Camp to Campus.
Previously, Dr Ahmad-Yar worked at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), focusing on the integration of migrants, EU policies on migration, and migrant integration policies at the local level. He has also worked as an interpreter for the UNHCR in Central Asia and as a Public Relations Officer for the Ariana Social Centre, an NGO dedicated to improving the living conditions of the Afghan diaspora in Kazakhstan.
Additionally, he supports the UNHCR in Belgium as a facilitator for establishing a community-based “Refugee Committees” project for refugees and has volunteered as an interpreter with the Red Cross Flanders in Belgium. Originally from Afghanistan, Dr Ahmad-Yar has a keen personal interest in the history and current affairs of South and Central Asia.
He holds a master’s degree in Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from al Farabi Kazakh National University.
Morgane Jourdain
Treasurer and Network Coordinator for Central Europe
Morgane Jourdain is a linguist, working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zürich (UZH) in Switzerland with the Language, Acquisition, Diversity lab from the Department of Comparative Language Science. She is a specialist in language acquisition, both by children and adults, and investigates the way children and adults structure their speech, in their native and foreign languages.
Morgane also investigates third-country nationals’ acquisition of the language of their host country. She is particularly interested in the specific challenges that this population faces, both at the linguistic level (i.e., difficulties due to major differences between their native and target language or issues related to literacy) and sociological level in their language learning journey.
She has a keen interest in culture and language preservation among the Afghan diasporas. She is really interested in projects related to helping second or later generations of Afghans in Europe preserve their language and related to culture promotion. She is passionate about the Afghan culture and has learned to speak Persian.
Morgane holds a Ph.D. in French linguistics from KU Leuven (Belgium) and the University of Lille (France), a Master’s degree in English linguistics from the University of Lille, a Bachelor’s degree in English, and a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese from the University of Lille.
Shagofah Ghafori
Project Officer and Network Coordinator for Southern Europe
Shagofah is a Project Development Assistant at CEPS. She assists with the development and maintenance of CEPS databases of projects, partners, funders, skills, and experts and supports in identifying and exchanging with potential partners. She contributes to the preparation of competitive tender and grant proposals and monitors funding sources (European institutions, Foundations, national and regional governments, intra alia). She coordinates the CEPS Sustainable Diversity Goals project, which promotes diversity and gender equality within CEPS.
Before joining CEPS, Shagofah carried out an internship with the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels (VUB) as part of the EU-funded H2020 project “HumMingBird”, where she conducted macro and micro policy analysis for foreign and migration policies of the EU and humanitarian rights. Previously, she assisted international NGOs’ missions in Afghanistan in the capacities of global project coordinator, reporting coordinator, and socio-economic researcher in the context of EU, US, and CA-funded projects.
Shagofah has a strong background in building partnerships, identifying collaboration opportunities, and tendering. Thanks to her experience, she currently helps NADOE in project development.
Shagofah has a Master’s degree in European and Global studies from Padua University. She holds an executive diploma from the Academy of Young Diplomates with a specialisation in International Organisations from the European Academy of Diplomacy in Poland. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in public administration and Policy from the Herat University of Afghanistan.
Madeline Saadeh
Project Officer and Network Coordinator for Central Europe
Madeline is currently working in international development on development projects located in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. She previously worked at the Belgian Federal Agency for the reception of asylum seekers in the reception structures responsible for the observation and orientation of unaccompanied minor foreign nationals (UMFNs) of which the majority were Afghan nationals. She furthermore worked at the UNHCR in Budapest, Hungary, and has worked on development projects in numerous African countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
From her professional experience, she has developed a profound interest and passion for Afghanistan and its citizens. Additionally, is she an independent legal guardian for Afghan UMFNs in Belgium. Madeline has Syrian and Belgian origins and has been actively working to integrate migrants into the labour market and society at large while defending their fundamental human rights.
Madeline holds an MBA in International Business Management from the KU Leuven University (Belgium). As part of her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, she studied abroad at Hanyang University (Seoul, South Korea) and Corvinus University (Budapest, Hungary).
Najeem Zarabi
Project Officer and Network Coordinator for the UK
Najeem holds a Master of Science in Conflict and Development Studies from Ghent University (UGent). He is originally from Afghanistan and has lived as a first-generation refugee in Belgium since early 2016. Fluent in Persian (Dari) and English, among other central and South Asian languages, Najeem has assisted refugees on their journeys by volunteering as a translator. He has also collaborated with various international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) on projects related to Afghan refugees and diaspora communities. Drawing from his experiences of everyday struggles and hardships due to his refugee status, Najeem is motivated to work with and for the Afghan diaspora, using his academic background and experience managing life as an Afghan refugee in Belgium.
Afghan society is diverse. Afghans come from different ethnicities, and cultures, and hold varying worldviews. Being an Afghan holds different meanings for each of them, especially across diasporas, where experiences can sometimes be worlds apart. In close collaboration with European, national, and local authorities, Najeem aims to bridge these differences and find solutions tailored to individual needs.
Kristine Hansen
Network Coordinator for Scandinavia
Kristine is a Danish national, born and raised in Brussels. She is a specialist of migration-related topics, more precisely those concerning unaccompanied minor foreign nationals (UMFNs) migrating from Afghanistan and Iran to Europe. For 10 years she has been close to the Afghan community in Scandinavia, primarily in Denmark.
Kristine holds a Bachelor’s degree from Roskilde University in Denmark and two Masters’ degrees from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Institut des Études Européennes (‘Institute for European Studies’) in Belgium.
Fatemah Shirzad
Network Coordinator for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries
Fatemah is studying for a Master’s degree in Management at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB). She worked as a financial manager in a charity foundation, as a master trainer for the election commission of Afghanistan, as a cashier for a microfinance bank, and as an Engineer for BCRCO company in Herat, Afghanistan. She is also a member of the Women Refugees Committee in Belgium and a project facilitator for the UNHCR in Belgium.
Fatemah holds a Master’s degree in civil engineering from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil engineering from Herat University in Afghanistan.
Idrees Iqbal
Data Engineer and web developer
Idrees serves as a Data Engineer at Devoteam, a leading name in Data & AI consultancy world. His work is characterized by a deep understanding of data architectures and a dedication to optimizing business intelligence processes, reinforcing client’s commitment to technological advancement.
Holding a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Ghent, Idrees further advanced his academic credentials by obtaining a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). This robust educational background, combined with practical experience, makes him a pivotal asset in the evolving data landscape.
Emerging from a refugee background, Idrees’s journey to professional success is testament to his resilience, determination, and unparalleled work ethic. His story is a source of inspiration for many, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, continuous learning, and adaptation in the face of challenges.
In the realm of data engineering and web development, Idrees continually showcases his prowess, contributing significantly to both his organization and the broader tech community.
Regina Buono
Communications and Network Coordinator
Regina Buono serves as a Research, Policy Network, and Communications Assistant at the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, an academic research institute based at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. Currently based in Brussels, in her role, she facilitates connections with grassroots communities, organizations, and Indigenous peoples in the Global South. Regina also engages with academic communities, develops online resources for policymakers and practitioners, such as Briefing Notes and toolkits, and contributes to the writing and multimedia content of Polyhedron Magazine.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistic Mediation from the IUM Academy School in Naples and a Master’s degree in Languages and Cultures for International Communications and Cooperation from the University of Milan. In the near future, she aims to pursue a second master’s with a focus on migration and asylum.
Motivated by the conviction of the importance of building cooperation between diaspora communities and Europeans, Regina joined NADOE to deepen her knowledge of diaspora issues.
Ella Petousis
Communications and Network Coordinator
Ella Petousis is a young professional dedicated to advancing social justice and fostering intercultural cohesion through creative means. With a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Cape Town and a Master’s in Human Rights & Multi-Level Governance from the University of Padova, she brings an interdisciplinary approach to her work.
Growing up in South Africa, Ella is deeply committed to addressing historical inequality and societal fragmentation. She has worked with grassroots organisations such as Our Workshop, a social development project in South Africa; Popoli Insieme refugee support and integration community in Padova, Italy; and Serve The City in Brussels, Belgium. Her internships with the Institute for Economics and Peace and the Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities (BIRMM) furthered her expertise in research, migration policy, and social inclusion.
Drawing on her experiences in both artistic and human rights spaces, she is passionate about co-creative projects that can disrupt divisions and bring people together.
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