EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lida is the Director of Colour of Arrival. She studied psychology in the Netherlands and earned an MA in Ethics in Ireland, where she began her PhD at Trinity College Dublin. Her work is shaped by lived experience—having fled Kabul with her family after the Soviet invasion and resettled across Pakistan, India, and Germany.

PRESIDENT

Christian is an economist and entrepreneur with a PhD from the University of Basel. He founded the Institute for Medicine and Communication (IMK) and is active in the MedTech start-up scene. His passion for the arts runs in the family—from a conductor and painter grandfather to a father who promoted cultural life through bookselling.

BOARD MEMBER

Sterre is a master’s student in Management at the University of St. Gallen. She holds a BA degree in Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin and brings a strong interdisciplinary mindset to her work. Having grown up in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Ireland, she thrives at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and impact.

AFGHANISTAN COUNTRY DIRECTOR

Arian holds a degree in Social Sciences and has worked with leading international organizations including UNESCO and Children in Crisis.

NIGERIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR

Morgan is an award-winning Lagos-based photographer whose work celebrating Black identity and beauty has been featured in The Guardian, Vogue Italia, Deutsche Welle, and The Times. He has exhibited internationally and headlined PHOTOBASEL in 2024.

INDIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR

Saad is an Assistant Professor of English, PhD scholar, and co-founder of Baithak and Beyond, a Pune-based poetry community. A bilingual poet in English and Hindustani, he has performed on various Pune platforms and organised over a hundred poetry gatherings, including for the Pune International Literary Festival and Pune Book Festival.

LEGAL ADVISOR

Shabnam, a legal expert and human rights practitioner, has a BA in Law and Political Science and an MA in Criminal Law and Criminology. Her past roles include defense attorney, counterterrorism prosecutor, and legislative committee member of the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

FUNDRAISING LEAD

Shoaib is a Programme Coordinator at the German NGO Kindernothilfe. He started his career at Save the Children in Kabul and holds a BA in Economics, Politics, and History from the University of Pune, along with an MA in Development Management from Ruhr University Bochum.

PROPOSAL OFFICER

Siddiq holds a Bachelor’s in Business Management from Bangalore University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Planning from IIEP, Paris. He brings 10 years of experience in planning, policy and program development, research, and project management, with a focus on conflict-affected contexts.

BOOK PROJECT EDITOR

Samantha, a former actress and producer, holds a BFA from NYU Tisch and Meisner training from the William Esper Studio. With 15 years in theater and development in NYC and LA, she worked on projects at The Public Theater, Rattlestick, and Ars Nova. She is now pursuing an MA at Harvard in Creative Writing and Literature and writing a nonfiction collection.

AFGHANISTAN COUNTRY ASSISTANT

Marjan is visual artist and journalist with a diploma in Journalism. She works across drawing and painting.

PROJECT MANAGER

Ujjayinee is a social scientist and activist whose work bridges public health and social justice. She is engaged in grassroots movements on child rights, gender, voluntary blood and organ donation. With a training in music, she is committed to using art, research and collective action as tools for equity, empathy and social change.

CONTENT WRITER

Dara is studying International and European Law at the University of Groningen and plans to specialise in human rights.

FUNDRAISING OFFICER

Joel is an economist with an MA in Economics from the University of Fribourg, where he specialised in sustainable development and social responsibility. He has experience in Swiss public administration and has held leadership roles in community organisations.

FUNDRAISING OFFICER

Giulia holds a Master’s in International Studies from the University of Pisa and a Bachelor’s in Asian Studies (Chinese language) from La Sapienza in Rome. Her work spans humanitarian aid and intercultural dialogue, shaped by expertise on human rights, development and education.