Meet The Team

Alexandra
Bonou

Civil Engineer

MSc in Environmental Engineering
PhD in Life Cycle Assessment for ecodesign

Her expertise on sustainable production has been applied on national and international projects for the private, the public sector and for academia. Living in Denmark since 2008 she has been member of InnoAid.org, a Danish volunteering NGO that aims to increase quality of life for people, by co-creating innovative solutions, along with academia and local communities. She has designed and implemented projects related to circular economy supporting income creation and better life in rural and urban India . Upon her return to Greece in 2017, she joined forces with Katerina in order to create a community space that could address integration holistically (social, professional, cultural). In Kyclos she specialised in the design, implementation and monitoring of social entrepreneurship initiatives such as the soap making workshop and the tailoring workshop. Lastly she is the Kyclos’ program coordinator.

Katerina
Polychroni

Social Anthropologist, with an MA in Gender Studies and trained in the Systemic Approach to Group Process and Psychotherapy.

Her expertise is on issues of community building, social integration,self development and family therapy. She has been working with refugees since 2008 developing creative alternative teaching group methods aimed at self development and empowerment.

Being fluent in English, French, Farsi and Dari, she has worked for several NGOs as a social scientist and interpreter. Employed in UNHCR for two years, she worked in all 13 refugee camps of Attica. In several of them she organized and implemented Community Based Activities. In 2017 she quit UNHCR to embark on a life dream: She founded KYCLOS, a space run by the community, for the community. In Kyclos, she specializes in social and professional integration of Unaccompanied Minors and refugee families along with implementing activities that foster effective coexistence in the community. She is the main tutor and the main coordinator of empowerment activities.

polkaterina@gmail.com

Maria Selini
Mavroidoggona

Social Worker

Maria Selini Mavroidoggona is a social worker. Since 2010, she has worked in various professional settings related to refugees, as well as in other sectors. She has collaborated with several organizations, taking on leadership roles in some of them, such as at ARSIS, where she was Head of the Social Service and responsible for the experiential implementation of the Mobile School. At KYCLOS, she is an important member of the community and a professional collaborator. In addition to being Head of the Social Service, she has also taken on responsibilities in other areas, such as education.

Nasim Muradi

Electrician and cultural mediator

Nasim, from Afghanistan, first joined KYCLOS as a student. One of eight siblings, he was the first in his family to begin Greek lessons — and slowly encouraged the rest to follow.

From his very first week, he asked to also sit in on advanced classes, “just to listen,” as he said. His dedication was so strong that he learned the language incredibly fast and soon became a teacher himself, leading classes for both children and adults. He became — and still is — one of KYCLOS’ core peer educators.

Through KYCLOS, he found a job as an electrician and was able to support his siblings. Today, he has built his own family in Greece, continues his profession, got the certificate of the Greek language and is still working in KYCLOS with children and adults, as a cultural mediator and an ongoing general issues officer.

Natalia Leontsini

Philologist
BA Department of History and Archaeology

MA in Language education for refugees and migrants

Natalia Leontsini is a philologist and a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology. She first joined KYCLOS through her internship and is now an active member of the team. She is responsible for several Greek language classes, covering a wide range of levels—from beginners to students preparing for the Greek language certification exams. In addition, she provides supplementary teaching support tailored to the specific needs of the learners.

Peer
to Peer

KYCLOS utilizes the skills and valuable experiences of all its members. Thus, they become teachers, guides, responsible for its daily operation. Each and every one is an integral part of KYCLOS!

Lutfullah

Lutfullah is from Afghanistan. He is a Person with Specific Needs, as he was wounded at the war, lost his right hand and got handicapped. When we first met him at a refugee camp and invited him to KYCLOS, he answered “I can’t go to school because I do not have a hand”.

Kyclos’ team asked him to come anyway. He was offered private lessons and the beginning and he was taught to write with his left hand! Supported by the community of the organization, Lutfullah became a strong member of the team. He assisted in the every day operation of KYCLOS and he became the focal point for the building…

Narges

Narges — her name means narcissus, a flower that blooms even in harsh soil. She came to KYCLOS from Afghanistan, the eldest daughter of a family with two younger siblings she had to care for, even while attending classes. At just 19 years old, she joined the youth group, learned Greek, and became a teacher.

She stood in front of adult men and women and taught them with confidence and grace. And they listened. In a society where women like her are expected to remain silent and hidden, Narges found her voice — and used it to educate others.

Today, she lives in Germany. Her dream? To become a dentist.

Amir

Amir arrived in Greece as an unaccompanied minor, along with his sister, her husband, and their children. They all lived together in a refugee camp. That’s where we met him — and that’s where his journey with KYCLOS began, through Greek language lessons.

Step by step, Amir supported his sister’s family, learned Greek, passed the official language exams, and eventually became a teacher himself. He taught both minors and adults in our classrooms, always with kindness, responsibility, and quiet strength.

Today, he works as a plumber. With the tools he gained — knowledge, confidence, purpose — he’s building a life of his own.

Zahra

Zahra arrived in Greece from Afghanistan at the age of 14. She attended a public school and quickly became fluent in Greek. She joined KYCLOS to receive support in preparing for the national university entrance exams. With her advanced language skills, she soon became a teaching assistant in literacy classes for women.

But Zahra brought even more to the table. Skilled in sewing and embroidery, she also became a valuable assistant in the sewing workshops. A young woman who became a pillar of support for others.

Mustafa

Mustafa arrived in Greece as an unaccompanied minor. He began learning Greek at KYCLOS and gradually became an active and beloved member of our community. Upon turning 18, he started teaching classes for children — and they immediately adored him, as he’s a gifted painter with a vibrant spirit!

Through KYCLOS’ professional rehabilitation program, he found work and learned the craft of plumbing. Today, he feels integrated into society and sees Greece as his home.