Register for the event: https://myumi.ch/1bJ9n

Nadina Christopoulou is the director and co-founder of the Melissa Network and previously served as vice president of the Greek Council for Refugees.

She studied anthropology and politics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and earned her M.Phil and Ph.D. from Cambridge University. Her doctoral research focused on Roma storytelling and collective memory practices, based on extensive fieldwork with settled and semi-nomadic Roma communities in Greece. Her later research expanded to diaspora narratives, migration, childhood, and solidarity networks for migrant and refugee women. Based on this work, she co-founded the Melissa Network alongside migrant and refugee women leaders in Greece.

The Melissa Network, whose name means “bee” in Greek, was envisioned as an open beehive of sharing and coexistence, uniting women from over 50 countries. It provides a safe space for healing and learning, promoting integration through education, art, advocacy, mental health support, and community engagement. Melissa emphasizes agency, solidarity, and an ethic of care.

The organization actively networks with grassroots groups across the Mediterranean and the Middle East and has taken a leading role in supporting women human rights defenders from crisis zones, including Afghanistan and Ukraine.