Our team

TEAM GREECE

Our committed volunteers on Samos work hand in hand together with the refugee and local population to maintain the SKILLS FACTORY and to develop it's workshops. 

Together, we develop solutions to improve the living conditions and sustain a healthy environment on the island. For coordination assignments, selfm.aid provides accommodation and compensation for expenses.

Our community volunteers are at the core of our work. 

To protect their privacy we refrain from listing their names and faces.

Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that they are the ones who bring our projects to life! Making plans, implementing projects, having ideas, developing uncomplicated and sometimes surprising solutions and making us amaze and laugh every day.

JULIA MINDER

Director & Founder
selfm.aid

Executive Director
Project Oversight

about Julia

Julia is our Founder and Director, a relentless idealist, passionate advocate and unwaveringly committed individual. Her contributions and knowledge are far-reaching and reflect an almost limitless dedication to social welfare and justice.

Her Bachelor of Science in Social Work, advanced training in civil peacebuilding and NGO management, as well as various training in human rights and humanitarian aid, illustrate Julia's academic achievements and her pursuit of excellence and professional expertise. She gained extensive experience in various areas of social work before dedicating her life to working with refugees in Greece and ultimately selfm.aid.

From strategy development and management of the coordination team, to overseeing fundraising activities, construction work and accounting, to her diverse language skills, coupled with her unrivaled knowledge of international law, global politics, asylum procedures and economics, reflect her multifaceted skill set and commitment to making a real, long-lasting difference in the world. Her tireless efforts are the driving force behind the existence, survival, and success of Skills Factory.

MOHAMMED

Project Management
Phones without Borders

Management Phone Repair Department and PWB

about Mohammed

Master of Crafts or Dr. Repair, Mohammed, originally from Gaza, Palestine, embodies versatility and professionalism. His profession has been phone repair for over 17 years. He even used to run his own shop and train apprentices. But he also gained valuable experience in other professional fields, such as an electrician, painter, and motorcycle mechanic. Mohammed has always enjoyed working, learning new things, and broadening his horizons.

Mohammed demonstrates this competence time and again on Samos. He proved indispensable during the transition to Skills 2.0. His involvement in the construction work speaks volumes about his capabilities and dedication.

In the SKILLS FACTORY 2.0, he will continue to coordinate the Phone Repair Department and launch his “Phones without Borders” project in order to make his dream come true: to share his extensive knowledge with people on the move.

His dignified demeanor, sense of humor, wisdom, kindness and unwavering respect for everyone around him make him an invaluable resource for the SKILLS FACTORY as well as a source of inspiration for all who have the pleasure of working with him.

MARIA

Coordinator
SKILLS FACTORY

Volunteer Recruitment, local Outreach & Art Department

about Maria

Maria’s journey from Athens to abroad and back to her roots in the island of Samos is one defined by a deep-rooted commitment to supporting People On The Move and a relentless pursuit of her passion for art and community empowerment.

Beginning with her first Bachelor’s degree in Renovation and Restoration of Buildings in Patra, Greece, Maria’s academics odyssey led her to The Netherlands, where she pursued another Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Urbanism, and Building Sciences at TU Delft.

Her strong passion for art, her charismatic personality and her desire to help refugees in the CCAC of Samos motivated her to join the great work of the SKILLS FACTORY.

Our Maria never stops: In addition to her role as a full-time passionate mother and manager of her own company, she coordinates the recruitment of volunteers, local public relations as well as the art and printing departments of the SKILLS FACTORY.

RAFIQ

Coordinator
SKILLS FACTORY

Sewing & Barber Department, Community Outreach

about Rafiq

Growing up in Gaza, Palestine, since a young age he has been immersed in the world of clothing production with his father, where his love for sewing and fashion design naturally flourished.

His academic pursuits, including a bachelor’s in Business Administration and studies in Fashion Design, paved the way for him to establish his own clothing brand, “Gazran”, in 2021.

Rafiq and the SKILLS FACTORY are the perfect team: Coordinating the sewing department enables him to live out, share and at the same time develop his passion for sewing and fashion design. To make the look perfect, Rafiq also takes on responsibility for the barber department.

Rafiq is known in the SKILLS FACTORY and across the island for his sociability, his social skills and his love for fashion.

As the person responsible for community outreach, Rafiq is a pillar of the entire team of community volunteers. He shows exceptional empathy, care, patience and the necessary humor. There is no concern, no question, no worry that he does not address and does not know how to solve.

KATHARINA

Coordinator
SKILLS FACTORY

Office, Media Department
& WASH-Project

about Katharina

Our youngest member of the coordination team comes from Germany and is already almost fluent in Arabic (or at least she will soon be, considering her unbeatable language skills).

She has a bachelor's degree in international relations and social sciences and has gained various experiences in the field of humanitarian aid in Greece and Serbia since 2023. She has also been actively involved as a board member and in the management of fundraising projects.

She joined SKILLS FACTORY because she strongly believes in the benefits of cultural exchange and sharing skills between people from different countries, while always learning from others.

Her structured way of working, her flexibility, her patience coupled with a lot of humor, her great commitment to the work on site and her firm trust that people on the move deserve a safe space to rebuild their lives make her an indispensable part of our team and the perfect person for administration as well as the WASH and media departments.

DILETTA

Coordinator
SKILLS FACTORY

Kitchen Department
& Certification Program

about Diletta

Diletta is our half-Greek, half-Italian power woman. Despite her impressive academic background, she has worked hard throughout her life and never backs down from a challenge. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science, a master's degree in agricultural economics and is currently completing her second distance learning master's degree in data science for social sciences.

Diletta brings extensive professional experience in project management and data analysis, both in the private and public sectors, including an internship at the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). In addition, she has a lot of experience in gastronomy and bartending, which makes her an extremely multitasking and flexible person.

Driven by her passion for combining analytical prowess with on-the-ground impact, Diletta found her calling in the SKILLS FACTORY, where her multifaceted skill set and creativity converge to generate a more equitable and sustainable future.

MAHMOUD

Department Manager
Barberworkshop

about Mahmoud

Hello, I’m Mahmoud, 22 years old, from Gaza. After I finished High School I learned barbering and became a barber. Since 2017 I work as a professional barber in Gaza in different barber shops.

In the SF I work as a barber and currently also at the construction side of setting up the new skills. I like most at skills that this became a new life for me and a family. Skills changed my life a lot I can practice my profession again, being around people who care for me and with whom I can laugh and forget the life in the camp. Also I really like the food at skills and that I meet people I know from my home country.

My dream for the future is to open my own barber shop and help the European community and the refugees in Europe, who experienced same things I did. I want to go to Belgium and reunite with my brother. There I would like to work for a year in a barber shop to earn money and learn how barber shops work in Europe. Then I would like to open my own shop.

PETER

Volunteer
SKILLS FACTORY

Accounting 

ROGER HUNZIKER

Member of the Board, President

about me

Roger is a psychologist and works as a sociotherapist in an open prison.

He joined selfm.aid through volunteering in the SKILLS FACTORY on Samos in spring 2022.

In his free time, he likes to be creative and immerse himself in one of his many hobbies. These include photography, drawing, 3D design, basketball and sometimes, but rather rarely, dusting off the trumpet.

TEAM
SWITZERLAND

All board members of selfm.aid are volunteers.

Without this great support the realization of our projects and the prosperity of the association would not be possible.

SIMON BADER

 Member of the Board, Founder

about me

Simon is a trained bricklayer with further training as a construction foreman with federal diploma. He spent almost 20 years of his life on construction sites doing various manual labor jobs, instructing colleagues and coordinating construction projects.

 

In his free time, he also devotes himself to finer handicrafts such as sewing, baking bread, woodwork or leather processing. "Do-it-yourself" is his motto.

MATTHIAS FENNER

Member of the Board, Finances

about me

Matthias is a trained travel agent and holds a degree of applied sciences in business economics with further training in peace and conflict mediation. He has experience in finance and accounting, intercultural cooperation, mentoring, conflict mediation and adult education with various non-profit and governmental organizations.

 

From time to time he writes poems and hikes through the mountains.

 

MARION ISLER

Member of the Board, Administration

about me

has completed an administrative apprenticeship in the commercial sector and has been working in the administration of various employers for 20 years.

 

If there is still some free time beside the role of mother and part-time work, she devotes herself to the art of baking and the care of her own fruit and vegetable garden with a lot of passion.

ANJA RYAN

Member of the Board, Marketing

about me

is a trained marketing specialist with over 11 years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing in various industries and product segments. It is her wish to combine her professional experience with her social commitment and to actively support projects to help people in difficult situations.

 

In her free time, too, she likes to live out her creativity and loves painting and handicrafts.

LINDA WANKLIN

Member of the Board, Fundraising

about me

is a research assistant/doctoral candidate and conducts research on the transfer of collective vocational training systems at the University of St. Gallen. She has gained international professional experience in development cooperation and human rights work at the GIZ in Morocco, at the ILO in Lebanon and in human rights organisations in Israel and India.

 

Her favourite craft activities include baking and gardening.

MITHAT FOSTER

Member of the Board, HR

about me

is a trained electro mechanic and social education worker. After some years of youth work he works for people with addicitive disorder as head of department of the contact point in St. Gall.
Furthermore he's got a degree in mediation and a MAS of social management.
He es married and father of 2 children.

 

In seiner Freizeit ist er leidenschaftlicher Rennradfahrer und widmet sich ab und zu seiner Gitarre. Handwerklich beschäftigt er sich gerne mit seinen Fahrrädern, im Garten, schraubt – manchmal mehr manchmal weniger erfolgreich – an einem alten VW Bus herum und nutzt die sich ihm bietenden Gelegenheiten um Elektroinstallationen auszuführen.

ANDREAS WILDISEN

Member of the Board, IT

about me

is a trained computer scientist with an MAS in software engineering and works as a computer scientist developing software solutions for the clinical sector. In addition, as a voluntary mentor, he supports young people in their search for an apprenticeship and keeps getting to know new people and professions.

 

He likes to spend his free time in the mountains or in the band room at the piano or, less often, the saxophone.

What about you?

learn more...

...about the numerous possibilities to get involved.

Partnerships