“I have been making jewellery all my life. I made my first pieces at the age of three or four. But then life happened and suddenly there was no more time for creativity — until my maternity leave in 2017. Motherhood also made me reflect upon my privileges; I was spending time at home with my baby in a safe country, with all the possible support around. I felt like I had won the birth lottery, unlike many others. I wanted to do something and spread the good.

At the same time, most European countries were receiving many new immigrants, and the public discussion on the topic was quite heated.  I was reflecting a lot on the fact that my own mother is an immigrant, and when I was a baby, she was in a new country, trying to learn the language and to eventually find her own place in the working life. Finding one’s place and a network in a foreign country is not easy for anyone, but it is particularly difficult for immigrant and refugee mothers. Motherhood as it is, can be hard and oftentimes lonely work.

I wanted to do something, no matter how small, that would somehow address this problem. I wanted to combine my love for making jewellery, my motherhood, my business background and my hope to make positive social impact. AIDA was born.”