We play, laugh and learn in our classes, so children develop a love for Arabic language and culture.

Saussan teaches at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, with a PhD in Arabic sociolinguistics and an MA by Research in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, University of Leeds, postgraduate Certificate for Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (CTAFL), SOAS, London and BA English Literature, Alexandria University, Egypt. She is an advisory board member of the Cambridge Research in Community Language Education Network (CRiCLE), member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) and the United Nations Association UK (UNA UK). She is the author of Arabic Writing in the Digital Age: Towards a Theoretical Framework, and the creator of the Kalamna Phonics Toolkit.

Rehab joined Kalamna in 2020 and opened the first ever franchise in Newcastle while continuing to work on professional English-Arabic translations. Before moving to the UK, Rehab worked with one of the Arab World’s most prominent publishers. She is a mother of two and is currently studying Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Dalia joined Kalamna in 2021 opening our second franchise in Manchester. Before moving to the UK, Dalia founded one of the first sensory play classes for babies in the Arab region. A certified Positive Educator, she is a mother of two and a passionate student of all things child-psychology who has a natural talent for meeting children where they are at and enabling them to develop and thrive at their own pace.

Mariam wears multiple hats at Kalamna. When she’s not teaching our youngest students in Cambridge on Sundays, she’s making sure we run a smooth operation across all our Kalamna classes. Before moving to the UK, Mariam worked at a nursery in Alexandria, Egypt. She is an avid photographer and traveller.

Heba is an educator and joined Kalamna in 2022. Over the past 18 years, Heba has worked in different educational settings as a classroom teacher, educational consultant, and curriculum developer. In 2008, Heba started Shamsena where she pioneered writing for young children in the Egyptian dialect. She has since published several books and expanded this effort to songs and nursery rhymes as well as curriculum work and teacher training. Heba lives in NY with her husband and daughter. She holds a BA in business management.

Nevine has been teaching Arabic as a foreign language for over 25 years and has built her experience through working with a range of students from different government institutions and universities in Egypt, Australia, Singapore and Switzerland. After earning her MA in Teaching Arabic as a foreign language from the American University in Cairo (AUC), she taught Arabic and translation courses at international universities and government agencies such as the British Council; the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Yale National University of Singapore.

Doaa is a consummate Islamic studies scholar based in Birmingham, UK. Prior to joining Kalamna to develop and deliver a bespoke curriculum for Islamic studies, Doaa taught children at various supplementary schools across England since 2017. She also brings with her over a decade’s experience teaching various courses to undergraduate students in the US and UK. Doaa has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Birmingham, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from al-Azhar University in Cairo.

Lama began her teaching career at the young age of 15 and worked for four years in early childhood education in Lebanon before moving to the UK in 2021, and joining Kalamna’s teaching team in Cambridge in 2023.

Lama is a mother of two and believes in the importance of teaching Arabic to young children to stay connected to their culture and heritage. She holds a BA in Education from the Lebanese University and is currently completing her MA in Educational Management from the Islamic University of Lebanon. A true learner for life, she is also studying English and Digital skills at West Suffolk College.

Following a 20 year career in corporate banking, Rim, a Lebanese mother of two, discovered her love for teaching as she was helping her children with their online schooling during the pandemic. That, followed by her family’s move to France in 2021, she saw how important learning Arabic was in shaping their sense of identity. Coming from a family that treasures their mother tongue, she has since decided to follow her passion and shift her focus to teaching Arabic and joined the Kalamna team in Paris in 2023.

Rim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA from the American University of Beirut.

An economist by training, Dina spent her early career working for NGOs and think tanks that conduct research on issues of poverty reduction, inequality and sustainability. Fuelled by her growing interest in children’s education, she completed a masters degree in Children’s Rights. Following a long struggle to find the right setup for her twin daughters to learn Arabic, she found Kalamna. A few conversations and training sessions later, she’d paved the way to make a complete shift into teaching Arabic.

Dina holds a BA in Business Administration and an MA in Economics from the American University in Cairo and a Masters in Children’s Rights from the University of Geneva. She is trilingual and uses both English and German in her Arabic classes.

Reem is an educator, writer, editor and translator, with a great interest in children’s literature and its intersections with children’s development. She joined Kalamna in 2024 as the founder of its London branch. She has taught for many years in London, conducting research on the politics and history of the Arab world. She is a member of the Shadow Heroes collective, which runs translation workshops to promote young people’s cultural awareness and confidence.