Book powerful speakers from refugee backgrounds to speak at your event. Advocates that are leading the discussion on human rights, multiculturalism and refugee issues.
Advocacy and Power Program Advocates
Abdoulaye Keita
Adboulaye is originally from Guinea who arrived to Brisbane on a Humanitarian Refugee Visa. As a new Australia, Abdoulaye completed his Honours in Political Science and Masters in Adcanced Internatioanl Studies from the University of Queensland. He since works in management at UNHCR and responsible for fundraising and advocacy in Brisbane.
Abdul Razzaq
Abdul has offered hope and happiness to socially isolated people seeking asylum by founding the All Nations Cricket Team, a powerful community sports initiative that provides the opportunity for people to build relationships and thrive. “We follow the philosophy, ‘Don’t Give Up Give Back!’ and both my wife Lubna and I went from ‘Victim to Victor!'”. Abdul volunteers with a number of organisations including, Monash Health Community Centre and Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).
Akuol Garang
Akuol Garang is a young Sudanese-Australian woman living in Melbourne, studying her masters in human rights law and advocating for her community, multiculturalism and for people seeking asylum in Australia. Akuol and her parents had to escape her country of birth, resulting in Akuol spending 11 years of her childhood in a refugee camp. Akuol also volunteers for the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, helping people seeking asylum with free legal advice.
Alyas Taqawi
Alyas was born in Afghanistan in a Hazara family and moved to Pakistan when he was six years' old. Alyas lived most of his life in Quetta, a small town in Pakistan. He had to flee Quetta in 2010 due to extreme violence and terror that his people faced. Alyas arrived to Australia by boat early 2000's and has worked in a range of community leadership roles including for workers rights and social justice.
Babra Mutanda
Babra is a busy mother of four, social worker and volunteer who came to Australia as a refugee from Africa. Babra works and volunteers with many different refugee organisations including the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, where she cooks for refugees and people seeking asylum. Babra is part of the change the policy movement.
Dabessa Gemelal
Dabessa Gemelal was born in Oromia and immigrated to Australia in September 2009 through East Africa. Dabessa grew up and studied in Oromia earning a diploma of General Agriculture from Jimma College of Agriculture as well as a diploma of Television Journalism from Massa Media Training Institute. After settling in Australia, Dabessa completed his diploma of Community services work /Case Management at Holmesglen TAFE and worked for the Australian Oromo Community Association in Victoria. Currently, he is volunteering with the Advocacy for Oromia Association while studying his Bachelor of Social Work at Victoria University. Dabessa is passionate about social change for refugees and people seeking asylum and explores the bigger picture implications in Australia and across the world through activism and journalism.
Faisal Magan
Faisal Magan was born in Somalia but sought safety in an Eritrea refugee camp where he lived for most of his young life until coming to Australia 2013. At the end of 2013, he arrived with his family in Brisbane. At that time, he could not speak any English. He had only completed grade 10 in Eritrea. Two weeks after his arrival he enrolled in classes to study English. After a year, in 2015, Faisal enrolled in a tertiary preparation program at the University of Queensland College to pursue Public health. After graduating, Faisal was accepted into the University of Queensland Bachelor of Health Science degree program majoring in public health. Faisal expects to finish this degree in July 2019. Faisal chose the degree because he always wanted to study health and help people from different walks of life particularly refugees and indigenous Australians. In addition to his current studies, he is undertaking the Advocacy Power Program course in which he is specialising in refugee health, particularly mental health. After his degree Faisal is planning to enrol in a Master of Public Health (healthy policy). Faisal has also worked at the Queensland Refugee Health Department helping people seeking asylum in the community.
Gulima Wahidi
Gulima Wahidi is a 22 year old Law and International Studies student at the University of Adelaide. Her father sought asylum in 2000 as a Hazara man being persecuted in Afghanistan, bringing his family, including Gulima, to reunite in Australia in 2005. Gulima is currently working at Jeffcott Chambers as a law clerk, and is heavily involved in advocating for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in the broader community. Gulima hopes to one day have a global impact with her work in helping those that are vulnerable. Gulima has been part of ASRC’s digital campaign to block the refugee ban bill and the Refugee Council’s campaign on the right to family reunion as featured in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian.
Hayatullah Akbari
Hayat Akbari is a former refugee from Afghanistan who was detained in a camp in the age of 17 in Indonesia. He studies Law and International Relations at Macquarie University. Additionally, he is the Chair of Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network Youth Working Group and an advocate with End Child detention Coalition. Hayat advocates for the rights of children and women on education and the right of children in detention because of his past experience as he was denied from getting education and a locked up in detention for a year.
Idris Shinwari
Idris Shinwari is an experienced interpreter and International Studies student at Deakin University. He worked for US and Australian Defense Forces for seven years across Afghanistan. In this work he gained significant acknowledgement from senior military personnel for his contribution to building transparent and peaceful relations between Afghanistan the community, providing translation between security personnel, public figures, schools and community leaders. In this time, Idris supported a radio program to improve local relations in a hostile environment as a regular broadcaster. Since arriving in Australia in 2014, Idris has been developing skills in being a powerful advocate for international human rights and a more compassionate caring society.
John Gulzari
John grew up in the remote farming village of Dahmerdah-e-Gulzar, Afghanistan where he lived with his family, helping his father look after their farm until the Taliban killed his older brother and came to recruit young men to fight for them on the front line. At the age of 17 John had to run for his life. He travelled across the seven seas to Australia as a teenager and started from the ground up, without family, friends or loved ones by his side. Since his perilous journey, John has become an entrepreneur, advocate, community leader, politician, storyteller, success coach and public speaker. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of property sales and marketing, property investment, business, and finance. He is currently completing a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Swinburne University. John hopes to one day work in Geneva, representing the rights of People Seeking Asylum and campaigning to end the systemic persecution of the Hazara people.
Kagi Kowa
Kagi Kowa was born in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan but sought safety in a Kenyan refugee camp where she lived for most of her young life until coming to Australia in 2015. She painted for the first time three months after her arrival and held her very first exhibition a month later. From that moment on, Kagi discovered that she could use her talent to express her culture and tell her story but also connect to people and provide a platform to give others the opportunities and ultimately, give back to the community. Kagi does this by holding art workshops for the wider community through her social enterprise Nubia Designs.Her passion is to use art as an instrument of creating social change. Through the art workshops, Kagi aims to create intercultural understanding and ultimately change the conversations around refugee and migrants background through shared activities like art and storytelling.
Mohammad Al-Khafaji
Mohammad and his family came to Australia as refugees from Iraq, after moving through Iran and Syria. Mohammad is passionate about changing the national conversation around people seeking asylum and education through grassroots movements. Mohammad is the former CEO of Welcome to Australia, Hon. Secretary of Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia and a member of the SBS Community Advisory Committee. Mohammad also has a Bachelor of Software Engineering from the University of Adelaide. Mohammad was a delegate at the Federal Government’s 2020 Youth Summit in Canberra in 2008, awarded the South Australian Governor’s Multicultural award for youth achievement in 2012, and was a finalist in the 2018 SA young Australian of the year awards.
Mohammad Junaid
Mohammad is one of the people of Rohingya. He is currently studying structural engineering at the University Of Sydney. He wishes to become a driving force in helping rebuild the Rohingya community in Myanmar. Mohammad has been to Canberra Parliament House to advocate on behalf of the Burmese Rohingya Community In Australia.
Sayed Rahmatullah Hussainizada
Sayed is a refugee from Afganistan and has been involved with RCOA, STARTTS, RCAN, MYAN, SSI, LMA and Amnesty International. He runs his own charity called Afghan Fajar Association Incorporated and has been part of the Innovation Nation at the FYA. Sayed currently working as a commercial lawyer.
Sujan Selventhiran
Sujan is a Tamil refugee and former Australian Greens party candidate. He worked as a Tamil interpreter for almost 6 years which gave him a very close understanding of the real issues facing refugees in Australia and especially within detention centres. Sujan came to Australia as a Refugee in 2000 and since that time he founded the Tamil Resource Centre, an organisation which helps provide assistance to Tamils seeking asylum who are in the immigration process. Sujan helps by helping fill out the SHEV application forms, language assistance as well as other matters. He also visits Villawood detention centre regularly to meet and assist the ASIO rejected refugees and closely works with STARTTS and RACS in providing assistance to people seeking asylum and refugees.
Abdoulaye Keita
Brisbane
Abdul Razzaq
Melbourne
Akuol Garang
Melbourne
Alyas Taqawi
Brisbane
Babra Mutanda
Sydney
Dabessa Gemelal
Melbourne
Faisal Magan
Brisbane
Gulima Wahidi
Adeliade
Hanin Azizi
Sydney
Hayatullah Akbari
Sydney
Idris Shinwari
Melbourne
John Gulzari
Melbourne
Kagi Kowa
Brisbane
Mohammad Al-Khafaji
Adelaide
Mohammad Junaid
Sydney
Sayed Rahmatullah Hussainizada
Sydney
Sujan Selventhiran
Sydney
Zoha Alizadeh Fard
Sydney
© Copyright - Asylum Seeker Resource Centre | ABN 64 114 965 815 | Charity donations $2 or more to ASRC are tax deductible in Australia. | Privacy
Connect with us