Advocacy and Power Program Speakers

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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.

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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 and his wife Lubna, are celebrating volunteering with both the ASRC & The Monash Health Community Centre for 5 years. Abdul will again be representing Victoria for the Cricket NSW & Sydney Thunder partnership during Refugee Week on 20th June, 2021.   

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. Dabessa also completed his Bachelor of Social Work at Victoria University. Currently, he is working with AMES Australia on the position of Settlement Case Manager.  He is also volunteering with the Advocacy for Oromia Association and Oromo community in Victoria. 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.

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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.

  

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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.

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Hanin Azizi

Hanin originates from Iraq and escaped persecution with her family to Syria, where she stayed for five years before seeking asylum in Australia. Hanin currently studies and works in Sydney.

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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.

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Idris Zaheer

Idris Zaheer 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 acknowledgment 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.

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Idrissa Dumbuya

Idrissa is originally from Sierra Leone and moved to Australia in 2018 having fled persecution from his home country. He was a former high school teacher. He has attained a certificate IV in Disability and Diploma of community service and case management respectively at TAFE NSW. He has worked with the Refugee Council of Australia, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, sharing his refugee story with school and community groups across Sydney. Idrissa was recently selected to participate in the prestigious 2021 Judith Neilson Community Voices Media Training programme.        

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John Gulzari

John graduated with a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne) in 2020 and has recently founded a consulting business Moshkil Gusha Business & Consulting Services to support culturally and linguistically diverse entrepreneurs, small and micro enterprises and startups. John has previously founded Ventura Creation, a company that specialises in venture development, investment pitching, incubation, acceleration and the scaling of business ventures. He also has over a decade’s experience in real estate sales and marketing via another company of his: JG Buyers Agent.

John has lived experience of being a refugee and person seeking asylum. He is now a personal, business and life coach for others through Ikigai Coaching, another company he has created.

John is a change-maker. He has previously run for local and state parliament on issues including: climate change, global warming, refugee issues, human rights, gender equality and social justice. He has a keen interest in learning different languages, history research and reading. He is currently the co-founder of a research platform on the History of Afghanistan. John’s hobbies include cycling, sightseeing and listening to folk music.

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Junaid Mohammad

Mohammad is one of the people of Rohingya. Mohammad graduated from the University of Sydney in Structural Engineering and is currently working professionally in this field. 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.

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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.

 

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Sayed Rahmatullah Hussainizada

Sayed is a former refugee from Afghanistan. Since settling in Australia, Sayed has been involved with many refugee organisations such as RCAN, NRAAG, Amnesty International, MYAN NSW and ASRC. He has been a policy advisor and is a practicing lawyer.   

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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.

        

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Zoha Alizadeh Fard

Zoha is a young graduate Architect who was originally from Iran. Living and working as an architect in Sydney, Zoha is also currently studying documentary film making. Zoha's main interests are the policy affecting refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.