Tahir Sadeq and his family at the Waverley Council and SSI ‘Welcome Project’ picnic at Bondi Beach.

They currently reside in their short-term accommodation, and, like other Afghan evacuees, received immediate support from Settlement Services International (SSI) through the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs* to access essential services and integrate into Australian life. 

Mr Sadeq has worked in IT operations for multiple companies, including working with Australian and US forces, which, he said, helped him with his application for humanitarian visas.  

“We were in danger and applied for visas to Australia. My job helped.” 

“Back in Afghanistan, we had a good life, good job,” he said. 

Mr Sadeq said that many lost jobs and people like him who’d worked for foreign companies were at risk. 

“Then the Taliban came, and life was in danger.” 

Mr Sadeq and his family left Afghanistan from Kabul airport and spent one week in Dubai at an army base before arriving in Darwin, Australia.

After 14 days in quarantine, they chose Sydney as their permanent location.

“We heard a lot about Sydney in Kabul, and in quarantine, we heard about Sydney, they told us some benefits.” 

Mr Sadeq attended the SSI and Cricket Australia launch event in late 2021 and said that he doesn’t play cricket but prefers the sport as a spectator, and the Australian and Indian teams are his favourite.

“I don’t play, I’m busy with my job, but I saw lots of matches in 2020,” he said. 

“I like watching cricket and like the sport. 

“It’s something you do with family and friends.” 

Mr Sadeq said he’s excited to start his new life in Australia and hopes to work in IT operations again. 

“We see a bright future here.” 

*Go to https://homeaffairs.gov.au/ for more information.

Hala, Shaimaa, Subash, Achol and Shahida provided video testimonials to support the
Multicultural Community Wellbeing Campaign.

Over six weeks from October 12 to November 24, SSI reached out to the Youth Workers Network to recruit young people from migrant, refugee and multicultural backgrounds to be part of the campaign.

Building on its engagement with young people throughout the year, SSI was able to connect with five dynamic young people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to form a working group. The working group also included a youth worker from SSI’s partner organisation, Focus Connect.

Key activities included weekly workshops held by MHCS and SSI with the working group members. The workshops ranged from scriptwriting to the basics of filming with one’s smartphone, to the video editing process.

The goal was to be able to provide video testimonials to support the campaign and encourage young people, their families, and communities, to seek support for mental health.

SSI also engaged an emerging young talent to edit the individual film clips for social media and create a longer, cohesive video.

The result of the partnership can be seen in the strength of the testimonials – which are in Nepali, Hazaragi and English with English subtitles – and quality of work from young people, who were actively engaged throughout the project.

The campaign officially launched on November 24 with an online event, where attendees heard from Bess Bossman (NSW Primary Health Networks) about the Head to Health service and saw the premiere of the video featuring testimonials from Achol, Hala, Shahida, Shaimaa and Subash.

Also in attendance were youth workers from SSI and its partner organisations, as well as the Director and Deputy Director of MHCS, Lisa Woodland and Jesusa Helaratne. The closing remarks were delivered by Dor Akech Achiek, Head of Settlement Services at SSI.

Youth testimonials

Achol and Subash spoke at the launch, sharing their experience of the challenges during lockdown and how they stayed positive and maintained their mental health. Ivania Joya from Focus Connect also read a speech on behalf of Shaimaa.

Subash said the past couple of years were really difficult, coming to a new country and not being able to meet people while he was settling in to his education.

He tried to keep up with physical exercise, especially during the second lockdown.

He recently graduated and couldn’t find work, and had to contend with visa issues. He had seen his college counsellor and that resulted in a few positive changes, but he felt that being part of this campaign was a great opportunity for him as it allowed him to explore and share what he was going through.

He was grateful for the opportunity and said, “The project was designed for me … I had my say, I was always listened to … I was provided good mentorship and leadership.”

Achol spoke about the challenges she faced in not being able to write, as poetry is one of her passions. She said the second lockdown was the hardest and that, although she was working, she experienced a mental blank.

She said, “Although I was working, I promised myself I would write more, however when the lockdown happened I just went into a mental blank and I could just not find the motivation to write anything at all. I would literally sit on the floor and attempt to write and nothing, nothing would come to me.”

She said that although she was working, that didn’t help in her wanting to achieve the goal she set for herself. She said that mental health was never spoken about in the African community, and that young people didn’t have much support from adults.

This opportunity, however, would have a significant impact because it would make it easier to talk about, she said.

Ivania also thanked all of the young people involved and acknowledged their positive energy, saying that they were great role models. She read a speech from Shaimaa, who said that it was very difficult for her to manage her time and get schoolwork done on time. She tried to reduce her screen time and social media activity and instead go for walks with her family.

Confidence, resilience and leadership

Sofia Ahmad, Policy and Strategy Lead at SSI and coordinator of the Youth Workers Network, acknowledged the contributions of the video editor, Eve, who brilliantly showcased the strong personalities of the working group members.

In his closing remarks, Dor Akech Achiek spoke about the Youth Collective and how it emerged from the need to work collaboratively to improve service delivery outcomes for multicultural youth in NSW, by supporting them to build confidence, resilience and leadership skills.

Youth Collective is by young people and for young people, he said.

He also said it was important not to aggravate the experiences young people have gone through but rather to help them find their voice. The video testimonials demonstrate that and really amplified their voices, he said.

Finally, he encouraged people to think about how they could engage further and continue such positive collaborations.

The Multicultural Community Wellbeing Campaign allowed SSI to amplify the voices of migrant, refugee and multicultural youth. Funded by Primary Health Networks in promotion of the Head to Health service, it was a successful and unique partnership driven by young people using their creative talents to co-produce a number of testimonials sharing their experiences and encouraging others to seek support.

See the video messages on MHCS Youtube:

• Subash – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJvDzc4mx2A
• Shahida – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZUffWia1gA
• Achol – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiUZXGeTpxE
• Shaimaa – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD3acBqIYZ4
• Hala – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ym_H0RZJ_k
• Combined video message (multilingual) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05rA3x0cXH4

The statistics should be well known by now, but so far our society has failed to deal with the gravity of this problem.

Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner.

By the age of 15, one in four women in Australia would have experienced emotional abuse by a current or previous partner, and one in six would have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or previous partner.

One in three Australian women experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a man after the age of 15.

On average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner.

More horrifying still is that COVID-19 brought with it a “shadow pandemic”, where there was not just an increase in numbers but also an increase in severity.

Just like the COVID pandemic, the domestic violence crisis reaches all areas of our society.

And the risk is not the same for all women; intersectional factors can increase a woman’s risk of harm. For example:

• A recent study by Harmony Alliance found one in three women from migrant and refugee backgrounds have experienced domestic violence, with women living on temporary visas at even greater risk
• Women with disabilities in Australia are around two times more likely than women without disabilities to have experienced sexual violence and intimate partner violence
• One in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged 15 and over have experienced physical violence in a 12-month period
• Although there is a limited national database, LGBTIQA+ women in all their diversity experience domestic and family violence at a similar rate to the wider women population

16 Days of Activism

SSI will be joining the global campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day).

The annual global campaign was initiated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership and adopted by the United Nations to call for civil society action in addressing gender-based violence.

It is now a tool for actors working to advance Women’s Human Rights and social justice, including UN agencies, governments and grassroots women’s organisations who are raising awareness, mobilising constituents, demanding accountability and showcasing progress on eliminating gender-based violence.

The 2021 theme adopted by the United Nations is “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!”

In line with the global trend, SSI will focus this year’s campaign on coercive control, with the theme “Orange the World: Stop Coercive Control in its tracks!”

Coercive control is one of the forms of abuse that is hard to recognise. It refers to a pattern of behaviours used by an abuser to control their partner and create an uneven power dynamic.

It involves a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten a victim and create invisible chains and a sense of fear that pervades all elements of a victim’s life.

Several Australian states and the Commonwealth Government are planning to legislate on coercive control as it is the form of abuse that often underlies domestic homicide. It is important that communities understand coercive control as a pattern of abusive behaviour that has a severely detrimental impact survivors, even if there is no physical violence.

SSI will be hosting several activities that focus on creating awareness of coercive control and the 16 Days of Activism. They include a Q&A session on social media, a webinar educating staff about coercive control, and collaborating with other agencies to host the Annual Vigil to mark the International Day on November 25. The vigil will remember the women who have lost their lives to domestic homicide throughout the year.

We hope to provide the opportunity for our staff to take time out to pause, gain awareness, commit to action and assume accountability around any and all forms of gender-based violence.

The colour orange is symbolic of a vision for a brighter future, one free from violence. I encourage you to “orange the world” during the 16 Days of Activism.

Why not join in events in your community, for example the vigil online, and help raise awareness and confidence in responding to violence against women, creating a safer society for women and girls.

Links

Free confidential support for women, including migrant, First Nations, LGBTIQ+, and disability specific services:

• NSW: https://dvnswsm.org.au/service-directory/
• QLD: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/getting-support-health-social-issue/support-victims-abuse/domestic-family-violence/find-local-support
• VIC: https://www.dvrcv.org.au/statewide

An operator on SSI’s LAC multilingual intake line.

 LAC services include linking people to the NDIS and to mainstream and community supports in their area.

SSI delivers services to 16,000 participants across 14 local government areas in the South West Sydney and Sydney areas. The communities SSI supports include First Nations, Vietnamese, Arabic and Chinese participants.

Over the course of the three-week trial, SSI staff made over 3,400 calls to NDIS participants. Staff reported that the proactive contact was appreciated by participants and, overall, the activity was a heart-warming experience.

One participant’s carer discussed uncertainties around where they could access the Covid-19 vaccination locally. The SSI Local Area Coordinator (LAC) Team Leader provided support by researching GPs in the local area and was able to locate some nearby locations that had appointments available on the following day. The carer was provided with the phone number for the medical centre and planned to call and make an appointment for the participant immediately.

The carer was very appreciative of the information and assistance from the SSI LAC program.

SSI’s incredible effort was made all the more worthwhile as the majority of calls confirmed the participants contacted were already vaccinated or had booked in for their vaccination.

SSI produced five videos in language to inform community that the NDIS LAC program is here to support participants who would like further information on access to vaccinations. The videos, produced in English, Vietnamese, Arabic, Mandarin and Cantonese, are captioned. In the first week (October 22-27) total views since posting on social media were 300. See the video here.

Learnings from the trial will be used to inform other initiatives to connect with and support NDIS participants as we move towards “COVID normal”.

Award-winning actor Faridullah Mohibi at the premiere of Dari documentary film Nothingwood at Cannes Film Festival in 2017.

When Kabul fell to the Taliban, Mr Mohibi received support in the form of a letter of recommendation to the Australian Government from his former employer, an Australian for whom he worked as a manager and translator.

On learning that he and his family were granted their humanitarian visas to Australia, they went to Kabul airport.

“I tried to enter Kabul airport with five children and my wife, but because of the chaos there, my children were crying, and we went back home,” Mr Mohibi said.

“When my son saw the Taliban 500 metres away, he says to me, ‘I’m going to act like I’m asleep. They are scary, and I don’t like these people.’ So we had to leave.”

Mr Mohibi said they stayed in Kabul before embarking on their journey out of the country, by road, through Islamabad.

“We left our house at 3 am, and there were many checkpoints.”

Mr Mohibi arrived in Sydney with his wife and five children in October and, like other Afghan evacuees, received immediate support from Settlement Services International through the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs*, to access essential services and integrate into Australian life.

Movie star

Mr Mohibi has had a successful career in the film industry since 2004 and has acted in more than eight films. He said his intention was never to leave everything behind in Afghanistan.

“I have many contacts all over the world who had encouraged me to move abroad before the Taliban took over,” he said. “

My friends overseas told me to apply for refugee programs, but I never wanted to leave Afghanistan.”

While swiping through his smartphone, he showcased photos of his Hollywood-esque home office in Afghanistan, decked with lavish furniture.

“I had everything in Afghanistan: nice cars, house, apartments and beautiful office,” he said.

“Look at my office. I had many parties here with my lovely cinema and government friends.”

Mr Mohibi was born and raised in Kabul, but his family is originally from northern Afghanistan’s Parwan province.

“My late father is from the Mujahideen time. He escaped from his village because he was working with the murdered Dr Najibullah government,” he said.

“At that time, Mujahideen was also like Taliban, killing the people who worked with the government.”

Mr Mohibi considers himself to be a part of the “war generation”.

“I grew up in war during the Mujahideen time and Taliban.”

Thanks to his acting career, Mr Mohibi has travelled to many places, including the United States, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Dubai and India. His films have won numerous awards, including his most recent film, Sokoot, the most-watched film at the Lajwad Film Festival 2021.

The film won the Best Action Film award from the Sarbaz Film Festival and the Ministry of Culture and Afghan Film.

Mr Mohibi also worked as production manager and actor with well-known French director Sonia Kronlund, who came to Afghanistan to shoot the Dari documentary film Nothingwood, screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2017.

Sokoot, translated into English as “Silence”, is Mr Mohibi’s pride and joy as he both produced and starred in the high-budget film, pouring all his finances and creative resources into its production.

“I spent all my money on this film, Sokoot. More than US$100,000.

“We held its first premiere in New York and later in Washington DC in November 2019.

“Many people in the Afghan community around the world are waiting to see this film.”

Unfortunately, Mr Mohibi is hesitant to release the film due to its subject matter being highly controversial with the Taliban.

“Sokoot film is against Taliban, and I am very worried about my best friends who act and help me a lot in Sokoot movie,” he said.

“Their lives are at big risk. So I am trying to take them out because they are at big risk.

“Taliban hates filmmakers, actors and other creatives,” he said.

When asked why he became an actor, Mr Mohibi said that he always loved film.

“I love movies and the language of film. I like how it can show the good and bad things.

“There are lots of bad things in Afghanistan, but it is also a beautiful place, and my preference was not to leave.”

Life in Australia

Mr Mohibi has four daughters and a son who are already enrolled and attending school. He said that the children were very happy and grateful to have reached safety in Australia.

“My eldest daughter is going to Leumeah High School in Liverpool, and the rest are going to Campbelltown North Primary School,” he said.

“They are coming home every day after school and telling us that they can say more in English.”

He said that refugee support services in Australia were among the best in the world.

“I have friends who are in other countries.

“My friend in the US texts me and says that he hasn’t had a shower for 15 days, and I tell him that I’m in a nice hotel!”

Mr Mohibi said that he was grateful to Australia for helping Afghan people find security.

“And, at the end, I pray for my poor people and lovely country.

“I hope, one day, peace comes, and all our people live together in peace in Afghanistan.

“I also really appreciate all the great Australian people to help our people to live in peace and here in lovely Australia.” 

*Go to https://homeaffairs.gov.au/ for more information.

Bashar Hanna received the Influencer of the Year Award at the 2021 Third Sector Awards.

This year’s awards, presented at a ceremony at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney on the November 4, highlighted innovative and progressive sector leaders and organisations.

Nominees were judged based on their social impact, outcomes measurement, social innovation, collaboration, leadership and systems thinking.

Mr Hanna, founder of the Australian Mesopotamian Cultural Association, was named Influencer of the Year.

Mr Hanna, who migrated to Australia in 1998, is an artist, musician and community builder who uses his firsthand experience and academic expertise to help other people from migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds find a home in Australia.

Having worked intensively with newly-arrived refugees and being deeply involved with arts and community cultural development projects in south-west Sydney, he established an Arts and Community Development Centre in 2014, which tackles social challenges faced by diverse emerging Australian communities.

In 2019, he established The Australian Mesopotamian Cultural Association (AMCA), which aims to enrich the cultural diversity of modern Australia through the contribution of Mesopotamian arts and culture.

In the same year, he was awarded a Community Innovation Fund grant with Settlement Services International to implement an innovative program teaching newly arrived refugees English through song.

The Peacemakers Ensemble (aka Choir of Love), a music therapy group, supports healing, language development and social inclusion for refugees and newly arrived migrants through the power of music and creative arts.

Throughout the pandemic Mr Hanna has collaborated with Sydney’s creative community to develop Arabic language videos or the public, to support their wellbeing and reduce stress during COVID-19. The work connected people virtually throughout south-west and western Sydney through videos and dialogues with experts on practical pandemic health issues, wellbeing and mental health, and supporting English language learning for adults during the crisis.

He has continued running the Centre for Arts and Community development and the Community Engagement and Empowerment Program, which works with people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds to help them increase their capability and build their capacity to find a job.

He has also run projects with torture and trauma specialist STARTTS to develop mental health and wellbeing videos.
Read more about Mr Hanna here. 

Bashar Hanna with his nominator, SSI Community Engagement Manager, Kat O’Neill.

Former assistant manager of an Afghan Premier League team, Khorsand Yousofzai, is settling well in Newcastle, NSW. 

“Newcastle is very good, such a quiet place, and no lockdown,” he said. Mr Yousofzai evacuated Kabul airport with the rest of the Afghanistan women’s national football team, arriving in Melbourne, Australia, in late August.

“Our whole team is in Melbourne, and the team sponsored us to come.”

Mr Yousofzai is no stranger to cultural adjustment as he’d at one time spent two-and-a-half years in Japan.

“When I was twelve, I moved to Japan,” he said. “I can speak five languages. Hindi, Dari, Pashto – my native language – Japanese and a little bit of English.”

Between 2015 and 2021, Mr Yousofzai was the head coach and manager of an Afghan Premier League team, Royal Kabul Ladies, and his wife was co-manager of the football club. During those years, the team was at the top of the ladder and consistently champions of the competition.

From January 2021 until August 2021, Mr Yousofzai had been one of three coaches of the Afghanistan women’s national football team.

“I had many teams, including boys and girls from ages 15 to 18.

“I hold an Asian Football Confederation license for coaching.”

While Mr Yousofzai said that he was relieved to have escaped Kabul during the recent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, he was saddened to have been forced to leave behind his loved ones.

“My wife came with me to Kabul airport but, unfortunately, they didn’t let her enter with me,” he said.

“The team and the other players entered with me, but she wasn’t able to join us.”

Mr Yousofzai said that he contacted his wife back in Kabul every day, but her situation as a woman in Afghanistan was becoming increasingly dire.

“She’s worried even to leave her place to go to work because women can’t go outside without a man, brother, or husband,” he said.

“It’s even difficult for her to leave to go to her mother’s house.”

Mr Yousofzai said he was overwhelmed by the welcome he’d received from the local community in Newcastle. Newcastle had raised money for gift card donations that Afghan new arrivals could use at most mainstream supermarkets and retailers.

“Many thanks to the Newcastle community for your generous donations,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to buying some much-needed essential items and start my new life here in Australia.”

The Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs* and delivered by Settlement Services International, has provided Mr Yousofzai with wrap-around support services since he arrived.

Mr Yousofzai said that he’d been satisfied with the support and services so far in Australia.

“Thanks for SSI, making everything fast. They did everything fast.”

“Services in Australia are very good, very humanitarian.”

SSI continues to provide settlement services and case management support to refugees and humanitarian entrants in NSW, including Afghan arrivals, on arrival, in hotel quarantine, and for up to 18 months in the community.

To support local Afghan arrivals and other refugees in Newcastle, visit the NSS Refugee Support Appeal page here or become an SSI volunteer here.

*Go to https://homeaffairs.gov.au/ for more information.

SSI staff sort generous donations for Afghan evacuees.

Since the news of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban first broke, we have searched for ways to support people living in Afghanistan who were abruptly plunged into a state of uncertainty and fear.

The situation in Afghanistan has been particularly distressing as many in our community, including staff, clients and volunteers, have deep connections to this area.

It is understandable to feel a sense of helplessness at this situation, but for SSI this became a moment for action. We joined other humanitarian organisations, human rights groups and Afghan communities in Australia in advocating to the government to aid Afghan refugees fleeing this violence, especially those who were most vulnerable – minority groups, such as women and girls who are at risk.

SSI was then engaged in the provision of settlement services and case management support in NSW to Afghan arrivals, under the Australian Federal Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) on arrival, in hotel quarantine, and for up to 18 months in the community.

We began providing this support in August, while Greater Sydney was under strict COVID-19 lockdown and as families that fled Afghanistan with just the clothes on their back and under a mixture of visas began arriving in hotel quarantine in NSW and across the country.

The Afghanistan intake is unique because the Department of Home Affairs has committed to assisting the people of Afghanistan and all Afghan evacuees have been offered immediate settlement support through the HSP, including evacuees who are Australian citizens, humanitarian entrants, and other visa holders.

Our HSP team stepped up to support families during hotel quarantine by confirming support needs, establishing their preferred settlement location within Australia, providing clothing and necessities like mobile phones, and conducting daily wellbeing checks in-language.

While the majority of the families are now in their short-term accommodation, we are still receiving clients who have completed mandatory quarantine in other states. SSI will support clients to secure long-term accommodation in the suburbs they chose to live in.

Great leaders in times of crisis are the people who put their hands up to offer support. The outpouring of care and concern from our staff, the community and our supporters has been extraordinary. From donations of culturally appropriate food and groceries to gift cards and digital technology such as phones and laptops, all will go towards supporting evacuees to transition into Australian life.

I want to thank everyone who has provided support, especially our valued corporate partners.

As many of you in our community are asking how you can provide assistance, we have created a page on the SSI website with a list of suggestions on how you can support the Afghan community in Australia and overseas.

It includes petitions to sign, how to contact your local member of parliament, trustworthy organisations you can donate to, and more. You can view this page here.