Born in Iraq, I came to Australia, via Syria, as a refugee at the age of 13 in 2003. I lived in Iran and Syria and I speak Arabic and Farsi.
In September 2015 I was appointed as the inaugural CEO of Welcome to Australia, an organisation dedicated to cultivating a culture of welcome towards refugees and migrants in our nation.
I was appointed as FECCA CEO in 2018, having held positions on the Board, first as the Youth Chair and later as Secretary.
Through my refugee journey I am passionate about and committed to the success of a multicultural Australia. Cultural diversity makes us richer as a society and the voices of new and emerging communities must be heard and represented.
FECCA continues to play an important role in the national response to COVID-19 but there is still so much to do to address inequities in our broader health system and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for our communities. I am excited at the level of interest and support shown by so many organisations and individuals in the new Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative.