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Join True and passionate leaders in community health and advocacy Swaatha Haji and Sara Yousif, recent graduates from the inaugural National Education Toolkit for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Awareness (NETFA) Leadership Program, for an education session on FGM/C. • FGM/C: what, where and why • What is culturally safe practice? • How do we work well with people who have experienced FGM/C in healthcare settings? • Q&A • FGM/C Network scoping in Queensland
Free. Co-funded by Queensland Health and NETFA, a project coordinated by the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and supported by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women.
Health professionals, community workers, interpreters and translators.
Speakers
Swaatha Haji (she/her) holds a Masters in Global Public Health from Griffith University and has extensive experience working with clients from multiple African, Middle Eastern, and Asian communities. This has directly informed her understanding of the different health challenges these diverse communities experience.
Being from a Somali African background herself, Swaatha has co-planned and co-delivered health information sessions to the Somali community in Brisbane. She has also conducted, analysed, and produced a research study to assess the effectiveness and impact of the health information sessions on participants.
Swaatha is especially passionate about FGM/C, given that the Somali community has one of the highest rates of FGM/C in the African communities. Swaatha is determined to be part of creating better maternal health outcomes for pregnant women and people affected by FGM/C.
Sara Yousif has been a member of the Mater Refugee Health Advisory Group (known as the ‘G11’) for 6 years. Originally from Iraq, she also spent 6 years in Syria prior to arriving in Australia and has many connections with the Arabic speaking communities in Brisbane. She worked as a Case Manager assistant and arrival Coordinator at Multicultural Australia for 6 years where she met many new arrivals through the Humanitarian Support Program, at Brisbane airport (often at 1am & 4am!). She now works as a Mental Health and NDIS Support coordinator with the Richmond Fellowship Queensland
During the COVID 19 pandemic she was instrumental in working closely with the CALD COVID Health Engagement Project and Queensland Health to record audio messages in Arabic to share critical information about changing public health directions with community leaders and social media community channels. She is a passionate advocate for health, especially mental health and women’s health and has coordinated, copresented and engaged community members to participate in health workshops in partnership with Mater Refugee Health, Qld Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT), True Relationships and Reproductive Health and TAFE.
Rosi Aryal Lees is the acting Reseach, Advocacy and Policy Program Manager at the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health (MCWH) and will talk about NETFA's project and resources.
Ishraga Furawi from QPASTT. QPASTT supports people from refugee backgrounds to recover from trauma. Through a focus on healing, belonging, thriving and justice in all work carried out.
Ishraga Furawi is the Townsville Community and Youth Engagement Connector for QPASTT. Ishraga conducts counselling intake sessions, facilitates and runs youth groups, women’s groups as well community leaders network. Ishraga is passionate about social justice and FGM/C, as she knows the effects of this practice as seen in her country of origin in Sudan, as well as working with women from many cultures in Townsville that have been affected by this practice.