By Sahar Foladi
It was a mesmerizing win for Afghan Women’s Organisation at the Victorian Refugee Awards held by the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) on Tuesday 20 June.
Based in Dandenong, the organisation was recognised in the Business category for their immense hard work, contribution and dedication to help refugees and newly arrived migrants to settle in their new environment.
Founder and CEO of AWOV, Gulghotai Bezhan, was thrilled.
“The amount of work we put in is as an organisation, is tremendous. I’m so happy to be recognised by VMC for our hard work.
“Sometimes we work seven days a week because there’s a lot of need for community work.”
Victorian Multicultural Commission Chairperson Vivienne Nguyen AM said the importance of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants should be recognised.
“This important program highlights the diverse achievements of refugees across Victoria, which is vital in breaking down myths, stereotypes and misunderstandings.”
The emerging organisation provides a much needed variety of different support services in an area considered as first home for refugees and migrants.
“Grassroots organisations make a huge difference.
“Families come from shock and find themselves in new environment and deal with new changes in every aspect of their lives, it takes time to re-structure,” Ms Bezhan said
The organisation provides a wide variety of vital services to the migrant communities.
They run two English classes a week with a capacity of 25 students per class, six parenting sessions weekly, Justice System program, family violence sessions and casework, young women’s program on leadership and employment and the list goes on.
“We have different activities throughout the week and more than 200 people attend weekly,” Ms Bezhan said.
So far, according to Ms Bezhan, all the services provided are popular, high in demand with a long waiting list.
“Students learn so much in these English classes. Our rooms are very small so we are constricted in that sense but we have a waiting list and whoever misses more than three classes, they’ll be removed and the spot will be passed down.
“We have mothers come to us about their children and we guide them.”
Some of the women have already secured jobs through programs such as ‘Free to Fit,’ in partnership with AWOV, it teaches migrants how to cook, make coffee, safe food handling and much more.
“This year we did eight sessions. We were really happy with this program, it’s been a great success and we plan to continue running this program.
“Afghan women struggle with language but they are great in cooking and we were really happy that three of our students got job in Free to Fit Kitchen.”
With this in mind, she is paving the way for Afghan women to lead a mobile kitchen, a starting of a micro-finance business.
“Afghan cuisine is very famous among the community and everyone loves it.
“We’re planning to have mobile kitchen in our backyard and cater for any events in the community,” she said.
“In the beginning we’re planning to have just Afghan, Indian and Pakistani cuisines and then we will expand.”
With more than 20 years’ experience down her belt in community work and International aid, Ms Bezhan is a strong personality leading AWOV.
She extended the efforts of AWOV to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2014 to help empower women and widows through educational and vocational programs at the Afghan Women’s Organisation Literacy and Charity Centre.
Her work is widely recognised by UN Women, UNHCR, the Australian Federal and State Governments, Amnesty International, H.E.R Summit and various other international organisations.
