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Women Empowerment and Leadership founder Rita Anwari Sultani and Secretary Leila Loei – Ms Austraila World Ambassador welcomed the three Afghan families who just arrived in Australia this week with a colourful cake, toys for children and dignity bags for women. It is a pleasant feeling to see younger children, especially girls getting better chances to make a bright future for themselves. Meanwhile, it is also painful to hear their sad stories and things they have been through. It is really unfortunate that minor kids had to go through all those misery in Afghanistan due to failed politics. They spent most of their childhood in battlegrounds instead of playgrounds, it is such a shame that the politicians have failed them over and over again. As an organization entirely dedicated to the empowerment of women, WEL will always be here to support these kids in every step of their journey for a better future in Australia, including finding the best pathways for education. It is timely to thank all the people who helped us get these families out of misery. Lives have changed for good thanks to the roles these amazing people played in securing visas and relocating these families out of Afghanistan.

Women Empowerment and Leadership’s founder, Rita Anwari, has been tirelessly working to help the newly arrived afghans as they are always in their thoughts. Today she was able to drop off some traditional Afghan vegetables for the newly arrived who are still currently in hotels. As she knows they don’t have access to the flee markets, she brought the flee market to them. This brought them immense amount of joy as they felt like they were back home. Small acts of kindness can make many peoples days.

Yesterday was a day to mark one of the major events in our history in Australia, Australia Day. As well as celebrating such thing, we were able to welcome a new baby who belongs to one of the newly arrived Afghan families. It was of such great joy for both yourselves and the family. The director and founder of Women Empowerment & Leadership, Rita Anwari and her secretary Leila Loei were able to have a visit to this family. Along with them, gifts were also taken for the mother and child. We are so glad this baby was able to be born with all the facilities and the best service that she can receive because she is in a safe country. She is so privilege to be born in a country that has rights and has laws. Women and girls are equal and have the right to speak in this country. This bundle of joy is one of these girls and women. We can see a bright future for this child as she has everything available to her. We can see her future in to being a bright lovely doctor, or a lawyer or an engineer. We understand that this country brings lots of opportunities for such individuals who came from a place where they had nothing. We understand that everything was taken from them and were not treated equally. Once again to Australia and this beautiful world!

More women are needed in the digital and tech industries. Young women are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM fields), although they report to have higher grades in high school and university than their male counterparts. What is a programmer? Traditionally a male-dominated field, a programmer can create websites, phone apps and computer software. She can also create computer games and other digital creative outlets such as Virtual Reality (VR) and can also work in emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI). What does a programmer do? A programmer creates codes or instructions that the computer can run and execute, using a specific programming language and platforms. Choosing a technical career can be extremely rewarding and can open doors and leadership opportunities for young women. Programmers enjoy increased job flexibility and salary benefits when compared to other careers, and she can often work from home with companies located anywhere in the world! To read about a young girl’s decision to pursue a technical career path, click here: https://www.voicesofyouth.org/day-of-the-girl-karen-polinesia There are many different types of programming languages. Here are a few of some free online courses on coding: Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/ EdX Free Courses, ‘Getting Started with Python’: https://www.edx.org/course/programming-for-everybody-getting-started-with-pyt?index=product&queryID=069bcf969248604ada7a2e78f438577b&position=1 Kahn Academy, ‘Computer Programming’: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming If you are interested in a career in programming or technology, you can send any queries to scholarship@welaus.com.au.

October is Sexual Violence Awareness Month, and today we acknowledged that everyone deserves to live in a society free from the threat of sexual violence. By seeking help and talking to someone, we can raise our voices and help end domestic and family violence. What is sexual violence? Sexual violence is any sexual activity where consent is not given. Sadly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Sexual violence occurs any time a person is forced, coerced, or manipulated into any unwanted sexual activity. It is common for acts such as rape, to be committed by intimate partners or family member rather than ‘strangers’ in the community. There are many types of sexual violence that can also be verbal or emotional, and not always involve physical contact. How can we prevent it? The physical and emotional reactions to rape committed by someone you know can be just as powerful as ‘stranger’ rape. Sometimes rape can involve drug or alcohol consumption which may lead to self-blame by the survivor. Survivors must not blame themselves. No one deserves or asks to be raped. If you witness a sexual violence incident in the workplace, you must report it to your supervisor. This may include an inappropriate comment, emotional manipulation, or unconsented actions. We all have a role to play in preventing this form of violence in our workplace and community. Who to speak to? If you have been affected by sexual violence there is a range of support available to you. Sexual violence is never acceptable, and all incidents of abuse must be reported to the police no matter how small it may seem. If reporting to authorities is not available for you, there are a range of other options including safehouses and service providers that help individuals, especially women, to leave an abusive relationship. At Women Empowerment and Leadership, we are always here to help and give professional advice if you are currently or have been affected by sexual violence and harassment. Otherwise, a list of confidential hotlines and available services are listed below. Helplines: 24-hour Sexual Assault Helpline 1800 010 120 24-hour DVConnect Womensline 1800 811 811 24-hour National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 1800 737 732 Kids Helpline (aged 5-25) 1800 551 800 24-hour DVConnect Mensline 1800 600 636 Men’s Referral Service, for men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues 1300 766 491 Free Services: Northside Sexual Assault Network Queensland Sexual Assault Network | Facebook Brisbane R&I Survivors Support Centre BRISSC | Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Support Centre Headspace Find a centre – Australia wide | headspace UnitingCare Australia Escaping Violence Payment | Uniting Vic.Tas (unitingvictas.org.au) UnitingCare Australia is currently partnering with the Australian government in Escaping Violence Payment Program, offering financial payments for domestic violence victims who are seeking to leave abusive relationships. Information can be found here: Escaping Violence Payment | Uniting Vic.Tas (unitingvictas.org.au) Many survivors experience psychological trauma after an attack, including psychological and emotional changes such stomach or digestive problems, headaches or sleeplessness. Talking to someone is the first step that can raise awareness of the services and support that is available for you. We are all in this together, and by changing the way we respond to sexual violence we can all play our part in raising awareness and preventing domestic and sexual violence for our friends, family and community.

Women Empowerment & Leadership is grateful to announce another successful project for the young girls in Afghanistan who have been forbidden of education. On the 12th of October we celebrated the International Daughter Day where we recognized and showed our love and support to our daughters. In our society we need to empower our daughters to be strong independent women. Due to the situation in Afghanistan, we understand that girls and women are deprived of education and of their jobs therefore Fahima Alami, our ambassador for Afghanistan and WEL came together in helping to provide books and stationery. We are providing such materials and support in order for the betterment of their future and education. We are here to support these young women and children in overcoming the new regime which has taken away many opportunities of success. We believe as an organization that all women and girls should not be deprived of a fulfilled education. As we know in Afghanistan girls are forbidden from school, but we want to support from miles away to raise awareness and provide help for such young individuals. Hopefully in the near future we want to help these young women through our scholarship programs in allowing them to gain better education through international means. We want to them to be great leaders in the future and to build Afghanistan. We want them to be a voice to the world to show their great achievements alongside the hardships that they face.

Women Empowerment & Leadership Association is so happy to announce the ample amount of support received from our community for the new arrivals in Australia. Over the past few weeks, we have been able to receive many clothing toys for the individuals who have arrived from Afghanistan. Many joined in volunteering in distributions and the gathering of items. We were provided with many clothes, shoes, toys, and health and beauty products. These are all new products that were provided. From Monday to Wednesday, we collect all the items to be further distributed on Thursday. The items are all in good condition and are catered to everyone. We would like to say a huge thanks to the president of the Queensland Afghan Community, Aaron Sadat for bringing bags of brand-new clothing and toys. We would like to also thanks our Afghans in the community who helped; Zakia Jan, Aida Jan, Hamida Jan, Nasreen Jan from the Irani community and Popalzai Family. Another thanks to our Women Empowerment & Leadership volunteers who have been of great help such as Nargis Jan and Sajeeda Jan. Thanks to our admin Shamila Jan too. Another huge thanks to Retina Jan, hotel manger and the hotel team who helped us with organizing and advising us on this program. The purpose of this is to help and support our community. We want to stand as one side by side and be a pillar of support for those in need. We are so lucky to have such great support around us.

Women Empowerment and Leadership (WEL) team under the leadership of Dr. Rita Anwari, as Founder/President of the organization, visited the Afghan new refugee’s arrival in Brisbane. Beside good conversation with them, a package of preliminary needed things including Hygiene items was distributed to them. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing panic situation in Afghanistan, the Afghan refugee families are facing lots of problems and as per the vision of WEL, we are committed in full coordination of other agencies to voluntarily support and welcome them to the beautiful Brisbane. Dr. Rita Anwari Founder/President Women Empowerment and Leadership

Women Empowerment and Leadership Association encourages everyone to get the vaccineVaccination protects you and your loved ones Increased vaccinations mean our community can continue to enjoy easing restrictions and the return of more events and celebrations.