A Syrian refugee who overcame war, persecution and displacement to become a key leader and bulwark of her community is the inaugural ‘AMES Australia Woman of Impact’.
Norma Medawar arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2015 seeking safety and a chance to rebuild her life after fleeing the civil war in Syria.
With a high level of English, Norma settled in quickly in her new home and, despite the war trauma and experiences she suffered, has integrated into the Australian way of life.
Soon after her arrival, Norma began supporting other Syrian refugees in their resettlement journeys in Melbourne.
She studied an advanced Diploma in Interpreting and Translating (NAATI accredited qualification). She worked as interpreter and Education Support Officer for two years before finding her passion for working in the community service sector. She has now been working in the community service sector for seven years. In both professional and volunteer capacities, Norma has provided invaluable leadership and capacity building for Arabic-speaking women in Melbourne’s north.
In 2015, soon after her arrival in Australia Norma started volunteering at refugee and migrant settlement agency AMES Australia as an English tutor supporting help Arabic-speaking refugee students to learn English and navigate life in Australia inside and outside the classroom.
She has worked at Whittlesea Community Connections since 2017, assisting newly arrived migrant and refugee people to resettle in Australia and advocating on their behalf at network meetings with mainstream service providers. Norma also coordinated and facilitated a Syrian refugee group and a weekly youth group. Norma has made huge differences to many refugee people and helped them to resettle and start life from scratch.
Norma is passionate about helping refugees not only through her work but also as a volunteer outside working hours and on a week
