By Ethan Benedicto
Fleeing from a war-torn country is an experience that no one should have to go through, yet, unfortunately, it remains one of the most-told stories from immigrants in Australia.
Mahdia Qasimi escaped from Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power in 2021, since then, she has been on a journey to advocate not just for Afghan girls’ education and human rights, but for all of those whose lives have been ravaged by war.
“My journey has been anything but ordinary, it’s been shaped by war, loss, resilience and hope,” Mahdia said.
“On the day the Taliban took over, my life as I knew it changed forever, I was banned not only from going to school but also from leaving the house.
“I wrote in my diary that it felt like the end of the world, the airport was closed and no one could leave the country, ‘am I going to stay home for the rest of my life?’.”
Having endured the change, Mahdia was one of 12 recipients of the 2024 Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Award, and now, she has nominated herself for the Saward Dawson Community Service and Social Impact Award with the hopes of taking her endeavours to another level.
Since she was young, Mahdia had a penchant for learning, what she described as a “curiosity about the world” and an appreciation for the smaller things in life.
Her father had left for Australia when she was just three, recalling that he had done so in a search for a “better future for our family”; however, it would be another 10 years before she would see him again.
After reuniting in Australia, a new set of challenges had taken root, the most integral at that time being that she couldn’t speak English, something that devastated her since she could not express herself.
“Over the past three years however I refused to let those barriers hold me back, and I poured all my energy into learning,” she said.
“Once I started high school here, I became part of the leadership team, first as SRC and then as house captain, since I was always looking for that chance to make a positive impact.”
Free from the fear of war and the shackles of oppression, Mahdia and her family were given a fresh start, a clean slate that she quickly got to work on.
Starting in school, she has since been an active contributor to the YMCA Victorian Youth Parliament and also participated in the Holt Young Leader Initiative, experiences where she was able to hone her skills in leadership and also worked alongside other youth leaders.
Furthermore, she bode her time with the Victorian Student Representative Council and played a role in raising awareness on social issues; she worked as a youth Leader with Southeast Community Links in support of migrants and refugees adjusting to their new lives in Australia.
“I’m proud to say that I’ve achieved more than I had ever imagined,” she said.
“From excelling in my studies to becoming a youth leader and participating in community initiatives, I was able to embrace every opportunity that has come my way.
“I’ve delivered speeches on the challenges that refugees faced and drew on my own experiences to advocate for that change.”
For the new year, Mahdia’s ambitions remain great, with plans to start a business of which its profits will contribute to support refugees and migrants in need, alongside a library that will cater to helping with learning English and other resources to navigate their new environment and lives.
“I know the pain of being denied an education, and I want the world to understand the struggles Afghan girls face every day,” she said.
“My hope is to create a future where no girl feels silenced or forgotten, and I believe that by sharing my story on international and national platforms, I can shine a light on these challenges and refugees’ resilience.
“I want to amplify their voices, the girls who were denied the chance to dream, grow and thrive.”
