Fleeing your homeland and leaving everything you’ve ever known behind is a mountain most of us hope we never have to climb. As if leaving wasn’t hard enough, arriving in a new, foreign land presents its own set of challenges – something Gulghotai (Gula) Bezhan knows all too well. Since resettling in Australia in 1995, the Berwick local has used her voice to advocate for others and empower Afghan women throughout the south east – and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. GABRIELLA PAYNE reports.
There are certain people in life who go out of their way to help others, and Gulghotai (Gula) Bezhan is one of them.
With a warm, radiant smile and welcoming nature, it’s easy to see how Gula has been a beacon of light for those in need over the years, helping countless refugees resettle into their new lives and find their voices along the way – but the road there has been trying to say the least.
Having fled her home in Kabul, Afghanistan and made the arduous journey to Australia over 25 years ago, Gula knows just how hard losing everything and starting a new life can be.
Back in Afghanistan, Gula had studied and worked as a specialist doctor for many years, but the war sadly forced her to leave that all behind.
Saying goodbye to her homeland had been incredibly difficult – but her struggles were only amplified when she was faced with learning a new language and culture, all while trying to find a new job in an unfamiliar place.
“When I came to Australia in 1995, there was not a lot of help… it was very different,” Gula said.
“When I came here I went to Centrelink and it was a big shock for me, because I’m an educated woman from Afghanistan – but because I didn’t know the language, I suffered a lot.”
In her first few years in Australia, Gula tried her hand at many professions (including as a cleaner and working in childcare), but faced a lot of abuse and discrimination along the way.
A strong and kind-hearted woman, Gula didn’t want her own, difficult experience to be the one that every Afghan woman faced when starting their new life here – and so she decided to speak up and “do something about it”.
“When refugees come here, they have left Afghanistan in the war – it’s a bad situation, they are still in shock and [often] they don’t know anything about Australia,” she explained.
“I suffered a lot when I arrived here, but I am grateful because I learnt and grew from it and because I have this background, I know what the gap between the Australian and Afghan cultures is – and now I try to fill that gap.”
Wanting to “empower people and do something for the community”, Gula’s drive and determination lead to her establishing the Afghan Women’s Organisation Victoria (AWOV) in 2009 – a not-for-profit that helps empower Afghan women and children throughout the state.
Since its inception, Gula and the AWOV board (made up of passionate, like-minded Afghan women) have worked tirelessly to bridge the social, political and cultural gaps that multicultural women and girls face when arriving in Australia, and have made a huge difference in the lives of many.
“At our organisation, we all have a passion to help these women and their families, and [we find that] they are very confident, they just need a little support,” she said, “but when they get that, they stand up very strongly.”
Gula and the AWOV have supported countless Afghan refugees over the years by providing help and information on issues such as family violence, forced marriage, settlement support services, mental wellbeing, workers’ rights and much more.
Not only that, but in their bid to help community members assimilate to life in Australia, AWOV run a number of different programs including senior clubs for the elderly community, drivers licence training, english language classes, parenting programs, citizenship classes and water safety programs – just to name a few.
When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in the midst of one of Melbourne’s lockdowns earlier this year – Gula and her team went above and beyond in offering assistance to those in need.
Six rescue flights evacuated over 700 Afghan refugees from Kabul in August, bringing them here to the safety of Australia – and with her wealth of knowledge and vast experience, Gula was one of the community leaders who the government turned to for help in easing their journey.
“When the new arrivals came to Australia, we organised care packages for them and they were so happy,” Gula said.
“We received heaps of donations like winter clothes, blankets, pillows and all sorts of stuff – because when they arrived in Melbourne, it was winter and lockdown, but in Afghanistan it was summer, so they left with nothing.
“We distributed care packages for many people and sent them to the hotels [where they were quarantining],” she said.
“I’m just so glad we live in a beautiful country here with so many generous people around who helped us so much.”
Just recently, Gula’s incredible generosity and community mindedness was recognised at the highest level, as she was inducted as a local champion on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for 2021 – an amazing achievement, and one very well deserved.
Her 20 plus years of experience in community work, international aid and as a community leader have enabled her to support and empower women and girls in the Afghan community throughout the south east – and it seems Gula has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
“I enjoy my job because it’s non-stop working seven days a week,” she said.
“It takes time [to settle in to a new life], but this is a beautiful country, and I hope to help as many people as possible.”
For more information about the work that Gula and her team do, head to afghanwomensorganisation.org/
