Afghan refugee Manahil Rahmati knew little about netball. The 18-year-old is now working part-time as an intern at Netball Victoria. What’s remarkable, though, is not so much where she is as how she got here.
“My life is so dramatic!’’ Manahil exclaims.
She tells a story that started in war-ravaged Kabul, where, with her parents and two younger brothers, Manahil lived until the age of eight. She remembers the bombs, but not receiving any education. Just playing with her friends in the dusty streets.
“Because a lot of people were moving as refugees to western countries, my family thought it was a good idea to go there for me and my siblings to have a good opportunity and a place to live peacefully. So they had this vision for us, and I’m really grateful for that.’’
They became nothing if not well-travelled. From Pakistan, to Iran, then Malaysia and Thailand before arriving in Indonesia, where the family eventually existed for two-and-a-half years, before being resettled in a camp in New Zealand with the help of the UNHCR.
They were chosen to live in Palmerston North, then shuffled between emergency accommodation, as the children - already grappling with the language barrier - moved from school to school.
“I only knew my ABCs to Z and I was 12 years old,'' she says. "So it was really tough for me and for my brothers, and it was really hard to make friends… There was no help, and I really struggled. I had to work my way out, as in how to do my homework, and watching videos to learn English.’’
Manahil’s mother, Zahra decide that there would be greater opportunities in Australia. Risky, yes, but over the Tasman they came at the start of 2019.
The children started at Fountain Gate Secondary College, where - after just four years of formal education - Manahil embarked on her VCE from a long way behind. She passed, though, and did well, but university proved to be beyond her means, financially. With teaching studies on hold, Manahil applied for a six-month internship through the Centre for Multicultural Youth, which passed on her resume to Netball Victoria.
Since March 31, she has been working with Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Sarah Last’s team two days a week. While learning administrative and computer skills, Manahil is involved in the leadership program and with organising a netball program for schools with a high percentage of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) students.
"It has been great working with Mana and getting to know her,'' Last says. "She is full of energy, and is very eager to learn, always asking lots of questions. Through this internship we hope to provide Mana with opportunities and experience working in an environment where she can develop skills that she can take into her future.
Netball is a sport the teenager with a love of badminton had not grown up with “But it’s something I’ve learned and worked through, by being in the netball environment and learning, which is really exciting,’’ Manahil says.
She sees this new office experience as her first stepping stone. In international Refugee Week, Manahil's personal philosophy is to try anything, and always be open to something different.
"What I would like people to get from my story is that trying something new is risky, but taking risks, there is never a loss, you always learn, and grow,'' she says. "Giving every opportunity a go helps people to find themselves and experience different things that could help them some day.
Written by Linda Pearce
