May 24 2016 marks 25 years since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in a conflict which lasted three decades.
The Eritrean community of Brisbane celebrated the day with a unique Eritrean spiced buffet, a traditional coffee ceremony, music and dancing. The evening was highlighted with the presentation of Certificates to 12 graduates of the Certificate II in Hospitality.
Invited guests, community members and the general public enjoyed a lively evening- ECCQ was represented by Jenni Pickrell, Operations Manager at Diversicare. Mu’ooz Director Saba Abraham delivered a passionate speech highlighting the activities undertaken to empower refugee women from Eritrea and other African countries to build strong families and communities in Queensland.
The evening was held at Mu’ooz Café in West End -a not-for-profit Brisbane restaurant and social enterprise that helps female African refugees. The aim of this social enterprise is to create employment opportunities for African refugee women and to break down cross-cultural barriers. “Many of the women have had a hard life through war, mental health, family problems and staying at home in isolation. We train and offer employment to show them (refugee women) the life they can lead” said Ms Abraham.
Since starting the group, Ms Abraham has trained and provided employment for 114 refugee women and men. “We provide a pathway to employment with many of the graduates now employed in schools, Aged Care, restaurants and cleaning jobs,” she said. “The program aims to give them confidence and helps them understand the workforce.
