Maryam Zahid
that she had no idea what she needed to first to help the women who were turning to her.“ I just wanted to share what I knew, what I had experienced. But the demand was so strong. I wanted to give them more than the typical gatherings in parks where everyone can see what you are doing, they deserved their own place and something lasting.”
Maryam got to work on registering Afghan Women on the Move and in 2021 it was officially registered as an organisation. A board of directors helped her to work out a structured program of support, allowing AWOTM to move from a grassroots initiative to one of Sydney’ s fastest-growing platforms for women’ s empowerment.
Maryam is quick to point out that AWOTM is not a“ tick-box” organisation.“ There’ s a perception that refugee communities gather in parks, share some food, and that’ s enough. But we are more than that. I wanted policies, funding, and programs. I wanted our women to have paperwork, systems, and recognition behind them.”
The work allowed for AWOTM to offer workshops, which range from how to open a bank account and use online banking to having digital literacy, support for health and they also provide driver education and employment training to help get the women into the workforce and become more independent. Maryam found that the workshops helped take the mystery and fear out of certain activities that many of us take for granted.
“ A lot of women are scared of banks. The paperwork, the systems- it’ s overwhelming. We run sessions in their languages, make the information visible and accessible, and sometimes even meet one on one just to explain things.”
Gatherings are always culturally appropriate with coffee mornings, girls’ nights and cooking circles. The Doonside Community Centre, generously provided by Blacktown Council, now serves as AWOTM’ s hub.
“ I’ m very thankful for that space. It means women know there is a place they can come to every day, Monday to Friday, for appointments or just connection.”
Running an organisation of this scale has not come without challenges. At one point, Maryam became seriously burnt out.
“ I was working all the time, constantly thinking about what to do for these women. I got sick. The board stepped in and said we need to be strategic, or you won’ t last.”
The pressures of visibility have also been difficult to navigate.
“ When you come into power and influence, you see the gatekeepers. It can feel like people think you’ re taking all the funding, when really you’ re just trying to serve your community. At first, I thought I was celebrated for adapting to Australian culture, but only up to a certain point. Going beyond that wasn’ t celebrated. It’ s been tough.”
Yet Maryam’ s persistence has paid off. Her vision of moving women“ from survive to thrive” has turned AWOTM into a trusted voice in policy conversations as well as a lifeline for women on the ground.
One of Maryam’ s
Maryam’ s vision of moving women“ from survive to thrive” has turned AWOTM into a trusted voice in policy conversations as well as a lifeline for women on the ground. most exciting projects is My Mother and I, a storytelling initiative supported by Mercy Works. Scheduled for launch in March next year at Sydney’ s Parliament House, the State Library, and the Afghan Embassy in Canberra, the project captures ten stories of Afghan mothers and daughters.
“ It’ s about how our mothers’ lives took shape when they came to Australia, and how their daughters grew up with different opportunities. I see the differences in my own family. Time allows you to accept another culture, but our daughters challenge cultural expectations and push boundaries further than we did. We all fought with our parents for our rights and then fought again for ourselves in the wider world.”
The project is both personal and universal, highlighting the generational shifts that occur in migrant communities and celebrating the resilience of women navigating two worlds.
Maryam’ s journey from refugee to recognised leader has been marked by awards including Blacktown City Woman of the Year 2019. She has served on the Blacktown City Council’ s Women’ s Advisory Board and the Sister City Committee and continues to advocate for gender diversity and systemic change. But her focus remains firmly on the women she serves.
“ These women don’ t have savings or support networks. They need someone to believe in them, to meet them where they are. That’ s what AWOTM is about.”
Reflecting on her own life, Maryam says she feels both survivor guilt and deep gratitude for what opportunities Australia has given her.
“ In Afghanistan, life expectancy is between 46- 52 years. I’ m 46 now, and I can go to yoga, swim, and speak with confidence, I must make the most of what Australia has offered me. I owe it to the women who never got this chance.”
Through Afghan Women on the Move, Maryam is ensuring that chance extends further to thousands of women across Western Sydney and beyond. Her story is one of resilience, advocacy, and an unshakable belief that every woman, given the right support, can move from surviving to thriving. BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 55 // OCTOBER 2025 7