She found her voice

With two young children by her side and the threat of losing them to her abusive husband, Nafisa made the decision to reach out to NZF hoping for a resolution.

Nafisa arrived in Australia less than 5 years ago with her husband as a dependant under his student visa which was sponsored by their country’s government. She followed him with their two young children, hoping that their lives would take a turn for the better. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to change for Nafisa’s married life.

Nafisa and her children were completely reliant on her husband. From access to school fees to basic needs, he provided for them and that gave him power over them which she hoped he wouldn’t abuse. Sadly, it became clear that her husband’s controlling and aggressive behaviour towards her and her children were a result of him taking advantage of Nafisa’s vulnerability as his wife, a dependant person on his visa and an immigrant with limited rights in a foreign country. After bearing through another year of constant abuse, she finally took charge of the situation and filed a court order against him in fear of the threat to her life and the lives of her children. They then left his house to seek refuge at a local community homeless shelter.

Apart from a $100 her husband had given her a month ago, Nafisa and her children had no form of income or plans on how to stabilise their life. This is when she found NZF and contacted our team. Alhamdulillah, through our various services and programs, Nafisa and her children are being provided immediate support through ongoing financial assistance, food and essentials vouchers. We’ve also referred her to our partners and relevant government bodies to help her legally separate from her husband under national and Islamic laws. Nafisa and her children are still in Australia while our case workers help her resolve immigration matters that follow after the separation. She told us how relieved she is and that her hopes of seeing children be happy and graduate from school seems more realistic now. In the coming month, she also hopes to continue further studies once they are more financially stable insha Allah.

Through the combined support of the Muslim community in Australia, we are changing real lives like Nafisa’s in real time, right here in Australia. Your Zakat and Sadaqah does matter, and we hope you see the beauty and value of every dollar you send through NZF Australia.