A friendship story
When Rosemary Kariuki arrived in Sydney in 1999 after fleeing violence in Kenya, a year went by without a single neighbour saying hello to her. Alone and longing for the sense of community she had back home, she decided to take action.
On Christmas Day, 2001, she wrote her contact details and an invitation to have tea or just say hello on Christmas cards and slipped them under the doors of more than a dozen flats in her building.
After that, her neighbours greeted her cheerily, and Rosemary had found her life’s work.
“When I came here, nobody gave me information. I know women love to socialise, dress up, gather while eating and dancing, so I decided to use it to bring them together to spread information and raise awareness about domestic violence,” said Rosemary, who has a smile that lights up even a Zoom screen.
Today, Rosemary, 60, works as a multicultural liaison officer for the New South Wales Police in Campbelltown on the outskirts of Sydney, helping migrant and refugee women. Many of the women, like Rosemary herself, have experienced gender-based violence and face language, financial and cultural barriers that leave them feeling isolated.
In her free time, Rosemary runs several projects to help new arrivals overcome that isolation, including a cultural exchange programme that introduces refugees and migrants to local families, and an annual social event that brings African refugee and migrant women together.
In January, Rosemary won an Australian of the Year award from the Australian government. She was recognised as the country’s 2021 “Local Hero” for her commitment to changing lives, “especially those of women and children.” In her acceptance speech at a ceremony in Canberra, Rosemary urged everyone “to open their doors to their neighbours.”
