Strengthening, supporting and uniting the Palestinian community in their journey to establish themselves in the fabric of South Australia is the core foundation of Glimmer of Hope and it is my honour as Deputy Chairperson and Co-founder to serve this purpose. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, and having moved to Jordan in the early 80s, the warm and connected nature of our wonderful Arab culture had always made it possible to feel at home despite living in the harsh Palestinian diaspora. Arriving in South Australia in 2009, for the first time, my family longed for the warm sense of home and faced many difficulties in navigating the Australian system on our own.

As the first and only Palestinian community association in SA, our aim is to help new and existing Palestinian families to overcome the difficulties of establishing their life in our new and shared home and navigate the Australian society through sharing lived experiences. This aim is reinforced through our efforts to promote the sense of home by uniting and connecting the community.

By profession, I am a practicing Family Dispute Resolution practitioner with 15 years experience as a corporate lawyer in Amman, Jordan.

Born and raised in Kuwait with his parents and siblings, Ahmad migrated to Jordan as a result of the first gulf war in 1990. After living in several Arab and European countries he took the decision to migrate to Australia with his wife, arriving in 2018. He is the proud father of two beautiful Aussie girls.

Ahmad brings with him a long successful career in marketing and communications. He also has first-hand knowledge of the challenges a migrant can face when moving to a new city. As the Treasurer and Public Officer of GoH, together with his multicultural exposure, Ahmad aims to influence people from all walks of life to look beyond the differences of others but to celebrate their diversity and recognize their talents. He is a firm believer that this is the best way to integrate new migrants and highlight what they can bring to the cultural richness of society, the economy and Australia as a whole.

Ahmad is a marketing professional with a long experience in more than one country. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Marketing, Diploma in Digital Marketing, and certifications in automation from Harvard and London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

I have the pleasure of serving as Secretary of Glimmer of Hope (GOH) Association. I’m a Palestinian, born in a multi-faith household and raised in diverse ethno-cultural society. Along the years I have migrated to four different countries and finally landed in Australia in 2017.

I have always been fascinated by how diverse humanity is and how similar cultures are fundamentally similar yet different in appearance; I have always found that a source of richness.

Working with GOH enables me to capitalise on my skills to influence and promote cultural integration into the greater Australian society, yet preserve that unique flavour of a Palestinian community. I’m very honoured to be part of GOH and looking forward serving the community.

Born into the third generation of the Palestinian diaspora and raised in Australia, preserving the efforts of our forefathers in protecting the memory and strengthening the Palestinian community in an Australian context has been a constant driving force. With extensive experience in non-for-profit organisations, my role in GOH is to support the overall operation of the association with focus on community unity, youth involvement, and promoting the Palestinian culture in the Australian society.

With roots that extend to Safforiyah near Nazareth, Imad was born in Tripoli North of Lebanon. Imad’s experience stretches between Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. He, together with his wife and 3 beautiful kids, decided to move to Australia in 2018.

Volunteering, together with his wife, with the Marion Community Centre, and coaching a school soccer team, Imad has been active within social & humanitarian communities since his arrival to Australia. More recently, his community work included AFOPA and GOH activities.

Imad aims to see the Palestinian community in SA thrive and integrate more within this rainbow of ethnic, religious, and national communities that make this country one of the best in the world. Also, through positive interaction with others, to learn from and give back to Australia.

Between soccer matches, Imad is a project management professional. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Born and raised in Jordan with Palestinian origins stemming from Nablus and Dura (near Hebron), Nowar’s work experience took him from Amman to LA, London and Dubai. Nowar together with his family took the decision to make Australia their new home.

Fascinated by the community’s diverse backgrounds with a single Palestinian root connecting everyone, Nowar was immediately drawn to be part of the combined efforts of the GoH team. Seeing many examples of successful Palestinian individuals globally, he is fuelled by the vision of seeing a successful Palestinian community shaped by cultural and inherited attributes.

When he is not kayaking, Nowar is a finance professional and a mentor for start-ups. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Amman Private University. He is a Member of the Institute of Public Accountants in Australia, and a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Accountants in the UK.