Elham Zaki, a refugee who has endured unimaginable horrors, now stands at a crossroads as the World Wellness Group in Brisbane, a vital support system in her recovery, faces potential relocation. The trauma in Zaki’s life story is overwhelming. After surviving organ harvesting, a failed murder attack, and torture, she spent most of her adult life in constant fear and under house arrest. With a little help from the World Wellness Group, Zaki started to take control of her life. She is currently working toward a Master of Public Health at UMass and volunteering in her community.
Zaki’s story illustrates the vital role that accessible healthcare plays for refugees. There she was connected to the World Wellness Group. There, for the first time in her life, she found a sense of security and connectedness she had longed for, but never experienced. Today, she credits her survival and healing journey to the organization and its co-founder, Rita Prasad-Ildes.
A Story of Resilience and Transformation
And for years, Elham Zaki fought against deep-seated fear. “I feared that people were going to beat me, do something bad. I was scared of any man,” she recalled. THIS DEEP-SEATED FEAR prevented her from going outside, as Justina continued to wrestle with the physical and emotional trauma of her past. Her passage to Australia started when she experienced extreme copy and was carried out to an ambulance in Cairo.
“Some people poisoned me and tried to kill me, and that’s when I was taken in an ambulance to Cairo and then sent to Australia,” Zaki explained. Once settled in Australia, she was directed to the World Wellness Group, where this powerful shift in perspective and approach transformed her life.
“Before, I was very sad all the time, crying and thinking I don’t know how I can get better,” Zaki reflected. “After I came here for the first time, I thought I can,” she said.
With continued support from the World Wellness Group, Zaki’s life is now looking up. She is currently working on her degree and has returned to her roots, volunteering to serve her community. Her journey illustrates how holistic, whole-person care can be transformative for people who have experienced deep trauma and hardship.
The Importance of Community Support
For Zaki, the World Wellness Group has been much more than a doctor’s office. Yet it’s become a second home and family to him. “Here I feel like, not like I’m a client. They feel like my family,” she shared. The organization’s impact goes beyond individual clients. The organization is doing essential work to address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Family advocate Rita Prasad-Ildes talks to clients like Zaki several times a day. She demonstrates the deep importance of their work as they connect with those pushed to the margins. “It’s really proven to us that this is the way we can work with population groups that are constantly falling through the gaps and have a lot of access barriers,” she stated.
To accomplish this mission, the World Wellness Group has raised more than $3.4 million in the last year. Yet financial pressures are the ones on the horizon. Their community faces eviction from the growing rental market in the area, and the organization itself might have to move, too.
Facing an Uncertain Future
Now the World Wellness Group is planning to relocate to an anchor clinical building in the outer suburbs that would include a broader array of services. Prasad-Ildes was clear about her worries around what that decision could mean. “We have really been priced out of commercial rentals,” she remarked.
The possible move leaves lingering doubts about how easily clients who depend on the organization’s services would still be able to access them. “It isn’t really about a building; it’s about having a space — an anchor,” Prasad-Ildes explained. The community element is important, particularly for the newcomers traversing the often choppy waters of migration and settlement.
Zaki’s transformation from being frightened to feeling empowered is representative of the resilience of all refugees if given the right support. The unclear future of the World Wellness Group presents an even greater danger. People like Zaki who gravely need its services to heal and move forward depend on it.
