Farwa Nabizada on Education, Advocacy and Belonging

If you are lucky enough to encounter Farwa Nabizada, it will quickly become apparent how much this winsome and thoughtful young woman cares about those around her—to her, community means “having people you can turn to, but also being someone others can turn to.” A student at the University of Otago—double majoring in Law and Computer Science with a minor in Economics—much of her free time is spent advocating for gender equality and the rights of refugees. She has served as treasurer of the Dunedin Hazara Association, youth representative for the Meaningful Refugee Participation Initiative, legal clinic volunteer for Community Law Otago, and participant on the National Refugee Resettlement Forum 2025. Another thing that becomes apparent in conversation with Farwa: her hope for the future is contagious.

Farwa’s advocacy work stems from a deeply personal place, shaped by her experience of displacement as a refugee from Afghanistan and by watching her mother reclaim that which had been repeatedly taken from her: the right to education. In 1992, when civil war broke out in Afghanistan, Farwa’s mother left Kabul for Mazar-e-Sharif to escape the conflict, interrupting her high school education. Her older brother helped her to continue learning by bringing home books, but when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, the family moved to a rural area where educational resources were no longer available—her education came to a complete stop.

“Even after the Taliban's first regime ended, returning to education was difficult. By then, she had children and many other responsibilities, and the opportunity to continue the education she had lost as a young woman never really came,” Farwa reflects.

More than two decades later, in 2017, when Farwa’s family found refuge in Malaysia, her mother taught herself English by watching YouTube videos and reading books. In 2019, Farwa’s family learned that Aotearoa had accepted them for resettlement, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their departure from Malaysia was delayed indefinitely—they had no idea when the next phase of their life would be allowed to begin. Finally, in August 2021, they arrived in Aotearoa, spending four months at the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre before settling in Ōtepoti. Here, education was able to become a priority for the family. After studying with English Language Partners, her mother now studies English at Otago Polytechnic and was awarded a Best Adult Learner award, presented by the Mayor of Ōtepoti.

Thinking about what inspires her advocacy work, Farwa states, “I am always inspired when I see how excited my mother is to go to class, or when I see her sitting up late completing her homework. Education was taken away from her again and again, but she never lost her desire to learn.”

“She inspires me to use the opportunities I have been given to create opportunities for others,” Farwa continues.

Alongside her mother’s determination, Farwa’s gender advocacy is inspired by the continued resilience of Afghan women, often taking great personal risk in fighting for basic human rights—some of them publicly protesting, others establishing underground schools, often teaching each other. Farwa makes sure to emphasise that her work does not attempt to speak on behalf of Afghan women: “They have always had voices of their own. I think of my role as standing alongside them, using the opportunities and platforms available to me, and helping make sure those voices are heard.”

Entering Year 12 at Otago Girls’ High School, Farwa felt “completely lost, both literally and metaphorically”—she couldn’t find her classrooms, found it hard to find belonging amidst already-established friend groups, and was initially surprised by the cultural differences present in the classroom, such as eating in class and addressing teachers by their first name.

Even as a teenager, Farwa recognised that her ability to speak English when arriving in Aotearoa was a privilege not every refugee had: when families can’t speak English confidently “tasks that might seem straightforward like speaking with a school, attending an appointment, understanding a letter, applying for work, or asking for help can be incredibly difficult.” This is where Farwa’s advocacy work began, utilising her understanding of English and Dari to act as an interpreter for those in the community with greater language barriers. To her, interpreting is about much more than translating words: “Language carries culture, experiences, emotions and ways of understanding the world.”

“When I interpret for someone, I am not there to speak for them. I am helping remove a barrier so that they can speak for themselves and be understood,” Farwa explains.

A member of the 2026 cohort, Farwa was up until 2AM the night before the Y25 wānanga working on an assignment, stressed and unsure as to how being a part of the Y25 community was going to affect her life. Now, eyes bright, Farwa describes the experience: “I am not being dramatic when I say that it was a life-changing experience. I feel lighter, inspired, and more confident.”

When posed with questions like, Where do you see yourself in five years? Farwa finds it hard to answer, knowing that life can change drastically and unpredictably in a very short span of time. She finds it easier, however, to envision a future for the communities she cares about: a future where young refugees face fewer barriers to education and receive better support during resettlement, where refugees are not viewed solely through the lens of hardship but also through the lens of all they bring with them. Ultimately, she hopes that "one day we live in a world where people are not forced to become refugees in the first place."