The Rotary Club of Melbourne is pleased to announce the 2025 recipient of the Sir John Reid Community Service Award is Fartun Farah, the Founder and Chairperson of the East African Women’s Foundation (EAWF). Click HERE to attend this important Rotary Melbourne event.
Fartun has an exceptional record of over 18 years as a volunteer. She has assisted hundreds of women newly arrived in Melbourne connect with a safe support network and gain access to essential services.
Together with her small, dedicated team Fartun has developed and delivered programs of real impact, addressing issues such as mental health, family violence, migrant and refugee resettlement, parenting workshops, youth mentoring, women’s health programs, elder support groups, cultural awareness sessions and community celebrations.
Fartun’s volunteering is characterised by compassion, collaboration, inclusion and an unwavering commitment to her community. Fartun’s outstanding contributions as a volunteer are a clear example of Service Above Self.
Operating since 2007, the EAWF is a non-profit community association based at Braybrook. It delivers vital services to over 20,000 Cushitic speakers drawn from Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Northern Kenya.
Please see the attached presentation on the EAWF
Rotary Club of Melbourne welcomes the opportunity to support the East African Women’s Foundation as we Unite For Good.
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SIR JOHN REID
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD 2025-26
Citation
Fartun Farah
The 2025-26 recipient of the Sir John Reid Community Service Award, Fartun Farah, is the Founder and Chairperson of the East African Women’s Foundation. The EAWF is a non-profit community association incorporated in 2007. Based at Braybrook, it delivers vital services to over 20,000 Cushitic speakers drawn from Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Northern Kenya.
The EAWF’s services include migrant and refugee resettlement, parenting workshops, youth mentoring, women’s health sessions, elder support groups, cultural awareness programs and community celebrations. Fartun’s vision in founding the EAWF has ensured her community has access to reliable, consistent and high-quality essential services, and to programs which empower women, strengthen families, foster social cohesion, increase youth resilience and build community unity.
Fartun’s volunteering has delivered significant benefit to her community. She has assisted hundreds of women newly arrived in Melbourne connect with a safe support network and gain access to targeted services. Fartun has assisted these women establish successful lives in a new homeland yet retain and celebrate their cultural heritage.
Fartun and her dedicated small team have developed and implemented programs of real impact, addressing issues such as mental health and family violence. These programs include targeted information about how to source appropriate professional and business help, access counselling services, and find crisis support and safe housing.
Through partnerships with InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, EAWF has supported women at risk by connecting them with crisis services and long-term safety plans. With the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and Daughters of the West programs, Fartun has promoted health, resilience, wellbeing and building of stronger community connections.
Fartun’s dedication as a volunteer is exceptional. For almost two decades, Fartun has given the EAWF at least thirty hours of her time a week. Her volunteering is characterised by compassion, collaboration, inclusion and unwavering commitment. Fartun’s focus on healing, wellbeing and creating business opportunities for her community has ensured the EAWF’s continuous growth, built its reputation, extended the range of programs available and continuously improved its operational effectiveness.
Fartun’s outstanding contribution as a volunteer is a clear example of Service Above Self. She has empowered women, supported youth and families, and fostered a strong sense of belonging within her community. Her work has built trust and strengthened connections, ensuring community members feel safe and confident to seek support.
Philip Cornish
President
26 November 2025
